What does exodus chapter 22 mean?
The first part of Exodus 22 is self-explanatory. What is stolen must be repaid, and in many cases the thief must return more than he stole. This includes cases where someone steals from a field by turning an animal into it. There are also verses covering cases where something is lost or stolen from someone who has it on loan. If the borrower does not profit from the theft, he is not usually responsible for the loss. This is also true if the item is damaged or lost through no fault of the borrower. Women are treated much the same as other “property.” In verse 18 there is a condemnation of witches, because they were malevolent persons. Widows and orphans are to be offered protection. Loans are not to draw interest (usury). You cannot keep essential items, such as a man’s clothes, as security for a loan beyond sundown. Neither “the gods” nor the political leaders are to be cursed. [Certainly a Jew could not follow other gods, but apparently they were not to be cursed, either.] Firstborn i
