Question 1

What is the main purpose of the restitution laws in this passage?

Accepted Answer

These restitution laws show that when someone harms another person’s property, the goal is not just to punish but to make things right. A thief does not simply go to jail, he has to pay back more than he took. Someone whose animal eats another man’s field must repay from the best of his own field. Even careless fire that spreads must be repaid. These rules teach that sin and carelessness have real costs, and that love for neighbor includes taking responsibility and restoring what we damage.

Question 2

Why is a thief treated differently at night than in the daytime?

Accepted Answer

The passage makes a difference between a thief breaking in at night and one caught in the daytime. At night, people cannot see what the intruder intends, and the danger to life is greater, so if the thief is killed, the defender is not counted as a murderer. In daylight, help can be called and the threat is clearer, so killing the thief then brings guilt. This teaches that self‑defense is allowed when life is in real danger, but taking a life when it is not needed is still wrong.

Question 3

What does this passage teach about caring for strangers, widows, and orphans?

Accepted Answer

The passage speaks very strongly about how to treat strangers, widows, and fatherless children. God says they must not be troubled, oppressed, or afflicted. If they are abused and cry out to God, he promises to hear and to act in anger against those who harmed them. This shows that God takes the suffering of the weak very seriously. Israel is reminded they were once strangers in Egypt, so they should remember their own pain and treat others with gentleness, fairness, and practical help.

Question 4

Why are sorcery, bestiality, and sacrifice to other gods punished by death?

Accepted Answer

These sins are treated very seriously because they reject God’s rule and twist what he made good. Sorcery looks for power apart from God. Lying with an animal corrupts his gift of sex. Sacrificing to other gods turns worship away from the Lord who saved Israel. In this law system, such acts were to be removed from the community by death, showing how deadly rebellion against God is. It warns that turning from the true God deeply harms both people and the whole community.

Question 5

What do the rules about lending to the poor and taking garments in pledge mean?

Accepted Answer

When lending to a poor neighbor, God’s people are told not to act like money‑lenders who charge interest. The loan is meant to help, not to gain from someone’s hardship. If a poor person’s cloak is taken as a pledge, it must be returned by sunset, because it may be his only covering at night. God says that if the poor man cries to him, he will hear, for he is gracious. These commands show God’s concern that mercy should shape financial dealings, especially with those who have little.

Question 6

Why does God care about how firstfruits and firstborn are offered?

Accepted Answer

The passage commands that the first of the ripe crops, drinks, and firstborn sons and animals belong to God. Animals are to stay with their mothers seven days, then be given on the eighth. Giving the first, not the leftovers, shows that everything comes from God and belongs to him. It is a way of honoring him in daily work and family life. These gifts were a practical reminder that the people were his and that their flocks, fields, and children were under his care.

Question 7

What does it mean to be “holy men” who do not eat torn flesh?

Accepted Answer

God says, “Ye shall be holy men unto me,” and then gives a concrete example: they must not eat flesh torn by beasts in the field, but throw it to the dogs. Being holy here means being set apart for God, even in ordinary things like food. The people were to avoid unclean and doubtful meat, not taking part in what was stained by death and wild animals. This small rule points to a larger truth: those who belong to God should let his standards guide even their daily habits.

Question 8

How do the rules about borrowed and entrusted animals work?

Accepted Answer

The passage explains different cases. If someone keeps a neighbor’s animal and it dies or is hurt with no witnesses, an oath before God can clear them if they have not stolen it. If it was stolen from them, they must repay, unless they can show it was torn by a beast. When an animal is borrowed and is hurt or dies while the owner is not present, the borrower must repay. But if the owner is there, or the animal was hired for pay, the loss is covered by the hire. These rules aim at fairness for both sides.

Question 9

What does this passage show about God’s character and his justice?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God cares about justice in very practical ways. He cares about stolen animals, burned fields, lost goods, and broken trust, and he sets fair ways to sort these things out. He defends strangers, widows, and orphans and warns that he will personally answer their cries. He forbids harsh gain from the poor and demands respect for leaders and for him alone as God. All of this shows a God who is just, merciful, and involved in the everyday life of his people.

Exodus 22:1

If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

Property Laws

Laws of Social Responsibility

Property Laws

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Exodus 22:1

If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

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Property Laws

Laws of Social Responsibility

Property Laws

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