Deuteronomy 22:1

“Thou shall not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, etc.] Or “driven away” f313; 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, etc. 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, (<022304>Exodus 23:4) and hide thyself from them;…”

“OF HUMANITY TOWARD BRETHREN. (Deu 22:1-4) Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them, &c.--"Brother" is a term of extensive application, comprehending persons of every description; not a relative, neighbor, or fellow countryman only, but any human being, known or unknown, a foreigner, and even an enemy (Exo 23:4). The duty inculcated is an act of common justice and charity, which, while it was taught by the law of nature, was more clearly and forcibly enjoined in the law delivered by God to His people. Indifference or dissimulation in the circumstances supposed would not only be cruelty to the dumb animals, but a violation of the common rights of…”

“On the general character of the contents of this chapter see Deuteronomy 21:10 note. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Thy brother's - Any man's. Thou shalt not hide thyself - Dissemble or pretend that thou dost not see them; or pass them by as if thou hadst not seen them. Deuteronomy 22:2”

“22:1 don’t ignore your responsibility: An individual was not to avoid a troubled scene by pretending not to see what was going on. To do so would be a failure of the individual’s responsibility to the covenant community.”

“Thou shalt: Exo 23:4; Eze 34:4, Eze 34:16; Mat 10:6, Mat 15:24, Mat 18:12, Mat 18:13; Luk 15:4-6; Jam 5:19, Jam 5:20; Pe1 2:25 hide thyself: Deu 22:3, Deu 22:4; Lev 20:4; Pro 24:11, Pro 28:27; Isa 8:17, Isa 58:7; Luk 10:31, Luk 10:32 Deuteronomy 22:2”

“Going deeper and deeper into the manifold relations of the national life, Moses first of all explains in Deu 22:1-12 the attitude of an Israelite, on the one hand, towards a neighbour; and, on the other hand, towards the natural classification and arrangement of things, and shows how love should rule in the midst of all these relations. The different relations brought under consideration are selected rather by way of examples, and therefore follow one another without any link of connection, for the purpose of exhibiting the truth in certain concrete cases, and showing how the covenant people were to hold all the arrangement of God sacred, whether in nature or in social life. Deu 22:1-3 In…”