If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching, If a man givesThe phrase "If a man gives" introduces a conditional situation, emphasizing personal responsibility and trust within the community. The Hebrew root for "gives" is "נָתַן" (natan), which implies a voluntary act of entrusting one's property to another. This reflects the communal and covenantal nature of Israelite society, where mutual trust and accountability were foundational. a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal
These animals were essential to the agrarian lifestyle of ancient Israel, serving as sources of labor, food, and economic stability. The mention of specific animals highlights their value and the seriousness of the responsibility being entrusted. The Hebrew terms for these animals are "חֲמוֹר" (chamor) for donkey, "שׁוֹר" (shor) for ox, and "שֶׂה" (seh) for sheep, each representing different aspects of livelihood and wealth. to his neighbor
The term "neighbor" in Hebrew is "רֵעַ" (rea), which extends beyond mere proximity to include fellow members of the covenant community. This reflects the biblical principle of loving one's neighbor and the expectation of ethical behavior within the community. The relationship between neighbors was governed by laws that promoted justice and harmony. for safekeeping
The concept of "safekeeping" involves a fiduciary duty, where the neighbor is expected to protect and care for the property as if it were their own. The Hebrew word "שָׁמַר" (shamar) means to guard or keep, indicating a sacred trust. This duty underscores the importance of integrity and faithfulness in interpersonal relationships. and it dies or is injured or is carried off
This phrase outlines potential misfortunes that could befall the entrusted animals. The Hebrew verbs used here—"מוּת" (muth) for dies, "שָׁבַר" (shabar) for injured, and "לָקַח" (laqach) for carried off—cover a range of scenarios that could lead to loss. These possibilities necessitate a fair and just resolution, reflecting God's concern for justice and equity. without anyone seeing it
The absence of witnesses introduces a challenge in determining responsibility and truth. In ancient Israel, the presence of witnesses was crucial for legal matters, as seen in Deuteronomy 19:15. This situation requires reliance on God's wisdom and the integrity of those involved to resolve disputes fairly, emphasizing the need for honesty and trust in the community. Persons / Places / Events 1. The GiverThe person who entrusts their animal to a neighbor for safekeeping. This reflects a relationship of trust and responsibility. 2. The NeighborThe individual who receives the animal for safekeeping. This person is expected to act as a steward and protector of the property entrusted to them. 3. The AnimalsSpecifically mentioned are a donkey, an ox, and a sheep, which were valuable assets in ancient agrarian societies. They symbolize wealth, livelihood, and sustenance. 4. SafekeepingThe act of entrusting property to another for protection. This implies a legal and moral obligation to care for the property. 5. Loss or InjuryThe event of the animal dying, being injured, or driven away, which raises questions of accountability and responsibility. Teaching Points Stewardship and ResponsibilityGod calls us to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us, whether it is our own or belongs to others. This includes being diligent and responsible in our duties. Trust and IntegrityTrust is foundational in relationships. We must strive to be trustworthy and act with integrity, especially when handling others' possessions. AccountabilityWe are accountable for our actions and how we manage what is given to us. This includes being honest and transparent if something goes wrong. Community and RelationshipsThe passage underscores the importance of community and mutual support. We are called to support and care for one another, reflecting God's love and care. Legal and Moral ObligationsThe laws given in Exodus reflect both legal and moral obligations. As Christians, we are called to uphold these principles in our interactions with others. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the concept of stewardship in Exodus 22:10 apply to our modern-day responsibilities, both in personal and professional contexts? 2. In what ways can we demonstrate trustworthiness and integrity in our daily interactions with others? 3. How do the principles of accountability and responsibility in this passage relate to Jesus' teachings in the New Testament? 4. What are some practical ways we can support and care for our community, reflecting the mutual support described in Exodus 22:10? 5. How can understanding the legal and moral obligations in the Old Testament enhance our understanding of Christian ethics today? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 6:1-7Discusses the laws regarding property and restitution, emphasizing the importance of honesty and integrity in dealing with others' possessions. Matthew 25:14-30The Parable of the Talents, which highlights the responsibility of stewardship and the expectation of faithfulness with what is entrusted to us. Luke 16:10-12Jesus teaches about faithfulness in small things, which can be related to the trust and responsibility in caring for another's property. People MosesPlaces Mount SinaiTopics Animal, Ass, Beast, Captive, Cattle, Damaged, Death, Deliver, Delivers, Die, Died, Dies, Donkey, Driven, Gives, Hurt, Injured, Keeping, Neighbor, Neighbour, None, Ox, Puts, Safekeeping, Seeing, SheepDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 22:1-17 5492 restitution Exodus 22:3-15 5264 compensation Exodus 22:5-15 5511 safety Exodus 22:10-15 4605 animals, religious role Library Excursus on Usury.
