Deuteronomy 22:3

3 and so thou dost to his ass, and so thou dost to his garment, and so thou dost to any lost thing of thy brother's, which is lost by him, and thou hast found it; thou art not able to hide thyself.

Deuteronomy 22:3 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 22:3

In like manner shall thou do with his ass
As with his ox or sheep when astray, and found, keep it until it is owned, and then restore it; this is expressly mentioned in ( Exodus 23:4 )

and so shalt thou do with his raiment;
if that is lost and found, it must be restored to the owner, he describing it; a garment is particularly mentioned, it is said ^F1, because in every garment there is a mark or sign by which the owners can inquire about it; for it is made by the hands of men, and does not come from anything common:

and with all lost things of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou
hast found, shalt thou do likewise:
this comprehends everything that is lost, that is properly so; it is asked ^F2;

``what is a lost thing? if a man finds an ox or a cow feeding in the way, this is not a lost thing; an ass whose instruments are inverted, and a cow running among the vineyards, this is a lost thing:''

thou mayest not hide thyself:
from seeing it and taking care of it, in order to restore it to the right owner; or dissemble a sight of it, and pretend he never saw it, and so entirely neglect it. In some instances the Jews allow they were not obliged to take any notice or care of it, as,

``if a man find a cow in a cow house (which is not shut), he is not obliged (to take care of it); if in a public place, he is obliged; if it is in a burying ground he may not defile himself for it ^F3.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Bartenora in Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 2. sect. 5.
F2 Misn. ib. sect. 9.
F3 Ib. sect. 10.

Deuteronomy 22:3 In-Context

1 `Thou dost not see the ox of thy brother or his sheep driven away, and hast hidden thyself from them, thou dost certainly turn them back to thy brother;

2 and if thy brother [is] not near unto thee, and thou hast not known him, then thou hast removed it unto the midst of thy house, and it hath been with thee till thy brother seek it, and thou hast given it back to him;

3 and so thou dost to his ass, and so thou dost to his garment, and so thou dost to any lost thing of thy brother's, which is lost by him, and thou hast found it; thou art not able to hide thyself.

4 `Thou dost not see the ass of thy brother, or his ox, falling in the way, and hast hid thyself from them; thou dost certainly raise [them] up with him.

5 `The habiliments of a man are not on a woman, nor doth a man put on the garment of a woman, for the abomination of Jehovah thy God [is] any one doing these.