Deuteronomy 24:7 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 24:7 Commentary: The Law Against Man-Stealing
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Moses commands death for kidnapping and enslaving fellow Israelites.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Kidnapping an Israelite and either enslaving or selling him is a capital crime, the thief must die.
- Key words: nefesh (person, soul), the stolen object is a living being; hit'ammer (treat as a slave), a Hithpael verb suggesting harsh treatment; gannav (thief), carries the death penalty.
- Main debate: Must the kidnapper both enslave and sell the victim to be executed, or is either act enough? Maimonides required both; most English translations treat the Hebrew as disjunctive (or).
- Theological theme: Human persons are not property; freedom within God’s covenant community is sacred and worth protecting with the highest penalty.
- Best use: Preach this verse to underline human dignity, the seriousness of trafficking, and God’s call to protect the vulnerable in the community.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from among you.
WEB World English Bible 2000
If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
KJV King James Version 1769
If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`When a man is found stealing a person, of his brethren, of the sons of Israel, and hath tyrannized over him, and sold him, then hath that thief died, and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
If a man be found who hath stolen one of his brethren of the children of Israel, and who hath treated him as a slave and sold him, that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
If any man be found soliciting his brother of the children of Israel, and selling him shall take a price, he shall be put to death, and thou shalt take away the evil from the midst of thee.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cuando fuere hallado alguno que haya hurtado persona de sus hermanos los hijos de Israel, y hubiere mercadeado con ella, ó la hubiere vendido, el tal ladrón morirá, y quitarás el mal de en medio de ti.
Quando for achado alguém que tenha furtado pessoa de seus irmãos os filhos de Israel, e houver comercializado com ela, ou a houver vendido, o tal ladrão morrerá, e tirarás o mal do meio de ti.
Si l’ on trouve un homme qui ait dérobé l’ un de ses frères, l’ un des enfants d’ Israël, qui en ait fait son esclave ou qui l’ ait vendu, ce voleur sera puni de mort. Tu ôteras ainsi le mal du milieu de toi.
Wenn jemand gefunden wird, der aus seinen Brüdern, aus den Kindern Israel, eine Seele stiehlt, und versetzt oder verkauft sie: solcher Dieb soll sterben, daß du das Böse von dir tust.
Wanneer iemand gevonden zal worden, die een ziel steelt uit zijn broederen, uit de kinderen Israels, en drijft gewin met hem, en verkoopt hem; zo zal deze dief sterven, en gij zult het boze uit het midden van u wegdoen.
Quando si troverà un uomo che abbia rubato qualcuno dei suoi fratelli di tra i figliuoli d’Israele, ne abbia fatto un suo schiavo e l’abbia venduto, quel ladro sarà messo a morte; così torrai via il male di mezzo a te.
Jeźliby kto był znalezion, coby ukradł człowieka z braci swej, synów Izraelskich, a handlowałby nim, i sprzedał go, tedy umrze on złodziej, i odejmiesz złe z pośrodku siebie.
Если найдут кого, что он украл кого—нибудь из братьев своих, из сынов Израилевых, и поработил его, и продал его, то такого вора должно предать смерти; и так истреби зло из среды себя.
「若 遇見 人 拐帶 以色列 中的一個 弟兄，當奴才 待他，或是賣了他，那 拐帶人的 就必治死。這樣，便將那惡 從你們中間 除掉。
If a man takes by force one of his countrymen, the children of Israel, using him as his property or getting a price for him, that thief is to be put to death: so you are to put away evil from among you.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 24:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse addresses man-stealing, the kidnapping of a fellow Israelite. Calvin calls it deserving the same punishment as murder, because liberty is more than half of life. The Cambridge Bible notes the parallel in Exodus 21:16 and the Code of Hammurabi, both of which also decree death for the kidnapper. Most agree the crime is stealing a person (Hebrew nefesh), a living soul, not property. The central debate: does the death penalty require both enslaving and selling, or is either sufficient? Gill reports that Maimonides required both acts, using the victim for service and then selling him. But the English translations render the Hebrew waw as 'or,' suggesting either treatment merits execution. The surrounding laws (Deuteronomy 24:6-13) protect life and livelihood; this law protects the person of the covenant community itself.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Both enslaving and selling required: Maimonides (via Gill) interprets the verbs as sequential: the thief must first treat the victim as a slave and then sell him. This reading stresses the full exploitation of the person.
