1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
Presents commentary in a tabular format for ease of reading.Click to learn more.
| Exodus 22:1 | If any man steal an ox or a sheep, and kill or sell it: he shall restore five oxen for one ox, *and four sheep for one sheep. 2 Kings 12:6. | Five oxen; because they are of greater value than sheep. (Theodoret) --- As these things may easily be stolen, a heavier fine is imposed than on those who steal money. The Scythians punish theft with the utmost severity. (Grotius) --- All these punishments, till the 25th chapter, were inflicted by the judge. (Tirinus) |
| Exodus 22:2 | If a thief be found breaking open a house or undermining it, and be wounded so as to die: he that slew him shall not be guilty of blood. | Blood. The reason is, because it could not easily be known whether the thief had not a design upon the life of the people in the house; and therefore, the law gave them authority to defend themselves. But they were not authorized to kill the thief designedly. The laws of Athens and of Rome, permitted nocturnal robbers to be slain, at least when they came armed. (Plato, de leg. ix. etc.) To defend our goods or honour, by killing the aggressor, is contrary to justice and reason. (Calmet) |
| Exodus 22:3 | But if he did this when the sun is risen, he hath committed murder, and he shall die. If he have not wherewith to make restitution for the theft, he shall be sold. | |
| Exodus 22:4 | If that which he stole be found with him, alive, either ox, or ass, or sheep: he shall restore double. | Double. This is an exception from the general law, ver. 1, (Calmet) because he can more easily make restitution, as he has not sold or destroyed the thing. (Du Hamel) |
| Exodus 22:5 | If any man hurt a field or a vineyard, and put in his beast to feed upon that which is other men's: he shall restore the best of whatsoever he hath in his own field, or in his vineyard, according to the estimation of the damage. | |
| Exodus 22:6 | If a fire breaking out light upon thorns, and catch stacks of corn, or corn standing in the fields, he that kindled the fire shall make good the loss. | |
| Exodus 22:7 | If a man deliver money, or any vessel unto his friend to keep, and they be stolen away from him that received them: if the thief be found he shall restore double: | |
| Exodus 22:8 | If the thief be not known, the master of the house shall be brought to the gods, and shall swear that he did not lay his hand upon his neighbour's goods, | Gods. "In the presence of the Lord," Septuagint. |
| Exodus 22:9 | To do any fraud, either in ox, or in ass, or sheep, or raiment, or any thing that may bring damage: the cause of both parties shall come to the gods: and if they give judgment, he shall restore double to his neighbour. | Damage. Hebrew, "thing lost, which another challengeth.…and whom the judges condemn, he," etc. If the person who had deposited a thing, pretended that the one produced was not the same, or not equally good, and failed in proving the charge, he was liable to pay double its value. (Calmet) |
| Exodus 22:10 | If a man deliver ass, ox, sheep, or any beast, to his neighbour's custody, and it die, or be hurt, or be taken by enemies, and no man saw it: | |
| Exodus 22:11 | There shall be an oath between them, that he did not put forth his hand to his neighbour's goods: and the owner shall accept of the oath, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution. | |
| Exodus 22:12 | *But if it were taken away by stealth, he shall make the loss good to the owner. Genesis 31:39. | Stealth, of the person to whom it was entrusted, or by his connivance, as the Hebrew mamu, (de cum eo) "from with him," intimates. (Menochius) |
| Exodus 22:13 | If it were eaten by a beast, let him bring to him that which was slain, and he shall not make restitution. | Slain. Or any part of its mangled remains, in proof of his assertion. (Syriac) |
| Exodus 22:14 | If a man borrow of his neighbour any of these things, and it be hurt or die, the owner not being present, he shall be obliged to make restitution. | Restitution. It is to be presumed he was guilty of some negligence. (Calmet) |
| Exodus 22:15 | But if the owner be present, he shall not make restitution, especially if it were hired, and came for the hire of his work. | Especially, etc. This is a third case, in which the person who lends, suffers all the loss, in consideration of the money which he had received. Others explain, "If he be a hired servant, he shall pay out of his wages," Syriac. (Grotius) |
