§ 9

Law § 9 of Hammurabi's Code

Summary

the punishment for selling stolen goods with adequate testimony from both the buyer and original owner is execution. The stolen goods and monies must be returned to the original owners.

Translation

If a man whose property is missing has seized his missing property in a(nother) man’s possession, (and) the man in whose possession the missing property was seized has said, “A seller sold to me; I bought before witnesses,” and the owner of the stolen property has said, “Let me produce witnesses who recognize my stolen property,” (and) the buyer has produced the seller who sold to him and the witnesses before whom he bought and the owner of the stolen property has produced the witnesses who recognize his stolen property, the judges will consider their words and if the witnesses before whom the purchase was made and the witnesses who recognize the stolen property say what they know before the god then the seller is a thief; he will be executed; the owner of the stolen property will receive his stolen property; the buyer will receive the silver he weighed out from the seller’s estate. · ·

Law Code

Law Code of Hammurabi

Law Group

Theft, Kidnapping, Robbery

Inscription

Cuneiform

Source: Bergmann (1953, p. 5, col. VI–VII, lns. 70; 1–47)

Transliteration

šum-ma a-wi-lum ša mi-im-mu-šu ḫal-qú mi-im-ma-šu ḫal-qá-am i-na qá-ti a-wi-lim iṣ-ṣa-ba-at a-wi-lum ša ḫu-ul-qum i-na qá-ti-šu ṣa-ab-tu na-di-na-nu-um-mi id-di-nam ma-ḫar ši-bi-mi a-ša-am iq-ta-bi ù be-el ḫu-ul-qí-im ši-bi mu-de ḫu-ul-qí-ia-mi lu-ub-lam iq-ta-bi ša-a-a-ma-nu-um na-di-in id-di-nu-šum ù ši-bi ša i-na maḫ-ri-šu-nu i-ša-mu it-ba-lam ù be-el ḫu-ul-qí-im ši-bi mu-de ḫu-ul-qí-šu it-ba-lam da-a-a-nu a-wa-a-ti-šu-nu i-im-ma-ru-ma ši-bu ša maḫ-ri-šu-nu ši-mu-um iš-ša-mu ù ši-bu mu-de ḫu-ul-qí-im mu-du-sú-nu ma-ḫar i-lim i-qá-ab-bu-ma na-di-na-nu-um šar-ra-aq id-da-ak be-el ḫu-ul-qí-im ḫu-lu-uq-šu i-le-qé ša-a-a-ma-nu-um i-na bi-it na-di-na-nim KUG.BABBAR iš-qú-lu i-le-qé

Source: Huehnergard (2011, p. 382)

Normalization

šumma awīlum ša mimmûšu ḫalqu mimmâšu ḫalqam ina qāti/qātī awīlim iṣṣabat, awīlum ša ḫulqum ina qātīšu ṣabtu "nādinānum-mi iddinam; maḫar šībī-mi ašām" iqtabi, u bēl ḫulqim "šībī mūde ḫulqīyā-mi lublam" iqtabi, šayyāmānum nādin iddinūšum u šībī ša ina maḫrīšunu išāmu itbalam u bēl ḫulqim šībī mūde ḫulqīšu itbalam, dayyānū awâtīšunu immarū-ma šībū ša maḫrīšunu šīmum iššāmu u šībū mūde ḫulqim mūdûssunu maḫar ilim iqabbû-ma nādinānum šarrāq; iddâk; bēl ḫulqim ḫuluqšu ileqqe; šayyāmānum ina bīt nādinānim kasap išqulu ileqqe.

Source: Huehnergard (2013, p. 100)

Translation

If a man whose property is missing has seized his missing property in a(nother) man’s possession, (and) the man in whose possession the missing property was seized has said, “A seller sold to me; I bought before witnesses,” and the owner of the stolen property has said, “Let me produce witnesses who recognize my stolen property,” (and) the buyer has produced the seller who sold to him and the witnesses before whom he bought and the owner of the stolen property has produced the witnesses who recognize his stolen property, the judges will consider their words and if the witnesses before whom the purchase was made and the witnesses who recognize the stolen property say what they know before the god then the seller is a thief; he will be executed; the owner of the stolen property will receive his stolen property; the buyer will receive the silver he weighed out from the seller’s estate.

