7 Bible Verses about Kidnapping

Most Relevant Verses

Genesis 37:23-28

When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat. They put him into a water pit. It had no water in it. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt.read more.
Judah asked his brothers: What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let us not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed. Some of the Midianite traders approached. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites. They took him to Egypt.

Genesis 40:15

I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.

Genesis 45:3-5

Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph! Is my father still alive? His brothers could not answer him because they were afraid of him. Please come closer to me, Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer. He said: I am Joseph, the brother you sold into slavery in Egypt! Dear brothers, do not be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives.

Judges 21:16-23

So the leaders said: There are no more women in the tribe of Benjamin. What shall we do to provide wives for the men who are left? Israel must not lose one of its twelve tribes. We must find a way for the tribe of Benjamin to survive. We cannot allow them to marry our daughters. We have put a curse on anyone who allows a Benjaminite to marry one of our daughters.read more.
They said: The yearly festival of Jehovah at Shiloh is coming soon. (Shiloh is north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and east of the road between Bethel and Shechem.) They told the Benjaminites: Go hide in the vineyards. When the young women of Shiloh come out to dance during the festival, you come out of the vineyards. Each of you should take a wife by force from among them and take her back to the territory of Benjamin with you. If their fathers or brothers come to you and protest, you can tell them: 'Please let us keep them, because we did not take them from you in battle to be our wives. Since you did not give them to us, you are not guilty of breaking your promise.' The Benjaminites did this. Each of them chose a wife from the young women who were dancing at Shiloh and carried her away. They went back to their own territory, rebuilt their towns, and lived there.

Exodus 21:16

Whoever kidnaps another person must be put to death regardless of whether he has sold the kidnapped person or still has him.

Deuteronomy 24:7

If a man is caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, the thief shall die. You will purge the evil from among you.

1 Timothy 1:9-10

Knowing this, that Law is not made for a righteous person. It is for the lawless and unruly, the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, and for manslayers. It is for fornicators, for abusers of themselves with men, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and everything else that is contrary to the sound teaching.

From Thematic Bible


Kidnapping » Forbidden

Deuteronomy 24:7

If a man is caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, the thief shall die. You will purge the evil from among you.

Exodus 21:16

Whoever kidnaps another person must be put to death regardless of whether he has sold the kidnapped person or still has him.

Kidnapping » Instance of

Judges 21:20-23

They told the Benjaminites: Go hide in the vineyards. When the young women of Shiloh come out to dance during the festival, you come out of the vineyards. Each of you should take a wife by force from among them and take her back to the territory of Benjamin with you. If their fathers or brothers come to you and protest, you can tell them: 'Please let us keep them, because we did not take them from you in battle to be our wives. Since you did not give them to us, you are not guilty of breaking your promise.' read more.
The Benjaminites did this. Each of them chose a wife from the young women who were dancing at Shiloh and carried her away. They went back to their own territory, rebuilt their towns, and lived there.

Punishment » Death penalty » Mosaic law » Kidnapping

Deuteronomy 24:7

If a man is caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, the thief shall die. You will purge the evil from among you.

Exodus 21:16

Whoever kidnaps another person must be put to death regardless of whether he has sold the kidnapped person or still has him.

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