Exodus 22

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¹“If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep— ✦ ²If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account. ✦ ³If the sun has risen on him, there will be guilt for bloodshed on his account—A thief shall certainly make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ✦ ⁴If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double. ✦ ⁵“If someone lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard. ✦ ⁶“If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, and stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution. ✦ ⁷“If someone gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the neighbor’s house, if the thief is caught, then the thief shall pay double. ✦ ⁸If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. ✦ ⁹For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. ✦ ¹⁰“If someone gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking, ✦ ¹¹an oath before the Lord shall be taken by the two of them that he has not laid a hand on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution. ✦ ¹²But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. ✦ ¹³If it is all torn to pieces, have him bring it as evidence; he shall not be compelled to make restitution for what has been torn to pieces. ✦ ¹⁴“And if someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. ✦ ¹⁵If its owner is with it, the borrower shall not be compelled to make restitution. If it is hired, it came by its hire. ✦ ¹⁶“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and sleeps with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. ✦ ¹⁷If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins. ✦ ¹⁸“You shall not allow a sorceress to live. ✦ ¹⁹“Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death. ✦ ²⁰“He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be utterly destroyed. ✦ ²¹“You shall not oppress a stranger nor torment him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ✦ ²²You shall not oppress any widow or orphan. ✦ ²³If you oppress him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will assuredly hear his cry; ✦ ²⁴and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. ✦ ²⁵“If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest. ✦ ²⁶If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, ✦ ²⁷for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else is he to sleep in? And it will come about that when he cries out to Me, I will listen to him, for I am gracious. ✦ ²⁸“You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people. ✦ ²⁹“You shall not hold back the offering from your entire harvest and your wine. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ✦ ³⁰You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother for seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me. ✦ ³¹“You shall be holy people to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Where this chapter connects

Exod 22 ·18 Exod 21 ·7 Ezek 18 ·5 Exod 23 ·5 Deut 24 ·5 Neh 5 ·4 Deut 15 ·4 Lev 20 ·4

Christ at the center

The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.

How Exodus 22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical
On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"
★ Start hereVideoBibleProject — video overviews & word studiesBibleProject · 5–10 min · Free · evangelical
Free animated overviews of every book of the Bible, plus themes and Hebrew/Greek word studies — the best visual on-ramp to any book. (Biblical-theology, broadly evangelical, not distinctly Reformed.)
★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.
VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical
Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.
DocumentaryPatterns of Evidence: The ExodusTim Mahoney · Paid · evangelical
Investigates the archaeological evidence for the Exodus. Note: it advances a minority biblical chronology that mainstream scholars dispute — engaging, but weigh its conclusions critically.

Pastoral

★ Start hereCommentaryExodus (New American Commentary)Douglas K. Stuart · Paid · evangelical
The best evangelical, semi-technical commentary on Exodus — accessible to pastors and serious students.
DocumentaryThat the World May KnowRay Vander Laan · Paid · evangelical
Ray Vander Laan's on-location series immersing you in the Bible's historical and cultural world. (Mostly paid via Focus on the Family; some free clips.)
SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Exodus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Exodus 22YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Exodus 22David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on ExodusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Exodus 22Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

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