| Exodus 22:16 | *If a man seduce a virgin not yet espoused, and lie with her: he shall endow her, and have her to wife. Deuteronomy 22:28. | |
| Exodus 22:17 | If the maid's father will not give her to him, he shall give money according to the dowry, which virgins are wont to receive. | Money. Fifty sicles, as it is expressed, Deuteronomy 22:29. If the maid were of high birth, the magistrates might inflict other punishments on the seducer. |
| Exodus 22:18 | Wizards thou shalt not suffer to live. | Wizards. Hebrew, "a witch." Women are more given to such delusions, which imply an apostacy from God to serve the devil, and disturb the republic. |
| Exodus 22:19 | Whosoever copulateth with a beast, shall be put to death. | |
| Exodus 22:20 | *He that sacrificeth to gods, shall be put to death, save only to the Lord. Leviticus 19:4. | Death. Hebrew, "shall be anathema," (érom) which denotes utter destruction both of the person and of his goods. (Jonathan) (1 Kings 15:3.) |
| Exodus 22:21 | Thou shalt not molest a stranger, nor afflict him: for yourselves also were strangers in the land of Egypt. | Were strangers. The Celtes punished with death the murderer of a stranger, while they only banished him who had murdered a citizen. (Calmet) |
| Exodus 22:22 | *You shall not hurt a widow or an orphan. Zacharias 7:10. | |
| Exodus 22:23 | If you hurt them, they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry: | |
| Exodus 22:24 | And my rage shall be enkindled, and I will strike you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. | Fatherless. Thus God will retaliate upon the oppressors of the poor. (Haydock) |
| Exodus 22:25 | If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor, that dwelleth with thee, thou shalt not be hard upon them as an extortioner, nor oppress them with usuries. | Poor. Such are often most in want. Usury is not lawful, even with respect to the rich. The Hebrew terms it a bite. (Menochius) --- "What is usury, said Cato, but to kill a man." The Romans required thieves to restore double, but usurers were to render four times as much as they had taken. (Varro, Rustic. I.) --- Restitution is prescribed, 2 Esdras 5:11. Some Calvinists have stood up in its defence, in opposition to the Scriptures, fathers, and Councils of the Catholic Church. Lend, hoping to gain nothing by it, Luke 6:35. "Let him who loves money,.…lend (in the persons of the poor) to Him who says, Give, and it shall be given to you." (St. Leo, ser.) The Jews themselves have reprobated usury in any use. (Calmet) |
| Exodus 22:26 | *If thou take of thy neighbour a garment in pledge, thou shalt give it him again before sun-set. Deuteronomy 24:13. | |
| Exodus 22:27 | For that same is the only thing, wherewith he is covered, the clothing of his body, neither hath he any other to sleep in: if he cry to me, I will hear him, because I am compassionate. | |
| Exodus 22:28 | Thou shalt not speak ill of the gods, and *the prince of thy people thou shalt not curse. Acts 23:5. | Gods. Judges, priests, etc. Josephus and Philo say, we must not speak ill of strange gods, lest the Gentiles should take occasion to blaspheme the true God, and that we may be farther removed from the danger of taking the name of God in vain, and losing that respect which we owe to it. |
| Exodus 22:29 | Thou shalt not delay to pay thy tithes and thy first-fruits: *thou shalt give the first-born of thy sons to me. Exodus 13:2.; Exodus 12. and 34:19.; Ezechiel 44:30. | Tithes. Hebrew, "thy plentitude, (first-fruits and tithes) and thy tears;" (or liquors distilled form odoriferous trees) in a word, all that is most excellent. Censorinus (de die nat.) says, excellently well: "They who acknowledged that they had received food, a country, light, and even their very persons, from the bounty of the gods, failed not to consecrate a part of all to the gods,...to the temples and chapels, where they worshipped them." (Calmet) |
| Exodus 22:30 | Thou shalt do the same with the first-born of thy oxen also and sheep: seven days let it be with its dam: the eighth day thou shalt give it to me. | |
| Exodus 22:31 | You shall be holy men to me: *the flesh that beasts have tasted of before, you shall not eat, but shall cast it to the dogs. Leviticus 22:3. | Beasts. "Wild beasts," Septuagint. --- This was to encourage humanity. (Theodoret) |