21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
21 Thou shalt neither vex H3238 a stranger, H1616 nor oppress H3905 him: for ye were strangers H1616 in the land H776 of Egypt. H4714
22 Ye shall not afflict H6031 any widow, H490 or fatherless child. H3490
23 If H518 thou afflict H6031 them in any wise, H6031 and they cry H6817 at all H6817 unto me, I will surely H8085 hear H8085 their cry; H6818
21 And a sojourner shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him: for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
23 If thou afflict them at all, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
21 `And a sojourner thou dost not oppress, nor crush him, for sojourners ye have been in the land of Egypt.
22 `Any widow or orphan ye do not afflict;
23 if thou dost really afflict him, surely if he at all cry unto Me, I certainly hear his cry;
21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him; for ye have been strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
23 If thou afflict him in any way, if he cry at all unto me, I will certainly hear his cry;
21 "You shall not wrong an alien, neither shall you oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
22 "You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child.
23 If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry;
21 Do no wrong to a man from a strange country, and do not be hard on him; for you yourselves were living in a strange country, in the land of Egypt.
22 Do no wrong to a widow, or to a child whose father is dead.
23 If you are cruel to them in any way, and their cry comes up to me, I will certainly give ear;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Exodus 22
Commentary on Exodus 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
Ex 22:1-31. Laws concerning Theft.
1-4. If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep—The law respects the theft of cattle which constituted the chief part of their property. The penalty for the theft of a sheep which was slain or sold, was fourfold; for an ox fivefold, because of its greater utility in labor; but, should the stolen animal have been recovered alive, a double compensation was all that was required, because it was presumable he (the thief) was not a practised adept in dishonesty. A robber breaking into a house at midnight might, in self-defense, be slain with impunity; but if he was slain after sunrise, it would be considered murder, for it was not thought likely an assault would then be made upon the lives of the occupants. In every case where a thief could not make restitution, he was sold as a slave for the usual term.
6. If fire break out, and catch in thorns—This refers to the common practice in the East of setting fire to the dry grass before the fall of the autumnal rains, which prevents the ravages of vermin, and is considered a good preparation of the ground for the next crop. The very parched state of the herbage and the long droughts of summer, make the kindling of a fire an operation often dangerous, and always requiring caution from its liability to spread rapidly.
stacks—or as it is rendered "shocks" (Jud 15:5; Job 5:26), means simply a bundle of loose sheaves.
26, 27. If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, &c.—From the nature of the case, this is the description of a poor man. No Orientals undress, but, merely throwing off their turbans and some of their heavy outer garments, they sleep in the clothes which they wear during the day. The bed of the poor is usually nothing else than a mat; and, in winter, they cover themselves with a cloak—a practice which forms the ground or reason of the humane and merciful law respecting the pawned coat.
28. gods—a word which is several times in this chapter rendered "judges" or magistrates.
the ruler of thy people—and the chief magistrate who was also the high priest, at least in the time of Paul (Ac 23:1-5).