Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 21:29/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״א:כ״ט

אואם. אין ספק כי אין כופר למומתי ב"ד על כן אמרו מעתיקי הדת כי וגם יומת, מיתתו בידי שמים הנה יהיה זה יומת לפי דעתי כמו עין תחת עין, שהוא ראוי שימות אם לא יתן כופר נפשו וכל זה, בעבור שהוא כתוב יומת ולא ימות:

1BUT IF THE OX WAS WONT TO GORE. There is no doubt that there is no ransom for those who are to be executed by a court of law.²⁸⁸. The transmitters of tradition therefore said that shall also be put to death refers to death at the hands of heaven. Now I believe that here [the term shall be put to death] is similar to eye for eye. Its meaning is, the owner shall be put to death if he does not give a redemption for his life. All of this because Scripture reads, yumat (shall be put to death); not yamut (he will die).²⁸⁹ always means that others shall put him to death. However, yamut always refers to death at the hands of heaven. Since Scripture here uses yumat, the reference cannot be to death at the hands of heaven (Filwarg).