Exodus 22:9
עַֽל־כָּל־דְּבַר־פֶּשַׁע עַל־שׁוֹר עַל־חֲמוֹר עַל־שֶׂה עַל־שַׂלְמָה עַל־כָּל־אֲבֵדָה אֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר כִּי־הוּא זֶה עַד הָֽאֱלֹהִים יָבֹא דְּבַר־שְׁנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר יַרְשִׁיעֻן אֱלֹהִים יְשַׁלֵּם שְׁנַיִם לְרֵעֵֽהוּ׃ ס
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
עַֽל־כָּל־דְּבַר־פֶּ֡שַׁע עַל־שׁ֡וֹר עַל־חֲ֠מוֹר עַל־שֶׂ֨ה עַל־שַׂלְמָ֜ה עַל־כָּל־אֲבֵדָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֹאמַר֙ כִּי־ה֣וּא זֶ֔ה עַ֚ד הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים יָבֹ֖א דְּבַר־שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יַרְשִׁיעֻן֙ אֱלֹהִ֔ים יְשַׁלֵּ֥ם שְׁנַ֖יִם לְרֵעֵֽהוּ׃ ס
κατὰ πᾶν ῥητὸν ἀδίκημα, περί τε μόσχου καὶ ὑποζυγίου καὶ προβάτου καὶ ἱματίου καὶ πάσης ἀπωλίας τῆς ἐνκαλουμένης, ὅ τι οὖν ἂν ᾖ, ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλεύσεται ἡ κρίσις ἀμφοτέρων, καὶ ὁ ἁλοὺς διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποτίσει διπ·λοῦν τῶ πλησίον.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
ad perpetrandam fraudem, tam in bove quam in asino, et ove ac vestimento, et quidquid damnum inferre potest: ad deos utriusque causa perveniet, et si illi judicaverint, duplum restituet proximo suo.
En cualquier caso de fraude, ya sea que se trate de un toro, un burro, una oveja, ropa o cualquier cosa perdida, si alguien dice: ‘Esto es mío’, el caso se llevará ante Dios. La persona a la que Dios declare culpable, tendrá que pagarle el doble a su vecino.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Sobre todo negocio de fraude, sobre buey, sobre asno, sobre oveja, sobre vestido, sobre toda cosa perdida, cuando uno dijere: Esto es mío, la causa de ambos vendrá delante de los jueces; y el que los jueces condenaren, pagará el doble á su prójimo.
In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any lost item that someone claims, ‘ This is mine,’ both parties shall bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges find guilty must pay back double to his neighbor.
✦ What the text says
Summary
Exodus 22:9 establishes a legal procedure for disputed claims of ownership over an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost item. When a claimant asserts "this is mine," the matter is brought before ha'Elohim ("the judges", H430G) for a ruling, and the party found guilty must pay double restitution to the other.
Key words
- 'Elohim ("judges", H430G) — masculine plural noun, appearing twice (lines 23, 31). Though morphologically plural, it is glossed here as "judges" rather than "God," a grammatical ambiguity central to how this verse has been read across traditions.
- pesha' ("transgression", H6588) — masculine singular noun in construct with devar ("matter of", H1697L), forming the phrase "matter of transgression," the general legal category the verse addresses.
- yarshi'un ("they will condemn as guilty", H7561) — hiphil (causative) imperfect, third person plural, carrying a paragogic nun (H9013) that adds emphasis to the verb form.
- yeshallem ("he will make restitution", H7999A) — piel (intensive) imperfect, third person singular masculine, indicating an obligatory, intensified act of repayment rather than a simple return.
- 'asher ("which/whom", H834A) — relative particle used three times (lines 16, 28), structuring the conditional clauses that define the claim, the judgment, and the guilty party.
What the text says
The verse opens with a construct chain, 'al kol-devar-pesha' ("concerning every matter of transgression", H5921A + H3605 + H1697L + H6588), functioning as a heading for the list that follows: ox, donkey, sheep, garment, "and every lost thing" (kol-'avedah, H3605 + H9). Each item is joined by the repeated preposition 'al ("on/concerning", H5921A), a paratactic listing style rather than a coordinated sentence.
The conditional clause 'asher yomar ki-hu zeh ("which someone will say that it is this", H834A + H559 + H3588A + H1931 + H2088) introduces the claim scenario. The case then "comes" (yavo, H935G, qal imperfect) 'ad ha'Elohim ("to the judges", H5704 + H9009 + H430G) — grammatically the same plural noun used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for "God." The hiphil verb yarshi'un with its paragogic nun marks a decisive, emphasized act of declaring guilt, followed by the piel yeshallem, denoting an intensive obligation to repay double (shenayim, H8147) to the rea' ("neighbor/companion", H7453).
Differences between versions
The Hebrew ha'Elohim (plural form) is rendered by the LXX as τοῦ θεοῦ (singular "God"), while the Vulgate uses the plural deos ("to the gods") but then shifts to the pronoun illi ("they," plural) in "si illi judicaverint." The Hebrew plural noun is thus handled with a singular referent in the LXX and a plural one in the Vulgate's initial noun choice, though the Vulgate's verb judicaverint is also plural, matching the Hebrew's plural verb yarshi'un.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.