sell

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sell” in English is translated in Noongar as wort-bangal or “away-barter.” Note that “buy” is translated as bangal-barranga or “get-barter.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)

See also buy and buying / selling.

complete verse (Exodus 22:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 22:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “But if (he) steals during day and is killed, the blame goes to the person who killed. A thief deserves to compensate what he stole and if he has nothing to give, then he should be sold for the stolen thing to be compensated.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If he is killed after sunshine, he is guilty of bloodshed.
    A thief must return what he has stolen, but if he has nothing to return, he must be sold to pay for his theft.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But if this happens in daylight, the one-(who)-killed the thief is-accountable.
    ‘The thief who is-caught should pay for what he has-stolen. But if he has nothing to-pay, he should-be-sold as a slave and his/her price/worth is-to-be-paid for what he stole.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “But if he strikes him in the daytime so that he dies, the house owner has a bad fault for striking him dead.
    ‘The man of stealing must pay back whatever thing he stole. And if he doesn’t have anything, they must allow other people to buy him so that he exists as their laborer for nothing. This money will go to the owner of the things for paying for his things which he stole.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “But, if they find him during daytime, hit him he die, they sin.
    And one who steal thing, he must return that which he stole all. If he lacks that which he will return, let him sell himself as slave.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “But if that happens during the daytime, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murdering him. The thief must pay for what he stole. If he has no animals with which to pay for the one that he stole, he must be sold to become someone’s else’s slave and the money must be used to pay for what he stole.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 22:2 - 22:3

As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, this is verse 1 in the Hebrew and in some translations. (See the above introduction to this section.) Surprisingly, the word for If is the Hebrew ʾim rather than the usual ki that we would expect at the beginning of a different law. Since the situation here is not the same as that described in verse 1, it should still be translated as a different law. It may be that this verse was originally part of a longer casuistic law that has been lost from the text.

If a thief is found breaking in is literally “If in trespassing the thief is found.” Found means “caught” (Good News Translation) in this situation. Durham has “discovered,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “seized.” Breaking in is a word that means to dig through something, so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “while tunneling,” explaining in a footnote that this means digging “under a wall for housebreaking.” This was a common way for thieves to enter a house, especially since many houses in Palestine were built with sun-dried bricks. However, translators may find it better to use an expression common in their own language. So Good News Translation has “breaking into a house.” Revised English Bible changes thief to “burglar” and then simply adds “is caught in the act.” Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version indicate that the breaking in is done at night.

And is struck so that he dies means that he is “beaten to death” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible). (The same word is used for “strike” in 21.18.) Good News Translation has simply: “and is killed,” but this does not necessarily suggest that he was struck. Translators should therefore make this explicit. Another way to translate the first part of this verse is “If you strike a burglar who breaks into your house at night and kill him.” There shall be no bloodguilt for him is literally “there is not for him bloods.” The English word bloodguilt means guilt resulting from bloodshed, so Good News Translation renders this sentence as “the one who killed him is not guilty of murder.” The text does not indicate who the killer is, but it may be assumed that it is the owner of the house, since the following clause implies that it was “at night” (Good News Translation).

Verse 3 is a new sentence in the Hebrew. It begins with ʾim as in verses 2 and 4 (see above). But if the sun has risen upon him means “if it happens after sunrise” (New Revised Standard Version) or “during the day” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). There shall be bloodguilt for him is just one word, “bloods,” meaning, as Good News Translation expresses it, “the one who killed him” is “guilty of murder.” New Jerusalem Bible interprets bloodguilt as “his blood may be avenged.” (See the comment at 21.14.)

An alternative translation model for verses 1-4 is:

• If a person steals a bull [or, cow] and slaughters it or sells it, he must replace it with five cows [or, cattle]; if he steals a sheep or a goat, and slaughters it or sells it, he must replace it with four sheep or goats. He must repay what he stole. If, however, he cannot replace the animal, his family must sell him as a slave to pay for what he has stolen. If a person steals an ox, donkey, or sheep, and people find it in his possession alive, he must pay the owner two animals for the one.
If anyone catches a thief breaking into a house at night and strikes him so that he dies, that person is not guilty of murder. But if he kills someone who breaks into his house during the day, he is guilty of murder.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .