Bible Study Exodus 22
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Exodus 22 · WEB

Laws on Property, Social Responsibility, and Justice

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"If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
2If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, the defender shall not be guilty of bloodshed.
3But if it happens after sunrise, he shall be guilty of bloodshed. He shall make restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
4If the stolen property is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double.
5"If a man causes a field or vineyard to be eaten, and lets his animal loose, and it grazes in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6"If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
7"If a man delivers to his neighbor money or goods to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
8If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall come near to God, to determine whether he has not put his hand on his neighbor's goods.
9For every matter of trespass, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing of which one says, 'This is mine,' the cause of both parties shall come before God. He whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
10"If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, ox, sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies or is injured, or is driven away, no one seeing it;
11then an oath of Yahweh shall be between them both, whether he has not put his hand on his neighbor's goods; and its owner shall accept this, and he shall not make restitution.
12But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.
13If it is torn in pieces, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what was torn.
14"If a man borrows anything of his neighbor's, and it is injured or dies, its owner not being with it, he shall surely make restitution.
15If its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution. If it is a leased thing, it came for its lease price.
16"If a man entices a virgin who is not pledged to be married, and lies with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife.
17If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.
18"You shall not allow a sorceress to live.
19"Whoever has sexual relations with an animal shall surely be put to death.
20"He who sacrifices to any god, except to Yahweh only, shall be utterly destroyed.
21"You shall not wrong a foreigner or oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22"You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child.
23If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry;
24and my wrath will grow hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25"If you lend money to any of my people who is poor among you, you shall not be to him as a creditor; neither shall you charge him interest.
26If you at all take your neighbor's garment as collateral, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down;
27for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? It will happen, when he cries to me, that I will hear, for I am gracious.
28"You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
29"You shall not delay to offer from your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. You shall give the firstborn of your sons to me.
30You shall do likewise with your cattle and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days, then on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
31"You shall be holy men to me, therefore you shall not eat any meat that is torn by animals in the field. You shall cast it to the dogs."
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Summary

The case laws continue with detailed rules on property crimes (theft, livestock damage, fire), the safekeeping of others' property, laws on sexual ethics, and the absolute prohibition of idolatry. The chapter's second half shifts to a deeply compassionate tone: God commands protection of foreigners, widows, and orphans, threatening death on those who oppress them; prohibits interest on loans to the poor; and requires returning a man's cloak used as collateral before nightfall because the poor man needs it to sleep. God's character as compassionate toward the vulnerable is the law's moral foundation.

Themes

  • Restitution as the basis of justice for property crimes
  • Special protection for the most vulnerable: foreigners, widows, orphans, the poor
  • Israel's experience of vulnerability as the basis for empathy
  • God's personal attentiveness to the cries of the poor

Key verses

  • Ex 22:21 — “You shall not wrong a foreigner or oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
  • Ex 22:22-24 — “You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child… I will surely hear their cry.”
  • Ex 22:27 — “It will happen, when he cries to me, that I will hear, for I am gracious.”

Context & background

The laws in this chapter reflect an agricultural society in transition from wilderness to settled life, anticipating conditions in Canaan (modern Israel/Palestine/Lebanon). The reference to Israel's time as foreigners in Egypt (v. 21) grounds the command to protect foreigners in lived experience — the most powerful form of ethical instruction. The prohibition of lending at interest to fellow Israelites was radical in the ancient world and reflects God's vision of a community where the poor are not exploited. This chapter shaped later prophetic critiques (Amos, Isaiah, Micah) of Israel's treatment of the poor and vulnerable.

Cross-references

  • James 5:1-6 — James echoes the cry of the defrauded poor reaching God, as in Exodus 22:23.
  • Leviticus 19:33-34 — "The foreigner who lives with you shall be to you as the native-born… for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt."
  • Luke 4:18 — Jesus' mission statement: "good news to the poor… liberty to the captives" — the spirit of Exodus 22's social laws.
  • Proverbs 19:17 — "He who is kind to the poor lends to Yahweh, and he will reward him for his good deed."

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    According to verse 1, what must a thief pay for an ox he has stolen and killed or sold?

  2. Observe

    What reason does God give for forbidding Israel to oppress a foreigner (v. 21)?

  3. Interpret

    When God says "I am gracious" as the reason he hears the poor man's cry (v. 27), what does this reveal about the foundation of the law?

  4. Interpret

    Why is requiring a poor man's cloak to be returned before sundown (vv. 26-27) significant?

  5. Apply

    How does knowing that God personally hears the cry of widows and orphans (v. 23) shape how believers should treat them?

  6. Apply

    What practical principle from this chapter most directly challenges modern economic habits?

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