Thou shall not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go
astray,
&c.] Or "driven away" F18; frightened and starved away
from the herd or from the flock by a wolf or dog; and the ox and
sheep are put for every other creature a man has, as camels,
asses which last sort is after mentioned; and a brother means not
one in the natural relation of kindred only, for it is supposed,
in the next verse, that he might not only be at a distance, but
unknown; nor by religion only, or one of the commonwealth or
church of the Jews, for what is enjoined is a piece of humanity
the law of nature requires and directs unto, and is even to be
done to enemies, ( Exodus 23:4 ) and hide
thyself from them; make as if he did not see them, and so be
entirely negligent of them, and takes no care and show no concern
about them, but let them go on wandering from the herd and flock
from whence they were driven, and to which they cannot find the
way of themselves:
thou shalt in any case bring them again to thy
brother:
to his herd or flock, or to his house, and deliver them into his
own hands, or to the care of his servants.