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.
Open Exodus 22:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Si quis furatus fuerit bovem aut ovem, et occiderit vel vendiderit : quinque boves pro uno bove restituet, et quatuor oves pro una ove.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Ἐὰν δέ τις κλέψη μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον καὶ σφάξῃ ἢ ἀποδῶται, πέντε μόσχους ἀποτίσει ἀντὶ τοῦ μόσχου καὶ τέσσερα πρόβατα ἀντὶ τοῦ προβάτου.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Exodus 21:37
- כִּ֤י יִגְנֹֽב אִישׁ֙ שׁ֣וֹר אוֹ שֶׂ֔ה וּטְבָח֖וֹ א֣וֹ מְכָר֑וֹ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה בָקָ֗ר יְשַׁלֵּם֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשּׁ֔וֹר וְאַרְבַּע צֹ֖אן תַּ֥חַת הַשֶּֽׂה
Haydock's commentary
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)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Clement of Alexandria The Stromata, or Miscellanies, Book III
Ex iis autem, qui ab hæresi ducuntur, Marciohis quidem Pontici fecimus mentionem, qui propter certamen, quod adversus Creatorem suscepit, mundanarum rerum usum recusat. Ei autem continentiæ causa est, si modo est ea dicenda continentia, ipse Creator, cui se adversari existimans gigas iste cum Deo pugnans, est invitus continens, dum in creationem et Dei opus invehitur. Quod si usurpent vocem Domini, qui dicit Philippo: “Sine mortuos sepelire mortuos suos, tu autem sequere me:” at illud considerent, quod similem cam is formationem fert quoque Philippus, non habens cadaver pollutum. Quomodo ergo cum carhem haberet, non habuit cadaver? Quoniam surrexit ex monumento, Domino ejus vitia morte afficiente, vixit autem Christo. Meminimus autem nefariæ quoque ex Carpocratis sententia mulierum communionis. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Matthew XXVI. 67, 68
Touching whom also the prophet saith, “Ye covered my altar with tears.” Christ is not willing to be fed by covetousness, He accepts not this food. Why dost thou insult thy Lord, offering Him unclean things? It is better to leave men to pine with hunger, than to feed them from these sources. That was the conduct of a cruel man, this of one both cruel and insolent. It is better to give nothing, than to give the things of one set of persons to others. For tell me, if you saw any two persons, one naked, one having a garment, and then having stripped the one that had the garment, thou wert to clothe the naked, wouldest thou not have committed an injustice? It is surely plain to every one. …