- Either enslaving or selling sufficient: Most English translations render the Hebrew waw as 'or,' supported by the parallel in Exodus 21:16 which only mentions selling. This reading sees the two acts as alternative forms of the same crime.
What is clear: The crime of kidnapping an Israelite for exploitative purposes carries the death penalty, underscoring the high value of personal freedom within the covenant community.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| What constitutes the crime? | Stealing a fellow Israelite, a person, not property. | Whether enslaving without selling merits death. Maimonides (via Gill) argued both acts are required; the disjunctive reading of 'or' in translations suggests either is sufficient. |
| Scope of 'brothers of the children of Israel' | At minimum, ethnic Israelites are covered. | Gill mentions that proselytes and freed servants may be included; Aben Ezra notes the phrase rules out the Edomite who is called 'brother' in other contexts. |
| Relation to Exodus 21:16 | Both passages condemn kidnapping and prescribe death. | Deuteronomy adds the element of 'treating as a slave' (hit'ammer) which does not appear in Exodus. Some see this as clarifying the nature of the crime; others view it as a distinct legal tradition. |
| Method of execution | The penalty is death. | Gill says strangling (citing Targum Jonathan and Maimonides); other traditions assume stoning or unspecified execution. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 24 gathers social protections: a new husband is exempt from war (v.5), millstones cannot be taken as a pledge (v.6), and lenders must not enter a borrower’s home (v.10-13). This verse fits into a pattern of preserving life, physical, relational, and economic. Kidnapping a fellow Israelite tore apart both the family and the nation. In the ancient Near East, kidnapping was often a capital crime. The Code of Hammurabi (§14) decrees death for the kidnapper of a free man. Israel’s law sharpens this: the victim is a 'brother,' a member of the covenant family rescued from Egypt. To sell him to a foreigner (as Calvin suggests the law anticipates) was to alienate God’s people from the Church, from their inheritance. The verb hit'ammer (to treat as a slave) appears only here and in Deuteronomy 21:14, where it describes the harsh treatment of a captive woman. That verb, along with the word nefesh (person/soul/life), signals that this is not mere theft of property but an attack on a human being made in God’s image. The punishment, death, purges the evil from the community (Deuteronomy 19:19 uses the same phrase). The law thus established a deterrent and a witness to the inviolable value of every Israelite’s freedom.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Deuteronomy 24:7. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The Septuagint renders the verse closely, and the key interpretive question lies in the syntax of the two verbs (enslaving and selling), not in the manuscript tradition.
Reception History
Jewish interpretation (Maimonides, as cited by Gill) debated whether both enslaving and selling were required for the death penalty, reflecting a concern for proportionality. Christian interpreters from the Reformation onward saw this law as affirming the high value of human freedom. Calvin equated man-stealing with murder, arguing that liberty is more precious than life itself. Paul’s listing of ‘slave-traders’ in 1 Timothy 1:10 echoes the same condemnation, and Revelation 18:13 includes ‘people’s bodies and souls’ among the goods Babylon trades, a direct indictment of the sin Deuteronomy forbids. The law has been used in Christian social ethics to denounce human trafficking and to argue for the inherent dignity of every person as God’s image-bearer.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The crime is person-stealing. The Hebrew nefesh shows it is a life, not goods. Treating a person as a commodity assaults God’s image.
- The penalty is death. Liberty is so precious that stealing it from a brother is as serious as murder. The death penalty purges the community of evil and protects its identity.
- The context is community purity. The surrounding laws about divorce, pledges, and leprosy all point to God’s concern for the wholeness of his people, moral, relational, and physical.
Five-point outline
- Kidnapping defined: stealing a person, not property (v.7a).
- The victim identified: a brother, a child of Israel (v.7a).
