“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20.15

While the communities of God’s people were structured in such a way as to ensure that all would work and that the work of all would contribute to the benefit of the whole community, this did not mean that all the property of individuals was the property of the entire community. God’s Law strictly preserves the right of each person to possess private property, and it forbids unlawful seizure of that property by others.

God’s Law protects private property in many ways: Through statutes designed to encourage neighbor vigilance over the property of others (Ex. 22.5, 6); through the practice of restorative justice (Ex. 21.22-26); by guarding inheritances (Num. 27.8-11); mandating payment of opportunity costs in cases of unlawful assault (Ex. 21.18, 19); ensuring just weights and balances (Lev. 19.35, 36); and various forms of retribution for thieves (cf. Ex. 22.2-4).

In a certain sense even the private property of individuals was to be available to his neighbor according to his need (cf. Deut. 23.24, 25; Deut. 15.11); at the same time, his property never ceased to be his own property rather than that of the community.

God reserved for Himself the right to distribute property in Israel, as is seen by His determining which lands would be assigned to which tribe. For someone to seize the property of another would thus have been not only to infringe an individual right but also to usurp a divine prerogative. Private property in ancient Israel was not primarily a means to wealth but a way of exercising stewardship unto the Lord, practicing neighbor-love, and, thus, of demonstrating faithfulness to God’s Word in expectation of His promises.

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