Bible Dictionary
KIDNAPPING (MANSTEALING)
Kidnapping, or manstealing, is the crime of unlawfully seizing a person. The Mosaic law condemned it as a capital offense, and the New Testament lists manstealers among serious sinners.
Definition
Kidnapping, or manstealing, is the unlawful seizure of a person. It is treated as a serious crime in biblical law and is associated with the forcible removal of a human being.
Biblical Usage
The Hebrew law directly forbade manstealing in Exodus 21:16 and Deuteronomy 24:7, making it punishable by death. The New Testament lists manstealers among serious sinners in 1 Timothy 1:10.
Historical Background
The New Testament term is andrapodistes, meaning “manstealer.”
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>kid'-nap-ing The term itself occurs only in the New Testament andrapodistes ="manstealer") in 1Ti 1:10. The crime was directly forbidden in the Hebrew law (Ex 21:16; De 24:7), and was made punishable with death.</p>