The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
It belongs to the statutes and judgments given to Israel, which were to be strictly obeyed. If an ox or a donkey falls into an uncovered pit and dies, the owner of the pit must make it good by giving money to the owner of the animal, and the dead beast becomes his own. Those statutes reveal care for the people and impartial concern for their interests.
The requirement guards against injustice and guides fair dealings between people. It holds a person who creates a known danger accountable for the harm that results. By the same principle, one who knowingly exposes others to harm, like a liquor dealer, is morally responsible for the violence and loss that follow.
It belongs to the statutes and judgments given to Israel, which were to be strictly obeyed. If an ox or a donkey falls into an uncovered pit and dies, the owner of the pit must make it good by giving money to the owner of the animal, and the dead beast becomes his own. Those statutes reveal care for the people and impartial concern for their interests.
The requirement guards against injustice and guides fair dealings between people. It holds a person who creates a known danger accountable for the harm that results. By the same principle, one who knowingly exposes others to harm, like a liquor dealer, is morally responsible for the violence and loss that follow.