Exodus 22:2-3 KJV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 22:1-6

Here are the laws, I. Concerning theft, which are these:?1. If a man steal any cattle (in which the wealth of those times chiefly consisted), and they be found in his custody, he must restore double, Exod. 22:4. Thus he must both satisfy for the wrong and suffer for the crime. But it was afterwards provided that if the thief were touched in conscience, and voluntarily confessed it, before it was discovered or enquired into by any other, then he should only make restitution of what he had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 22:2

If a thief be found breaking up ,.... An house, in order to steal money, jewels, household goods, &c.; or breaking through any fence, hedge, or wall of any enclosure, where oxen, or sheep, or any other creatures are, in order to take them away: the Targum of Jonathan is,"if in the hole of a wall (or window of it) a thief be found;'that is, in the night, as appears from the following verse, "if the sun", &c.; to which this is opposed, as Aben Ezra observes; some render it, with a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 22:3

If the sun be risen upon him ,.... Either upon the thief, or upon the master of the house, or the person that finds the thief and smites him that he dies; it matters not which it is interpreted, it is true of both, for when it is risen on the one, it is on the other: there shall be blood shed for him ; the person that kills him shall die for it: the Targum of Jonathan is,"if it is as clear as the sun (and so Jarchi), that not to kill any he entered, and he should kill him, there is... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 22:2

If a thief be found - If a thief was found breaking into a house in the night season, he might be killed; but not if the sun had risen, for then he might be known and taken, and the restitution made which is mentioned in the succeeding verse. So by the law of England it is a burglary to break and enter a house by night; and "anciently the day was accounted to begin only from sunrising, and to end immediately upon sunset: but it is now generally agreed that if there be daylight enough begun... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 22:2

Verse 2 2.If a thief be found breaking up. This clause is to be taken separately, and is inserted by way of parenthesis; for, after having decreed the punishment, God adds in connection, “he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he should be sold for his theft;” and this exception as to the thief in the night is introduced parenthetically. But although the details are not expressed with sufficient distinctness, still the intention of God is by no means ambiguous, viz., that if... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 22:3

Verse 3 3.He should make full restitution. These words, as I have said, are connected with the first verse, since here the execution of the punishment is only enjoined; as if God forbade thieves to be spared, but that they should pay either twofold or quadruple, or even quintuple, according to the measure of their crime. But, if they were unable to pay, He commands them to be sold as slaves, which also was the custom at Rome. Whence the saying of Cato, (136) “that private thieves lived in bonds... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-4

Laws about theft . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-4

Punishment, even for one and the same offence, should be graduated. Some codes treat a crime which can be given a single definite name, e.g; theft, as if it were in all cases uniform, and prescribe a single penalty—death, the bastinado, a month's imprisomnent. The Mosaic Law, with greater refinement and greater propriety, graduated the punishment according to the special character of the offence. The worst form of theft proper is burglary. Burglary destroys the repose of the household,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-16

Restitution. We have to mark again in this chapter with how even a hand the law of Moses holds the scales of justice. The cases ruled by the principle of restitution are the following:— I. THEFT ( Exodus 22:1-5 ). The illustrations in the law relate to thefts of cattle. But the principles embodied apply to thefts generally (cf. Exodus 22:7 ). Note— 1 . The law which punishes the theft, protects the thief's life. It refuses, indeed, to be responsible for him in the event of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-31

Exodus 21:33 If a man shall open a pit. Rather, "If a man shall uncover a cistern." Cisterns, very necessary in Palestine, were usually closed by a flat-stone, or a number of planks. To obtain water from them, they had to be uncovered; but it was the duty of the man who uncovered them, to replace the covering when his wants were satisfied. Or dig a pit and not cover it . A man who was making a cistern might neglect to cover it while it was in course of construction, or even... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 22:1-6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 22:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 22:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 22:2

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 22:2

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 22:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 22:1-31

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