24:2 Men 1 move boundary stones;
they seize the flock and pasture them. 2
22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone 3
which was put in place by your ancestors. 4
23:10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or take over 5 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! 6
1 tn The line is short: “they move boundary stones.” So some commentators have supplied a subject, such as “wicked men.” The reason for its being wicked men is that to move the boundary stone was to encroach dishonestly on the lands of others (Deut 19:14; 27:17).
2 tc The LXX reads “and their shepherd.” Many commentators accept this reading. But the MT says that they graze the flocks that they have stolen. The difficulty with the MT reading is that there is no suffix on the final verb – but that is not an insurmountable difference.
3 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.
4 tn Heb “your fathers” (so NAB, NASB).
5 tn Or “encroach on” (NIV, NRSV); