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Exodus 22 Commentary

Please choose a passage:

Exodus 22:5-6

These are judgements for damage done to someone’s grazing fields and vineyards. Such damage could adversely affect or ruin the livelihood of the owner.

Exodus 22:7-15

These statutes concern property that is damaged in the care of someone entrusted with safekeeping it by the owner, or someone borrowing it from the owner.

Exodus 22:16-24

This passage deals with the consequences for someone living a life disloyal to the covenant. The LORD prohibits the abuse of society’s vulnerable—strangers, widows, and orphans.

Exodus 22:25-31

Here are rules concerning lending money to the poor and statutes relating to a person’s relationship to the LORD.

Additional Resources

The book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah (“law”). It continues the story of Genesis concerning the migration of the family of Jacob (the Israelites) to Egypt (Genesis 50). It describes the commissioning of Moses and Aaron as God’s representatives on earth to accomplish God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land (the land of Canaan). It also relates the miraculous deliverance from Egypt beginning with the plagues on Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. It then describes the journey to Mount Sinai and the establishment of the Mosaic covenant with the Israelites. The last part of the book involves the specifications and building of the tabernacle – the place where the Lord Himself dwelt amongst His people.

In the book of Exodus, the focus shifts to the deliverance of God’s people.

Chapter Context

Exodus 22 continues the content of the Book of the Covenant, that runs from Exodus 20:22 to 23:33. It contains statutes concerning property rights, a person’s relationship with other Israelites, and a person’s relationship with the LORD.

Chapter 22 can be outlined as follows:
• Statutes About Thievery (22:1 – 4)
• Statutes About Damage to Pasture Land (22:5 – 6)
• Statutes About Damage to Property Kept by Others (22:7 – 15)
• Statutes About Social Issues (22:16 – 31)