6:31

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning. The phrase “all the wealth of his house” in the second line explains or limits what is meant by “sevenfold” in the first line.

31a Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold ;

31b
he must give up all the wealth of his house.

6:31a

Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold: The clause he must pay sevenfold literally means that the thief will have to pay a fine to the owner that is seven times the value of what he stole (see the New Living Translation (2004)). However, sevenfold should probably not be interpreted literally, since Israelite laws at that time specified a lower amount. The word sevenfold is probably a figurative way of saying “a great deal” or “everything,” as the next clause explains.

If you translate sevenfold literally, you may want to add a footnote that explains the nonfigurative meaning. Here is a suggested footnote:

According to the Israelite laws about stealing in Exodus 22:1–4, and 22:7, a thief had to repay between two and five times the value of what he stole. Because of this, some scholars think that “sevenfold” means “a great deal” or “everything.”

6:31b

he must give up all the wealth of his house: The phrase all the wealth of his house refers to everything that the thief owns. It does not literally refer to only the things that were located in his house. Other ways to translate this clause are:

and it may cost him everything he owns (New Century Version)
-or-
even if he has to sell everything he owns

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