Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
Soul in this verse denotes the hungry person's physical self or appetite, the self he seeks to satisfy when he steals because he is hungry. If reasoning principle were put in its place the sentence becomes nonsense, which proves that soul does not always mean an intellectual faculty. People do not despise a thief in such a case, being less likely to despise him when he steals to satisfy his hunger. They may even feel some sympathy for one who steals food because he is hungry. That leniency toward theft to meet an immediate need for food stands in contrast to theft by a wealthy or powerful person who takes millions from the poor, for the hungry thief is quickly imprisoned while the corrupt official may keep his ill-gotten gains and still receive outward respect.
Soul in this verse denotes the hungry person's physical self or appetite, the self he seeks to satisfy when he steals because he is hungry. If reasoning principle were put in its place the sentence becomes nonsense, which proves that soul does not always mean an intellectual faculty. People do not despise a thief in such a case, being less likely to despise him when he steals to satisfy his hunger. They may even feel some sympathy for one who steals food because he is hungry. That leniency toward theft to meet an immediate need for food stands in contrast to theft by a wealthy or powerful person who takes millions from the poor, for the hungry thief is quickly imprisoned while the corrupt official may keep his ill-gotten gains and still receive outward respect.