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.''