What is the meaning of Exodus 22:1? If a man steals - Scripture treats theft as sin, plain and simple. “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) sets the moral baseline. - God’s law zeroes in on personal responsibility. No excuses, no shifting blame. If a person takes what is not his, he faces the consequences (Ephesians 4:28). an ox or a sheep - These animals were major assets in an agrarian culture—plowing power and wool or milk supply. Stealing one wasn’t a petty misdemeanor; it threatened a family’s livelihood (Deuteronomy 22:1–4). - The verse singles out both the larger, costlier ox and the more common sheep, showing the law’s reach across economic layers. and slaughters or sells it - By killing or liquidating the animal, the thief removes any chance of restoring the exact item. That moves the offense beyond temporary borrowing to permanent loss (Leviticus 6:1–4). - Resale adds profiteering to the crime—sin compounded by greed (Proverbs 1:19). he must repay - Restitution is central in God’s justice. The wrongdoer makes the victim whole, not merely says “sorry.” Numbers 5:6–7 ties confession to concrete repayment plus an added portion. - Zacchaeus echoed this heart when he declared, “If I have cheated anyone, I will repay four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep - The payback is intentionally steep. Fivefold for an ox reflects its higher utility; fourfold for a sheep is still hefty. The loss plus penalty deters sin and restores equity (2 Samuel 12:6). - Graduated restitution shows God’s fairness: the punishment fits both the crime and the value damaged (Proverbs 6:30–31). - The victim ends up better off than before, teaching that crime truly doesn’t pay for the perpetrator. summary Exodus 22:1 lays out God’s righteous standard for property crimes: theft demands restitution, and the penalty escalates when the stolen item is destroyed or sold. The verse safeguards livelihoods, deters wrongdoing, and upholds justice by making the offender shoulder more loss than he inflicted. |
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