EXODUS 22:9 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.”
In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, this is mine, both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The court's role in disputed property claims is comprehensive: any disputed possession comes before the judges. The bilateral process — both parties present their cases — is the basis of fair adjudication. Deuteronomy 19:15 requires two or three witnesses for any charge — the judicial process of Exodus 22:9 is the foundation on which the evidentiary requirements of Deuteronomy are built. The court that hears both parties before deciding is the model of justice that Proverbs 18:17 describes: in a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
0/2000
No notes on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!