출애굽기 Chapter 22

Translation: ESV

1

If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

Key Message

Multiplied restitution for theft protects property rights and deters crime while prioritizing the restoration of the victim over punishment.

▸The regulation of five-fold or four-fold restitution for livestock theft aims not only at simple compensation but at deterrence.

The regulation of five-fold or four-fold restitution for livestock theft aims not only at simple compensation but at deterrence. The five-fold restitution for an ox is higher than the four-fold for a sheep because the ox was a more important labor animal in an agricultural society. This regulation strongly protects property rights while enabling the offender to contribute to society through restitution rather than irreversible punishment.

Related Verses

And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.'
2

If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.

Key Message

Self-defense in a situation threatening one's life is legitimate, and God's law recognizes the act of protecting oneself and one's family.

▸Killing a thief who breaks in at night is recognized as self-defense.

21

You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Key Message

One's own experience of suffering becomes the most powerful basis for empathy and compassion toward others, and this empathy is the strongest motivation for just and merciful action.

▸The command to protect the sojourner.

22

You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

Key Message

God's special protection of the vulnerable—widows and orphans—shows that God's justice begins from the weakest in society, not the strongest.

▸Widows and orphans represent the most vulnerable members of ancient society who had no legal protector.

25

If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

Key Message

Helping the poor must be genuine love-driven help and not an opportunity for profit, and God's law protects the vulnerable from economic exploitation.

▸Lending money to fellow Israelites is allowed, but charging interest is prohibited.

28

You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

Key Message

Respecting the authority God has established is related to respecting God Himself, and the proper use of authority is always accountable to God.

▸Reviling God and cursing the ruler of the people are placed side by side, showing the connection between the authority of God and the authority of those who govern.