The famous canonist Van Espen defines usury thus: "Usura definitur lucrum ex mutuo exactum aut speratum;" [96] and then goes on to defend the proposition that, "Usury is forbidden by natural, by divine, and by human law. The first is proved thus. Natural law, as far as its first principles are concerned, is contained in the decalogue; but usury is prohibited in the decalogue, inasmuch as theft is prohibited; and this is the opinion of the Master of the Sentences, of St. Bonaventura, of St. Thomas …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical CouncilsParable of the Importunate Widow.
^C Luke XVIII. 1-8. ^c 1 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man [an utterly abandoned character]: 3 and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of [rather, Do justice to me as to] mine adversary. [In Scripture language widowhood is symbolic of defenselessness (Ex. xxii. 22-24; Deut. x. 18; xxvii. 19; Mal. iii. 5; Mark xii. 40), …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Ciii. Zacchæus. Parable of the Pounds. Journey to Jerusalem.
(Jericho.) ^C Luke XIX. 1-28. ^c 1 And he entered and was passing through Jericho. [This was about one week before the crucifixion. Jericho is about seven miles from the Jordan and about seventeen and a half from Jerusalem.] 2 And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus; and he was a chief publican, and he was rich. [See p. 76. It is probable that Zacchæus was a sub-contractor under some Roman knight who had bought the privilege of collecting taxes at Jericho, or perhaps the privilege of all …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Epistle Xl. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. The Piety of my Lords in their most serene commands, while set on refuting me on certain matters, in sparing me has by no means spared me. For by the use therein of the term simplicity they politely call me silly. It is true indeed that in Holy Scripture, when simplicity is spoken of in a good sense, it is often carefully associated with prudence and uprightness. Hence it is written of the blessed Job, The man was simple and upright (Job i. 1). …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
BY A.E. GRIMKE. "Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this. And Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer:--and so will I go in unto the king, …
Angelina Emily Grimke—An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South Epistle xvii. To Felix, Bishop of Messana.
To Felix, Bishop of Messana. To our most reverend brother, the Bishop Felix, Gregory, servant of the servants of God [246] . Our Head, which is Christ, to this end has willed us to be His members, that through His large charity and faithfulness He might make us one body in Himself, to whom it befits us so to cling that, since without Him we can do nothing, through Him we may be enabled to be what we are called. From the citadel of the Head let nothing divide us, lest, if we refuse to be His members, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Feast of the Dedication. The Jews Attempt to Stone Jesus and He Retires to Peræa.
(Jerusalem and Beyond Jordan.) ^D John X. 22-42. ^d 22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: 23; it was winter; and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. [The feast of dedication was one of eight days' duration and began upon the 25th Chisleu, which, according to the calculation of M. Chevannes, fell upon the nineteenth or twentieth of December, a.d. 29. The feast was kept in honor of the renovation and purification of the temple in the year b.c. 164, after it had been desecrated …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel A Summary of the Christian Life. Of Self-Denial.
The divisions of the chapter are,--I. The rule which permits us not to go astray in the study of righteousness, requires two things, viz., that man, abandoning his own will, devote himself entirely to the service of God; whence it follows, that we must seek not our own things, but the things of God, sec. 1, 2. II. A description of this renovation or Christian life taken from the Epistle to Titus, and accurately explained under certain special heads, sec. 3 to end. 1. ALTHOUGH the Law of God contains …
Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff—On the Christian Life Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
[Sidenote: First the principle, and then the detailed laws] If the canon of the New Testament had remained open as long as did that of the Old, there is little doubt that it also would have contained many laws, legal precedents, and ecclesiastical histories. From the writings of the Church Fathers and the records of the Catholic Church it is possible to conjecture what these in general would have been. The early history of Christianity illustrates the universal fact that the broad principles are …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 22:10 NIVExodus 22:10 NLTExodus 22:10 ESVExodus 22:10 NASBExodus 22:10 KJV
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