◄ Exodus 22:11 ►
an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor's property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution.
Study Bible
an oath before the LORD
The phrase "an oath before the LORD" signifies a solemn promise or declaration made in the presence of God. In the Hebrew context, the word for "oath" is "שְׁבוּעָה" (shevu'ah), which carries a deep sense of binding commitment. This reflects the ancient Israelite understanding that God is the ultimate witness to all agreements and disputes. The invocation of God's name in an oath underscores the seriousness and sacredness of the act, reminding the parties involved that they are accountable to a higher authority. This practice is rooted in the belief that God is just and omniscient, and thus, He will ensure that truth prevails.

shall be made between the parties
This phrase indicates that the oath is a mutual agreement between the involved parties. In the ancient Near Eastern legal context, disputes were often resolved through such oaths, which served as a means of establishing trust and truthfulness. The Hebrew culture placed a high value on community and relationships, and resolving disputes amicably was crucial for maintaining social harmony. The involvement of both parties in the oath-taking process emphasizes the importance of mutual consent and responsibility in legal matters.

to determine whether or not he has taken his neighbor’s property
The purpose of the oath is to ascertain the truth regarding the alleged taking of property. This reflects the biblical principle of justice and fairness, where accusations must be substantiated by evidence or testimony. The phrase highlights the importance of protecting one's neighbor's property rights, a theme that is consistent throughout the Mosaic Law. The Hebrew word for "property" here is "כְּלִי" (keli), which can refer to any kind of possession or goods. This underscores the comprehensive nature of the law in safeguarding personal belongings.

The owner must accept the oath
This directive places a responsibility on the property owner to accept the outcome of the oath. It implies a trust in the process and in God's justice. The acceptance of the oath by the owner is an acknowledgment of the divine oversight in human affairs. It also reflects a willingness to submit to God's will, trusting that He will vindicate the truth. This acceptance is crucial for maintaining peace and order within the community.

and require no restitution
The phrase "require no restitution" indicates that if the oath is taken and accepted, the accused party is not obligated to make any compensation. This provision highlights the importance of trust and integrity in the community. It also serves as a deterrent against false accusations, as the accuser must be willing to accept the outcome of the oath without further demands. The concept of restitution is a significant aspect of biblical justice, but in this case, the oath serves as a sufficient resolution, emphasizing the power of one's word and the fear of God in ensuring honesty.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The covenant God of Israel, who is the ultimate judge and witness in disputes.

2. The Two Parties
The person accused of taking property and the owner of the property. This reflects a legal dispute between neighbors.

3. The Oath
A solemn declaration made before God, invoking His name as a witness to the truth of the statement.

4. The Owner
The person who claims to have lost property and must accept the oath if no evidence of theft is found.

5. Restitution
The act of making amends or compensation for loss or injury, which is not required if the oath is accepted.
Teaching Points
The Role of God as Judge
God is the ultimate authority and witness in all matters of truth and justice. This passage underscores the importance of recognizing His role in our disputes and decisions.

The Importance of Integrity
The requirement of an oath highlights the value placed on honesty and integrity. As believers, we are called to be truthful in all our dealings.

Community Trust and Responsibility
The passage reflects the need for trust and responsibility within a community. Accepting an oath without further evidence shows a reliance on mutual trust and accountability.

The Seriousness of Oaths
Making an oath before God is a serious matter, reflecting the gravity of invoking His name. This teaches us to be cautious and sincere in our promises and declarations.

Resolution of Disputes
The process outlined provides a framework for resolving disputes peacefully and justly, emphasizing the importance of seeking resolution in a manner that honors God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the requirement of an oath before the LORD in Exodus 22:11 reflect the seriousness of truth-telling in the community?

2. In what ways does the concept of making an oath before God in Exodus 22:11 connect with Jesus' teaching on oaths in Matthew 5:33-37?

3. How can the principles of trust and responsibility in Exodus 22:11 be applied to modern-day relationships and communities?

4. What does the passage teach us about the role of God in resolving disputes, and how can this influence our approach to conflict resolution today?

5. How does the idea of restitution, or lack thereof, in Exodus 22:11 relate to the broader biblical theme of justice and mercy?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 6:1-7
Discusses the guilt offering required when someone deceives a neighbor about something entrusted to them, highlighting the seriousness of honesty and restitution.

Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus teaches about oaths, emphasizing the importance of truthfulness and integrity without the need for swearing by anything.

Hebrews 6:16
Explains how oaths are used to confirm what is said and end all dispute, showing the cultural and legal significance of oaths.

James 5:12
Advises believers to avoid swearing oaths, encouraging straightforward honesty instead.
Sermons
RestitutionJ. Orr Exodus 22:1-16
The Law of TrustsG. Hughes, B. D.Exodus 22:7-13
People
Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Accept, Accepted, Forth, Goods, Hands, Hasn't, Laid, Lay, Neighbor, Neighbor's, Neighbour, Neighbour's, Oath, Owner, Payment, Person's, Property, Repay, Required, Restitution, Settled, Takes, Taking, Thereof, Whether
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 22:11

     5430   oaths, human

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 Councils

Parable 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

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