Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 23:5

If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

5. and wouldest forbear, &c.] This rend. (= AV.) of the existing text is quite impossible: ‘zab means to leave, forsake, &c., but never to ‘help.’ That of the marg. is much preferable: for the uncommon sense let loose or release, cf. Deu 32:36, Job 10:1. Ges., Di., Keil under, thou shalt forbear to leave (it) to him (alone); thou shalt surely release (it) with him; the objection to this is that ‘zab is taken in a efferent sense in the two parts of the verse; Ges., however, supposed e play to be intentional. The difficulty could be removed by reading in the last clause, with Bochart, B., thou shalt surely help with him ( for ). The rend. thou shalt forbear is perfectly grammatical: but it is in favour of RVm. that nearly everywhere else in these laws (e.g. v. 4) the apodosis after ki is introduced by a bare impf. Deu 22:4 has, ‘thou shalt surely lift (them) up with him.’

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

This translation depends upon this supposition, that the Hebrew verb azab, which is thrice used in this verse, signifies not only to leave, but also to help, or erect, or lift up, or strengthen, or restore; which signification of the verb may be proved,

1. From that use of it, Neh 3:8 4:2.

2. From the parallel place, Deu 22:4, where instead of this verb azab is hakim, which is properly to erect or lift up. But if the verb did signify only to leave, it may be thus rendered according to the Hebrew words, then, or therefore, or surely (for all these ways the Hebrew particle vau is used) thou shalt forbear to leave it, to wit, the ass groaning under his burden, or the lifting up of the ass and burden, to him alone; but if thou wilt be leaving, I will appoint thee a better object for it, thou shalt surely leave or lay aside what thou hast against him, i.e. whatsoever controversy thou hast with him, that shall not hinder thee from succouring him or his in any distress.

The Hebrew preposition in, doth oft signify against, as Gen 26:20; Psa 85:4; 94:16; Hos 9:8. And it is a concise or short way of speaking, which is very common in the Hebrew language, against him, for what thou hast against him. Or thus, and wouldest forbear to leave, to wit, thy business which thou art going about, for him, i.e. for the sake of him who is thy enemy, as the Hebrew preposition tamed is oft used, as Exo 14:25; Num 25:13; Jos 10:14, &c.; thou shalt repress those malicious desires, and thou shalt surely leave it to be, or to tarry, or to help with him to lift up the ass. So there is only an ellipsis of the verb, which is most common in the Hebrew tongue.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden,…. Fallen down, and such a burden upon him that he cannot rise up again, but lies under it, and the owner of it is not able of himself to raise it up again:

and wouldst forbear to help him; show an inclination to pass on without giving him any assistance to get up his beast again; or “wouldst thou forbear to help him?” w as Jarchi, and others, read with an interrogation, could it be in thine heart to forbear helping him? couldest thou go on, and take no notice of him and his case, and not join him in endeavouring to get up his beast again, that he may proceed its his journey? canst thou be so cruel and hardhearted, though he is thine enemy? but if thou art, know this,

thou shalt surely help with him; to get up his ass again: hence the Jewish canon runs thus x,

“if an ass is unloaded and loaded four or five times, a man is bound, i.e. to help, as it is said, “in helping thou shalt help”; if he (the owner) goes away, and sets himself down, seeing the command is upon thee, if it is thy will and pleasure to unload, unload, he is free; for it is said, with him; if he is an old man, or sick, he is bound, the command of the law is to unload, but not to load.”

The words may be rendered, “in leaving thou shalt leave with him” y; either leave or forsake thine enmity to help him, as Onkelos; or leave thy business, thou art about, to lend him an hand to raise up his beast again.

w “num desines sublevare eum?” some in Vatablus; “cessabis auxitiari ei?” Drusius; “desines auxiliari ei?” Pagninus. x Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 2. sect. 10. y “Deserendo deseres cum eo”, Montanus; so Ainsworth.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(5) If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee . . . The sense is clear, but the words are greatly disputed. If a man sees his enemys ass prostrate under its burthen, he is to help to raise it up. In this case he owes a double duty(1) to his enemy, and (2) to the suffering animal. Geddes emendation of azar for azab, in all the three places where the verb occurs, is the simplest and best of those suggested. The passage would then run: If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burthen, and wouldest forbear to help it, thou shalt surely help with himi.e., the owner.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Exo 23:5. And wouldest forbear to help him The meaning of this verse is evident enough from the parallel passage, Deu 22:4. But it is difficult to make out the literal construction of the Hebrew, as the marginal version of our Bibles may serve to shew. Parkhurst, in his Lexicon, renders it thus, “When thou shalt see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, , then thou shalt forbear to leave it to him, (i.e. thou shalt not leave the beast under his burden, but shalt assist him in raising it up again, and then) thou shalt surely leave it with him. Notwithstanding this, if ozob will bear the sense of helping, as Stockius affirms, I see no great difficulty in understanding the passage according to our version: If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee, &c. and wouldest forbear, or delay, to help him, (influenced by the narrow principles of enmity: I command thee to do far otherwise) thou shalt surely help with him. And this seems very conformable to the mode of expression, Deu 22:4. Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or ox fall down, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up. In Phocylides we read,

“Should’st thou thine adversary’s beast espy Fall’n in the road, pass not unheeding by; But help it.” HARTE.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Job 24:3 ; Deu 22:1-4 ; Pro 25:21-22Pro 25:21-22 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Exo 23:5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

Ver. 5. Thou shalt surely help with him. ] So the Spirit helps with us; or lifts over against us. , Rom 8:26 He looks ut acti agamus.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)