19:14 You must not encroach on your neighbor’s property, 1 which will have been defined 2 in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 3
22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone 4
which was put in place by your ancestors. 5
23:10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or take over 6 the fields of the fatherless,
5:10 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers.
I will pour out my rage on them like a torrential flood! 7
1 tn Heb “border.” Cf. NRSV “You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker.”
2 tn Heb “which they set off from the beginning.”
3 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it.” This phrase has been left untranslated to avoid redundancy.
4 sn Moving a boundary stone was (and still is) a major problem. The boundaries that were established by the forefathers were to be preserved, but no law would stop such violations if people lacked integrity (e.g., Deut 19:14; 27:17; 1 Kgs 21:16-19). Boundaries in Israel were sacred because God owned the land and he apportioned the property to the tribes. To extend one’s property illegally by moving a neighbor’s boundary marker was a violation of covenant and oath. Of course, disputes could arise when both sides claim their ancestors established a boundary.
5 tn Heb “your fathers” (so NAB, NASB).
6 tn Or “encroach on” (NIV, NRSV); Heb “go into.”
7 tn Heb “like water” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NLT “like a waterfall.” The term מַיִם (mayim, “water”) often refers to literal flood waters (Gen 7:7, 10; 8:3, 7-9; Isa 54:9) and figuratively describes the