In Exodus 21:29, if a bull known to be dangerous was allowed to roam free and it killed someone, the penalty of “life for life” must be paid by the owner. He died and so did the bull.
“However,” verse 30, “if payment (other than death) is demanded of the bull’s owner, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded.” Perhaps there was an element of forgiveness by the family of the dead person, allowing the owner to keep living, but justice in their minds still required the owner to pay for the damage he and his dangerous bull had caused. It was justice in Yahweh’s mind too, in which case the owner had better pay whatever was demanded of him.
And not only pay up for an injured child (31), but also for someone else’s “male or female slave,” paying the slave’s owner “thirty shekels of silver,” and on top of that killing the bull (32) and not eating its meat either (28), so that nothing of value is left of the bull. Thirty shekels of silver amounted to several months wages, so all of these payments added up to considerable loss to the owner. But where serious injury and violent death were concerned there was a heavy penalty to pay and that penalty must be paid.
Imagine reintroducing that law to dog owners today, taking into account that dogs, like bulls, can be dangerous too – witness the horrible stories of children being mauled and even killed by dogs. But how on earth did a dog like that get loose in the first place, when surely the owner knew how dangerous his dog could be? How many dead dogs and dead owners would it take, therefore, to get the point across that a violent killing by one’s dog has only one outcome, the death of the dog, and if the person killed was also due to the carelessness of the dog’s owner, then the death of the owner too?
Which could sound a bit harsh, but what about the unnecessary suffering inflicted on innocent victims because of reckless negligence on the part of a dog owner? Having to pay such a heavy penalty, therefore, would be highly effective in getting dog owners serious about training their animals, and if an animal does not respond, then put an end to its life before it puts an end to a human life (Genesis 9:5).
In this law, Yahweh is merely pointing out the obvious, that a wise and understanding nation with a heart depends on everyone’s commitment to the “Duty of care”….(next blog)
