Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Dear all,

 

Exodus 21:33-34 says: "If someone leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does
not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit
shall make restitution, giving money to its owner, but keeping the dead
animal". The word generally translated "pit" is "bor", which usually means
"cistern", and is sometimes used figuratively with "sheol" to refer to the
realm of the dead. The first of these meanings also appears on the Mesha
Stele.

 

Does anyone have an idea what kind of "pit" the verses envision a person
having on his property, that would be have a large enough opening for an ox
to fall into and be deep enough for the ox to be killed? 

 

Thanks,

 

Yigal

 

Dr. Yigal Levin

The Israel and Golda Koschitzky

Department of Jewish History

Bar-Ilan University

Ramat Gan. 52900

ISRAEL

 <mailto:leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il> leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il