What is the meaning of Exodus 21:16? Whoever kidnaps • The command begins with a sweeping term—“Whoever”—showing no one is exempt. God applies His justice evenly, from the poorest to the most powerful (Leviticus 19:15; Romans 2:11). • “Kidnaps” describes forcibly taking a person against his will. Scripture consistently condemns this crime (Deuteronomy 24:7; 1 Timothy 1:9-10). • By placing the offense early in Israel’s civil code, the Lord signals that personal liberty is sacred and must be guarded. another man • Every victim is “another man,” a fellow image-bearer of God (Genesis 1:27; James 3:9). • The wording rules out ethnic, social, or economic excuses; stealing a person assaults the Creator’s dignity stamped on that life (Proverbs 14:31). • The verse protects men, women, and children alike, laying a foundation that later prophets echo against slave trading (Amos 1:6; Joel 3:3). must be put to death • The penalty is capital because the crime is capital—an attack on life and freedom together (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12). • Civil authority is charged to carry out this judgment, acting as “an avenger who brings wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). • The certainty (“must”) stresses prevention: potential kidnappers know exactly what awaits them. whether he sells him • The law covers the trafficker who profits by selling the victim, as Joseph’s brothers did to him (Genesis 37:28). • Profit does not lessen guilt; it worsens it by adding greed to violence (Amos 2:6; Revelation 18:11-13). • Any form of human trafficking falls under this clause, showing God’s timeless stand against it. or the man is found in his possession • Even if no sale occurs, mere possession of a kidnapped person brings the same sentence (Deuteronomy 24:7). • Possession reveals intent to exploit, and God judges intent as well as action (Proverbs 24:12). • The victim’s recovery does not cancel the crime; justice still demands life for life (Exodus 22:4 does the same with stolen property, but here the “property” is a person, raising the stakes). summary Exodus 21:16 plainly prohibits kidnapping in every form. Because each person bears God’s image, stealing a life is an offense so grave that only death satisfies divine justice. Whether the kidnapper aims to sell the victim or merely keep him, the law makes no distinction—the perpetrator forfeits his own life. The verse affirms the sanctity of human freedom, the equality of all before God’s law, and the seriousness with which the Lord defends the vulnerable. |
    |