Deuteronomy 22:4

. Sanhedrin, c. 6. sect. 4. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Deuteronomy 22:1 INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 22 In this chapter are various laws, concerning care of a neighbour's cattle gone astray or in distress, and of anything lost by him, Deuteronomy 22:1, forbidding one sex to wear the apparel, of another, Deuteronomy 22:5 and the taking away of the dam with the young found in a bird's nest, Deuteronomy 22:6, ordering battlements to be made in a new house, Deuteronomy 22:8, prohibiting mixtures in sowing, ploughing, and in garments, Deuteronomy 22:9, requiring fringes on the four quarters of a garment, Deuteronomy 22:12, fining a man that slanders his wife, upon producing the tokens of her virginity, Deuteronomy 22:13 but if these cannot be produced, then orders are given that she be put to death, Deuteronomy 22:20, then follow other laws, punishing with death the adulterer and adulteress, and one that hath ravished a betrothed damsel, Deuteronomy 22:22, amercing a person that lies with a virgin not betrothed and she consenting, and obliging him to marry her, and not suffering him to divorce her, Deuteronomy 22:28 and another against a man's lying with his father's wife, Deuteronomy 22:30. Ver. 1. Thou shall not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray,....

22:1-4 If we duly regard the golden rule of doing to others as we would they should do unto us, many particular precepts might be omitted. We can have no property in any thing that we find. Religion teaches us to be neighbourly, and to be ready to do all good offices to all men. We know not how soon we may have occasion for help.

Thou shall not see thy brother's ox or his ass fall down by the way,.... And lie under his burden, not being able to rise with it of himself, nor with all the assistance about it, without further help: and hide thyself from them; cover thine eyes, or turn them another way, and make as if thou didst not see them in distress: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again; that is, help the brother and owner of it, the ox and ass; assist him in getting them up again, and lay on their burden, and fasten them aright, which either were rolled off by the fall, or were obliged to be taken off in order to raise them up; and if this was to be done for an enemy, then much more for a brother, as is required; see Gill on Exodus 23:5, or "lifting up, thou shall lift them up with him" (d); that is, most certainly do it, and lift with all his strength, and as often as there is occasion; if they fell down again after raised up, help is still to be continued, even, as Maimonides (e) says, though it was an hundred times. (d) "erigendo eriges", Pagninus, Montanus. (e) Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 13. sect. 5.

Verse 4. - An animal that had fallen was also to be lifted up, and the owner was to be assisted to do this. In Exodus, it is specially declared that both these services are to be rendered, even though the parties are at enmity with each other, and the one is the object of hatred to the other. Deuteronomy 22:4

CHAPTER 22 De 22:1-4. Of Humanity toward Brethren. 1. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them, &c.—"Brother" is a term of extensive application, comprehending persons of every description; not a relative, neighbor, or fellow countryman only, but any human being, known or unknown, a foreigner, and even an enemy (Ex 23:4). The duty inculcated is an act of common justice and charity, which, while it was taught by the law of nature, was more clearly and forcibly enjoined in the law delivered by God to His people. Indifference or dissimulation in the circumstances supposed would not only be cruelty to the dumb animals, but a violation of the common rights of humanity; and therefore the dictates of natural feeling, and still more the authority of the divine law, enjoined that the lost or missing property of another should be taken care of by the finder, till a proper opportunity occurred of restoring it to the owner.

4 . Of Assisting to Lift Fallen Beasts. D’s more comprehensive and more simply expressed edition of E’s law, Exodus 23:5 , which enjoins the duty of helping him that hateth thee to release (an archaic word) his animals when foundered beneath their burdens. On fallen , see Deuteronomy 21:1 . An animal fallen under its load needs two persons to put it right: ‘an operation which can be performed for a loaded animal only by lifting up the burden on both sides at once, unless it be unloaded and loaded again, implying much loss of time, and even this often cannot be done without assistance. Jew and Christian, Muslim and Koord mutually assist each other, though inimical to one another’s faith’ (Van Lennep, Bible Lands , etc., 231).

Of Dishonouring an Unbetrothed Virgin ( Deuteronomy 22:28 f.); while the 6th forbids Marriage with a Father’s Wife (30 [ Deuteronomy 23:1 ]). Of the first five each opens similarly to each of the group Deuteronomy 21:15-23 , i.e. with an if , and differently from those of the group Deuteronomy 22:1-12 , and they share with the former group and with Deuteronomy 19:1-13 , and other laws, these marks:— the elders are the public authority, Deuteronomy 22:15 ff., cp. Deuteronomy 19:12 , Deuteronomy 21:3 ; Deuteronomy 21:19 f.; neighbour (not brother , characteristic of the Sg. passages) is used, Deuteronomy 22:24; Deuteronomy 22:26 , cp. Deuteronomy 19:4 f., Deuteronomy 19:11; Deu 19:14 ; field ( sadeh ) in its wider sense, Deuteronomy 22:25; Deuteronomy 22:27 , cp. Deuteronomy 21:1 ; and sin worthy of death ( ḥeṭ’-maweth ), Deuteronomy 22:26 , cp. Deuteronomy 19:6 , Deuteronomy 21:22 . The direct address to Israel is seldom used, and the form varies. In the closing formulas, Deuteronomy 22:21-22; Deuteronomy 22:24 , it is Sg. and Sg. also in the body of the 4th law, Deuteronomy 22:24 (unless this be editorial), but Sam. LXX have Pl. In the body of the 3rd law, Deuteronomy 22:24 , it is Pl. In considering these plain-spoken laws it is just to remember that with all their imperfections they represent an advance in social ethics; an upward stage in the struggle against debasing practices and the animal passions of men.

[Reformed Biblical] Of divers seeds sown, #Deuteronomy 22:9 . Of ploughing with an ox and ass, #Deuteronomy 22:10 . Of garments of divers colours, #Deuteronomy 22:11 . Of fringes upon the four quarters of a garment, #Deuteronomy 22:12 . The punishment of him that slandereth his wife. #Deuteronomy 22:13-19 . Her punishment if the scandal be true, #Deuteronomy 22:20,21 . The punishment of adultery, #Deuteronomy 22:22-24 ; of rape, #Deuteronomy 22:25-27 ; of fornication, #Deuteronomy 22:28,29 . Against incest, #Deuteronomy 22:30 . ## Ver. 1. Thy brother; so called by communion not of religion, but of nature, as having one Father, even God, #Malachi 2:10 ; as appears, 1. Because the same law is given about their enemy’s ox, &c., ## #Exodus 23:4 . 2. Because else the obligation of this law had been uncertain, seeing men could not ordinarily tell whether the straying ox or sheep belonged to a Jew or to a stranger. 3. Because this was a duty of common justice and charity, which ## the law of nature taught even heathens, and it is absurd to think that the law of God delivered to the Jews should have less charity in it than the law of nature given to the Gentiles. Hide thyself from them, i.e. dissemble or pretend that thou dost not seen them; or neglect or pass them by as if thou hadst not seen them. ## Ver. 2. If thy brother be not nigh unto thee, which may make the duty more troublesome or chargeable. ## If thou know him not; which implies, that if they did know the owner, they should restore it to him.