Exodus 23:4
New International Version
“If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.

New Living Translation
“If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.

English Standard Version
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.

Berean Standard Bible
If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

King James Bible
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

New King James Version
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

New American Standard Bible
“If you encounter your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.

NASB 1995
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.

NASB 1977
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.

Legacy Standard Bible
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.

Amplified Bible
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering off, you must bring it back to him.

Christian Standard Bible
“If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.”

American Standard Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when you will come upon the ox of your enemy or upon his donkey when going astray, be sure to return them to him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt turn them back and restore them to him.

Contemporary English Version
If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.

Douay-Rheims Bible
If thou meet thy enemy's ox or ass going astray, bring it back to him.

English Revised Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Whenever you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering loose, be sure to take it back to him.

Good News Translation
"If you happen to see your enemy's cow or donkey running loose, take it back to him.

International Standard Version
"If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, you are to certainly return it to him.

JPS Tanakh 1917
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

Literal Standard Version
When you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you certainly turn it back to him;

Majority Standard Bible
If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

New American Bible
When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you must see to it that it is returned.

NET Bible
"If you encounter your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return it to him.

New Revised Standard Version
When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.

New Heart English Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

Webster's Bible Translation
If thou shalt meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

World English Bible
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

Young's Literal Translation
'When thou meetest thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou dost certainly turn it back to him;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Justice and Mercy
3And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit. 4If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. 5If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it.…

Cross References
Leviticus 6:3
or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit--

Deuteronomy 22:1
If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; be sure to return it to your brother.

Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.


Treasury of Scripture

If you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

Deuteronomy 22:1-4
Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother…

Job 31:29,30
If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: …

Proverbs 24:17,18
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: …

Jump to Previous
Ass Astray Donkey Enemy's Friend Meet Meetest Ox Sure Surely Turn Wandering Way
Jump to Next
Ass Astray Donkey Enemy's Friend Meet Meetest Ox Sure Surely Turn Wandering Way
Exodus 23
1. Of slander, false witness, and partiality
4. Of charitableness
6. Of justice in judgment
8. Of taking bribes
9. Of oppressing a stranger
10. Of the year of rest
12. Of the Sabbath
13. Of idolatry
14. Of the three feasts
18. Of the blood and the fat of the sacrifice
20. An angel is promised, with a blessing, if they obey him














(4) Thine enemy's ox.--The general duty of stopping stray animals and restoring them to friendly owners, expressly taught in Deuteronomy 22:1-3, is here implied as if admitted on all hands. The legislator extends this duty to cases where the owner is our personal enemy. It was not generally recognised in antiquity that men's enemies had any claims upon them. Cicero, indeed, says--"Sunt autem quaedam officia etiam adversus eos servanda, a quibus injuriam aceeperis" (De Off. i. 11); but he stops short of enjoining active benevolence. Here and in Exodus 23:5 we have a sort of anticipation of Christianity--active kindness to an enemy being required, even when it costs us some trouble. The principle of friendliness is involved--the germ which in Christianity blossoms out into the precept, "Love your enemies."

Verse 4. - Thine enemy's ox. A private enemy is here spoken of, not a public one, as in Deuteronomy 23:6. It is remarkable that the law should have so far anticipated Christianity as to have laid it down that men have duties of friendliness even towards their enemies, and are bound under certain circumstances to render them a service. "Hate thine enemies" (Matthew 5:43) was no injunction of the Mosaic taw, but a conclusion which Rabbinical teachers unwarrantably drew from it. Christianity, however, goes far beyond Mosaism in laying down the broad precept - "Love your enemies."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you encounter
תִפְגַּ֞ע (ṯip̄·ga‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6293: To impinge, by accident, violence, by importunity

your enemy’s
אֹֽיִבְךָ֛ (’ō·yiḇ·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 341: Hating, an adversary

stray
תֹּעֶ֑ה (tō·‘eh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8582: To vacillate, reel, stray

ox
שׁ֧וֹר (šō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7794: A head of cattle (bullock, ox, etcetera)

or
א֥וֹ (’ōw)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

donkey,
חֲמֹר֖וֹ (ḥă·mō·rōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2543: A male ass

you must return
הָשֵׁ֥ב (hā·šêḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

it to him.
תְּשִׁיבֶ֖נּוּ (tə·šî·ḇen·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again


Links
Exodus 23:4 NIV
Exodus 23:4 NLT
Exodus 23:4 ESV
Exodus 23:4 NASB
Exodus 23:4 KJV

Exodus 23:4 BibleApps.com
Exodus 23:4 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 23:4 Chinese Bible
Exodus 23:4 French Bible
Exodus 23:4 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 23:4 If you meet your enemy's ox (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 23:3
Top of Page
Top of Page