- The act: enslaving or selling (v.7b).
- The sentence: death for the thief (v.7b).
- The reason: remove evil from among you (v.7c).
Illustration hooks
- A family discovers their teenage daughter has been taken by traffickers. The law says such a crime is not a property offense, it is equivalent to murder. How does that change how we see modern human trafficking?
- When a neighbor treats an employee as a possession, using them without dignity, the law would call that evil in the community. What does it mean to 'remove evil' from our midst today?
- Consider the contrast: in Exodus 22:1, stealing an ox requires restitution. Stealing a person requires death. What does that say about the difference between things and people?
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse support the death penalty today? How do we apply a civil law from ancient Israel to a modern state?
- What about kidnapping non-Israelites? The law specifies 'brothers of Israel.' Was this a double standard, or was it about maintaining covenant boundaries?
- How does this Old Testament law connect to Paul’s condemnation of 'slave-traders' in 1 Timothy 1:10?
Leading a Discussion
This law appears in a section of Deuteronomy that protects the vulnerable: newlyweds, debtors, and those without a millstone for daily bread. Kidnapping an Israelite for forced labor or sale is treated as a capital crime. Your group will explore the value of freedom in God's covenant and what it means for us today.
Discussion questions
- Observation: Read the verse aloud. What does the Hebrew word nefesh (person) add to your understanding of the crime?
- Observation: What do the cross-references Exodus 21:16 and Deuteronomy 19:19 say about how seriously God treats this sin?
- Interpretation: Commentators disagree whether both enslaving and selling are required for the death penalty. Why does that distinction matter for how we understand the law's purpose?
- Interpretation: Calvin said stealing liberty is almost like destroying life. Do you agree? What does that tell us about God’s heart for human freedom?
- Application: Human trafficking still exists today. How does this law inform the way Christians should think about and respond to modern forms of man-stealing?
- Application: The law required execution 'to remove the evil from among you.' In what ways does the New Testament speak about removing evil from the church community (1 Corinthians 5)?
- Application: How can your group or church actively protect the vulnerable from being exploited or treated as objects?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 21:16 | “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. |
| Exodus 22:1 | “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. |
| Exodus 22:4 | If the stolen property is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double. |
| Deuteronomy 19:19 | then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you. |
| Ezekiel 27:13 | “‘“Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They traded the persons of men and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. |
| I Timothy 1:10 | for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, |
| Revelation of John 18:13 | and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and people’s bodies and souls. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists man-stealing deserves the same punishment as murder, because liberty is more than half of life; to take it is nearly to destroy someone. He also singles out selling a
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools note that Deuteronomy narrows the Exodus law against kidnapping by specifying the victim as an "Israel
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The note underscores that kidnapping and selling a fellow Israelite is a capital crime, not a lesser offense. The death penalty serves to purge evil from the community entirely, leaving no room for such betrayal among God's people.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes the precise legal conditions for the death penalty in this case: the thief must be caught in the act with witnesses, and he must either use the stolen person for service or sell him. He notes that Jewish interpreters disagree on whether both are required, but he reads the command disjunctively, meaning either offense alone is enough to warrant execution.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that this verse is not about stealing property but about kidnapping and enslaving a fellow Israelite. The cross-reference to Exodus 21:16 confirms that "stealing any of his brethren" means man-stealing, a capital offense under the law.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that taking a millstone as a pledge is effectively pawning life itself, since the handmill is essential for preparing daily food. They also clarify that the warning about leprosy does not mean to carefully follow priestly instructions when a plague appears, but to guard against incurring leprosy as punishment for rebellion.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees these domestic laws as the outworking of Israel's redemption: a people freed from bondage must now reflect God's character in their homes, fields, courts, and marriages. The heart of the law is love, and God as the true landlord of Canaan shapes every command toward mercy, justice, and restraint.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry connects this exemption directly to the divorce laws that precede it, arguing that a husband's absence in the first year could cool his love and draw his heart elsewhere. God therefore releases him from war and public business for a full year, giving him time to cheer his new wife and build a bond that will protect against divorce.