Deuteronomy 22:4
in Deuteronomy 22If you see your brother’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, you must not ignore it; you must help him lift it up.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
KJV
Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 22
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying
on Deuteronomy 22:1-4
The phrase “you must not ignore it” runs through the rule on lost property. Exodus 23:4-5 gave the same duty about an enemy's ox and donkey. Here the animal belongs to a brother, so the duty covers both ends of that range.
This site's exposition
help him lift it up
The man who sees the fallen ox must help its owner lift it on the road. Clarke ties the rule to the command to love a neighbor as oneself, Leviticus 19:18. The work is shared.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Let no one deceive himself, nor put forward the pretext of having found such property. For it is not lawful, even for a man who has found anything, to aggrandize himself by it. For Deuteronomy says: "Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his …
You are commanded to pull out the ass or the ox which is lying in the mud. Do you then see a Christian like yourself, who was redeemed by the blood of Christ, lying in the sewer of drunkenness and wallowing in the mud of …
Scripture teaches us by means of natural fellowship to treat the object found as a trust and not to hold hatred of an enemy.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thou shall not see thy brother's ox or his ass fall down by the way,....
And yet the significancy and tendency of these statutes, which seem little, are such that, notwithstanding their minuteness, being fond among the things of God's law, which he has written to us, they are to be accounted great things. The distinction of sexes by the apparel is to be kept up, for the preservation of our own and our neighbour's chastity,
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִרְאֶה֩ | tireh | you will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| חֲמ֨וֹר | chamor | [the] donkey of | H2543 → | 96 times |
| אָחִ֜יךָ | ʾachikha | countryman your | H251 → | 630 times |
| א֤וֹ | ʾo | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| שׁוֹרוֹ֙ | shoro | ox his | H7794 → | 79 times |
| נֹפְלִ֣ים | nofelim | falling | H5307 → | 435 times |
| בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ | baderekh | by the way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ | vehitalamta | and you will hide yourself | H5956 → | 28 times |
| מֵהֶ֑ם | mehem | from <the> them | ||
| הָקֵ֥ם | hakem | certainly <to raise> | H6965 → | 628 times |
| תָּקִ֖ים | takim | you will raise [it] up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| עִמּֽוֹ׃ ס | imo | with him | H5973 → | 1050 times |
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִרְאֶה֩you will see
tirehH7200 →1300 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
חֲמ֨וֹר[the] donkey of
chamorH2543 →96 times
אָחִ֜יךָcountryman your
ʾachikhaH251 →630 times
א֤וֹor
ʾoH176 →321 times
שׁוֹרוֹ֙ox his
shoroH7794 →79 times
נֹפְלִ֣יםfalling
nofelimH5307 →435 times
בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְby the way
baderekhH1870 →707 times
וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖and you will hide yourself
vehitalamtaH5956 →28 times
מֵהֶ֑םfrom <the> them
mehem
הָקֵ֥םcertainly <to raise>
hakemH6965 →628 times
תָּקִ֖יםyou will raise [it] up
takimH6965 →628 times
עִמּֽוֹ׃ סwith him
imoH5973 →1050 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 5:44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
it leads to
- Romans 12:14
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
- 1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
- Luke 6:27–28
But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
- Romans 12:20–21
On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
- Proverbs 25:21–22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
- Romans 12:14
Through
Romans 15:1We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
- Romans 14:1
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on his opinions.
- Galatians 6:1–2
Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 225.4; Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 2; Gregory of Neocaesarea, CANONICAL EPISTLE 4; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.