Éxodo 22:1

1 Protección de la propiedad
»Si alguien roba un buey
o una oveja y luego mata o vende el animal, el ladrón tendrá que pagar cinco bueyes por cada buey robado y cuatro ovejas por cada oveja robada.

Éxodo 22:1 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 22:1

If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep
In which the substance of men chiefly lay in those times, and particularly the people of Israel, who were now come out of Egypt, with their flocks and herds, and these lying near together, were the more liable to be stolen; and hence also the laws in the preceding chapter concerning oxen and damages done by them, and oxen and sheep are only mentioned; perhaps chiefly because used in sacrifice, as well as serviceable for other things; not but that stealing other cattle and other things were criminal and forbidden, and to be punished in proportion:

and kill it, or sell it;
either of which cases would plainly show that he took it away with an intention to deprive the owner of it, and to convert it to his own use:

he shall restore five oxen for an ox,
and four sheep for a sheep; the reason of this difference, five being obliged to be given for the one, and but four for the other, is, because the one was more valuable than the other, as well as more useful, and also more easily stolen, and therefore the greater mulct or fine was laid upon the theft of it, to deter from it: the Targum of Jonathan expresses the reason of the law thus; five for oxen, because the theft of them hindered from ploughing, or made to cease from it; and for sheep but four, because there was trouble in the theft of them, and there was no tillage or agriculture by them: and Saadiah Gaon observes, that the damage that comes to the owner of the ox is more than that by a lamb, because with it, the ox, he ploughs, which is a creature that was used in those countries to be employed in that service, as well as in treading out the corn: Maimonides ^F21 accounts for it thus,

``the restitution of the theft of oxen is increased by one, because the theft of them is easy; sheep are fed in flocks, and are easily kept and watched, and can scarcely be taken away by theft but in the night; but oxen are fed scattered here and there, and therefore cannot be so easily kept by the herdsmen; hence also their theft used to be more common:''

four fold restitution was in use with the ancient Persians, with whom it was a rule,

``whoever took any substance of another, in retaliation they took fourfold from him, and if he restored it, he gave fourfold of the same ^F23.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 41.
F23 Lib. Shed-dar, apud Hyde Relig. Vet. Pers. p. 472.

Éxodo 22:1 In-Context

1 Protección de la propiedad
»Si alguien roba un buey
o una oveja y luego mata o vende el animal, el ladrón tendrá que pagar cinco bueyes por cada buey robado y cuatro ovejas por cada oveja robada.

2 »Si se sorprende a un ladrón en el acto de forzar la entrada a una casa y, durante el enfrentamiento, se le mata a golpes, la persona que mató al ladrón no es culpable de asesinato.

3 Pero si sucede a la luz del día, el que mató al ladrón sí es culpable de asesinato.
»El ladrón que sea capturado pagará la cantidad total de lo que haya robado. Si no puede pagar, se venderá como esclavo para pagar por lo robado.

4 Si alguien roba un buey o un burro o una oveja, y se encuentra el animal en su poder, entonces el ladrón tendrá que pagar el doble del valor del animal robado.

5 »Si un animal pasta en un campo o en un viñedo, y el dueño deja que se meta a pastar en el campo de otro, el dueño del animal tendrá que compensar al dueño del campo con lo mejor de su cosecha de grano o de uvas.