EXODUS 21:29 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”
If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. The principle of liability through knowledge is introduced: if the owner knew the bull was dangerous and did nothing, the owner is as responsible for the death as if he had killed the person himself. The known risk not managed becomes personal culpability. Ezekiel 3:18 applies the same principle to the watchman who fails to warn: if I say to a wicked person, you will surely die, and you do not warn them — that wicked person will die for their sin, but I will hold you accountable for their blood. Known danger not addressed is a form of causing the harm that results.
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