1Laws concerning theft; 5damage; 7trusts, and trespasses in cases of trust; 14borrowing; 16fornication; 18witchcraft; 19bestiality; 20idolatry; 21oppressing of strangers, the widow, or fatherless; 25usury and pledges; 28reverence to magistrates; 29firstfruits; 31eating torn flesh.
1IF a mana shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
a 2 Sam. 12:6.
2¶If a thief be found 1breaking up, and be smitten that he die, 2there shall no blood be shed for him.
1 As Mat. 24:43. Hebr. in the digging through, or, with a burglarizing instrument.
2 Hebr. it shall be no bloods, that is, to him, (namely, who killed the thief) it shall not be imputed; he shall not answer, nor suffer for it, as if he had committed a murder. Thus the word blood is taken, Num. 35:27, and elsewhere.
33If the sun be risen 4upon him, there shall be blood shed for 5him; for he should make 6full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
3 That is, if it be bright daylight when the thief is breaking in, whosoever kills him then, his blood must be shed again.
4 Namely, over the thief when he was beaten.
5 Namely, who killed him.
6 Hebr. restoring restore; He, namely, the thief mentioned in verse 1, whose case is prosecuted here.
4If the theft be 7certainly found 8in his hand alive, 9whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
7 Hebr. being found be found.
8 That is, with him, whether it be in his house or stable, before he has slain or sold that which he has stolen.
9 Hebr. from the ox to the ass.
5¶If a man shall cause a field or 10vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.
10 Understand this likewise of gardens, orchards, nurseries, meadows, and the like.
6¶If fire break out, and 11catch in 12thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
11 Hebr. and it findeth the thorns.
12 Understand straw, or hay, or some such like combustible matter.
7¶If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money 13or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
13 That is, any kind of household furniture.
8If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the 14judges, to see 15whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.
14 That is, the magistrates, as Exod. 21:6.
15 Understand, to search it out.
9For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, 16which another challengeth to be his, the cause of 17both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
16 Other, who saith it is that, or, he it is.
17 That is, the plaintiff and the defendant.
10If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, 18to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, 19no man seeing it:
18 Namely, for money.
19 Namely, to witness the fact.
11Then shall an oath 20of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it 21shall accept thereof, and 22he shall not make it good.
20 That is, the oath, whereby the Lord is called upon as Witness.
21 That is, content himself, and rest satisfied with that oath.
22 Namely, the keeper.
12And if it be 23stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.
23 Hebr. stealing stolen.
13If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring 24it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
24 That is, something, or, part of what is torn, as Amos 3:12.
14¶And if a man 25borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he 26shall surely make it good.
25 Understand hereby: and lends it to him.
26 Hebr. shall restoring restore it, that is, pay it and make it good.
15But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: 27if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.
27 The sense is: he who has hired it ought to be free to pay the conditioned hire.
16¶And if a man entice a maid 28that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.
28 To lie with a betrothed one was death, Deut. 22:23.
17If her father 29utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall 30pay money 31according to the dowry of virgins.
29 Hebr. refusing refuse.
30 Hebr. weigh; in former times they weighed their payments one to another.
31 This was fifty silverlings, or shekels of silver, Deut. 22:29, about twelve Rix dollars, and a half.
18¶Thou shalt not suffer a 32witchb to live.
32 Understand, that this is also about the man who practices witchcraft, Deut. 18:10.
b Deut. 18:10, 11.
19¶Whosoeverc lieth with a beast 33shall surely be put to death.
c Lev. 18:23; 20:15.
33 In Lev. 20:15 God commands the beast to be put to death likewise.
20¶Hed that 34sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, 35he shall be utterly destroyed.
d Deut. 17:2, 3, 4, 5.
34 Under the term of offering sacrifice, there must be understood likewise all manner of other service and worship, Deut. 17:3.
35 That is, he shall be held accursed, and he shall be destroyed, or rooted out.
21¶Thoue shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
e Lev. 19:34.
22¶Yef shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
f Zech. 7:10.
23If thou afflict them 36in any wise, and they cry 37at all unto me, I will 38surely hear their cry;
36 Hebr. afflicting afflicted.
37 Or, earnestly. Hebr. crying cry.
38 Hebr. answering answer.
24And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25¶Ifg thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him 39usury.h
g Lev. 25:36, 37; Deut. 23:19, 20; Psalm 15:5; Prov. 28:8; Ezek. 18:8.
39 The Hebrew word neschech has its signification from biting; usury biting, consuming and devouring poor people.
h interest on money lent*
26Ifi thou 40at all take 41thy neighbour’s 42raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by 43that the sun 44goeth down:
i Deut. 24:12, 13.
40 Hebr. if taking in pawn thou take in pawn.
41 Understand with this, if he be poor that he has but one garment to put on or cover himself with, as appears verse 27, and Deut. 24:12, 13.
42 Understand likewise the covering.
43 Or, against, while the sun goes down.
44 Hebr. goeth in, namely, into her bedchamber as it were, as David expresses it, Psalm 19:5.
27For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
28¶Thou shalt not revile 45the gods, nor curse the rulerj of thy people.
45 See Exod. 21:6, and understand hereby the heads of state and governors as well ecclesiastical as civil at that time, as appears by the words of Paul, Acts 23:5.
j Acts 23:3, 4, 5.
29¶Thou shalt 46not delay to offer the first of 47thy ripe fruits, and of 48thy liquors: thek firstborn of thy sons 49shalt thou give unto me.
46 Understand, but thou shalt pay, or offer them to Me in due time.
47 That is, the fully ripe fruits, or the fruits being full and ripe, as Num. 18:27.
48 Or, thy tears. Thus the wine and oil is called, because of their trickling and running forth as tears, being pressed.
k Exod. 13:2, 12.
49 Or, redeem him with five shekels of silver, which were to be given to the priests of the Lord, Num. 18:16.
30Likewisel shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam;m on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.
l Exod. 23:19; Lev. 22:27; Ezek. 44:30.
m mother-animal or bird
31¶And ye shall be 50holy men unto me: neithern shall ye eat any flesh 51that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.
50 Hebr. men of holiness, that is, a people leading a more holy and pious life than the heathen people and nations.
n Lev. 22:8; Ezek. 44:31.
51 In Lev. 17:15 is added the beasts which die of themselves.