Source: Huehnergard (2013, p. 100)

Cuneiform

Signs for Law § 9

Unavailable

Source: Bergmann (1953, p. 5)
Cuneiform

Source: Harper (1904, p. [pl. X–XI])
Cuneiform

Inscription

Location of Law § 9 · Powered by Stele3D^SM

Orientation Front

Side(s) Sides 3 – 2 (overflow)

Column(s) Cols. 6–7

Line(s) Lns. 17–47

Key

Law § 9

Prologue

Laws

Epilogue

Damage

Open Law § 9 in Stele3D^SM

Logic

Logic Map for § 9 · Powered by LawgicSniffer^SM

#

Steps

1 if:start If
2 condition:start
3 party:1 a man whose property is missing
4 action has seized his missing property in
5 party:2 a(nother) man’s possession,
6 condition:end
7 and (and)
8 condition:start
9 party:2 the man in whose possession the missing property was seized
10 action has said,
11 party:3 "A seller
12 action sold
13 party:2 to me;
14 party:2 I
15 action bought
16 party:4 before witnesses,”
17 condition:end
18 and and
19 condition:start
20 party:1 the owner of the stolen property
21 action has said, “Let me produce
22 party:5 witnesses who recognize my stolen property,”
23 condition:end
24 and (and)
25 condition:start
26 party:2 the buyer
27 action has produced
28 party:3 the seller who sold to him
29 and and
30 party:4 the witnesses before whom he bought
31 condition:end
32 and and
33 condition:start
34 party:1 the owner of the stolen property
35 action has produced
36 party:5 the witnesses who recognize his stolen property,
37 condition:end
38 then:start (then)
39 result:start
40 party:6 the judges
41 action will consider their words
42 result:end
43 and and
44 if:start if
45 condition:start
46 party:4 the witnesses before whom the purchase was made
47 and and
48 party:5 the witnesses who recognize the stolen property
49 action say what they know before the god
50 condition:end
51 then:start then
52 result:start
53 party:3 the seller
54 action is a thief;
55 and and
56 party:3 he
57 action will be executed;
58 result:end
59 and (and)
60 result:start
61 party:1 the owner of the stolen property
62 action will receive his stolen property;
63 result:end
64 and (and)
65 result:start
66 party:2 the buyer
67 action will receive the silver he weighed out from
68 party:3 the seller’s estate.
69 result:end
70 then:end
71 if:end
72 then:end
73 if:end

Vocabulary

Akkadian Words · Powered by GrammarSniffer^SM

šumma (conditional Particle) "if; whether"

awīlum (Noun form) Masculine Singular Nominative of awīlu "man"

ša (relative Particle) "(introduces relative clause or epithet); who, whom; s/he who"

ina (Preposition) "in, on, onto"

awīlim (Noun form) Masculine Singular Genitive of awīlu "man"

awīlum (Noun form) Masculine Singular Nominative of awīlu "man"

ša (relative Particle) "(introduces relative clause or epithet); who, whom; s/he who"

ina (Preposition) "in, on, onto"

u (Conjunction)

ša (relative Particle) "(introduces relative clause or epithet); who, whom; s/he who"

ina (Preposition) "in, on, onto"

iddâk (N-Stem Durative Verb form) 3rd Person Common Singular of dâku "to kill"

ina (Preposition) "in, on, onto"

Citation

Dedović, B. "§ 9 - eHammurabi." OMNIKA Foundation, 24 Oct. 2023, ehlaw.org/law/9. [Accessed 7 Nov. 2026]

MLA 9

Dedović, B. (2023, October 24). § 9 - eHammurabi. OMNIKA Foundation. https://ehlaw.org/law/9

APA 7

Dedović, Boban. "§ 9 - eHammurabi." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created October 24, 2023. Modified December 15, 2024. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://ehlaw.org/law/9.

CMS 16

Bibliography

Abulhab, Saad D. The Law Code of Hammurabi: Transliterated and Literally Translated from its Early Classical Arabic Language. New York, NY: Blautopf, 2017.

ACH

Bergmann, Eugen. Codex Ḫammurabi: Textus Primigenius. Rome, Italy: Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, 1953.

CHTP

Huehnergard, John. A Grammar of Akkadian (Third Edition). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011.

HAG3

Huehnergard, John. Key to a Grammar of Akkadian (Third Edition). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2013.

HKEY3

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "OMNIKA: Digital Mythology Library & Search Engine." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation, accessed November 14, 2023. https://omnika.org. [Visit]

–

Richardson, Mervyn E.J. Hammurabi's Laws: Text, Translation and Glossary. New York, NY: T & T Clark International, 2004.

RHL

Sound of Text Contributors. "Sound of Text: AI Text-to-Speech." Accessed November 14, 2023. https://soundoftext.app. [Visit]

SoT

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§ 9