◄ Exodus 22:13 ►
If the animal was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.
Study Bible
If the torn animal
The phrase "torn animal" refers to an animal that has been attacked and killed by a predator. In the Hebrew context, the word used here is "ṭereph," which signifies something that has been torn apart or devoured. This reflects the agrarian society of ancient Israel, where livestock was a crucial part of daily life and economy. The presence of predators was a common threat, and this law acknowledges the reality of such losses.

is brought as evidence
The requirement to bring the torn animal as evidence underscores the importance of accountability and transparency in the community. In ancient Israel, justice was not only about punishment but also about maintaining trust and integrity among neighbors. The Hebrew word for "evidence" here is "ʿēd," which means testimony or witness. This reflects the legal practices of the time, where physical evidence was necessary to substantiate claims.

he need not make restitution
The phrase "need not make restitution" indicates that the owner of the animal is not held financially responsible for the loss if it can be proven that the animal was killed by a predator. The Hebrew word for "restitution" is "šālam," which means to make whole or to compensate. This law provides protection for shepherds or caretakers, recognizing that some losses are beyond human control and should not result in undue financial burden.

for the torn carcass
The term "torn carcass" reiterates the condition of the animal and the cause of its death. The Hebrew word "nevelah" is used here, which refers to a carcass or a dead body. This part of the verse emphasizes the reality of life in a fallen world, where death and destruction are present. It also highlights the need for practical and fair laws that take into account the unpredictability of nature.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The author of Exodus, who received the Law from God on Mount Sinai and communicated it to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The recipients of the Law, God's chosen people, who were being instructed on how to live in community and in covenant with God.

3. Mount Sinai
The place where Moses received the Law from God, including the specific laws found in Exodus 22.

4. Shepherds and Livestock Owners
The immediate audience of this law, as it pertains to the responsibilities and liabilities of those who care for animals.

5. The Torn Carcass
Represents a situation where an animal is killed by a predator, which is central to the law's application in this verse.
Teaching Points
Understanding Responsibility
This law emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and integrity. When an animal is lost due to circumstances beyond control, evidence must be provided to avoid unjust restitution.

Community Trust
The requirement to bring evidence fosters trust within the community. It ensures that claims are verified and that individuals are not wrongfully accused or penalized.

God's Justice
The law reflects God's justice and fairness. It acknowledges that not all losses are due to negligence and provides a way to address such situations equitably.

Spiritual Vigilance
Just as shepherds must be vigilant in protecting their flocks, Christians are called to be vigilant in their spiritual lives, guarding against spiritual predators and being accountable for their actions.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the requirement to bring evidence of a torn carcass reflect the principles of justice and accountability in our own lives?

2. In what ways can we apply the concept of community trust and integrity from this verse in our modern-day relationships and interactions?

3. How does the imagery of a shepherd protecting their flock relate to our understanding of spiritual leadership and responsibility?

4. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate vigilance in our spiritual lives, similar to a shepherd guarding their sheep?

5. How do the principles found in Exodus 22:13 connect with Jesus' teachings about the Good Shepherd in John 10, and what can we learn from this connection?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 7:24
Discusses the use of animal carcasses, providing further context on how Israelites were to handle dead animals.

Amos 3:12
Uses the imagery of a shepherd rescuing parts of a sheep from a lion, illustrating the dangers faced by shepherds and the reality of animal attacks.

John 10:11-13
Jesus speaks of the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, contrasting with a hired hand who abandons the sheep when danger comes, highlighting the responsibility and care expected of shepherds.
Sermons
RestitutionJ. Orr Exodus 22:1-16
The Law of TrustsG. Hughes, B. D.Exodus 22:7-13
People
Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Able, Animal, Beast, Beasts, Bring, Bringeth, Certainly, Clear, Damaged, Evidence, Pay, Payment, Pieces, Remains, Repay, Required, Restitution, Torn, Wild, Witness
Dictionary 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 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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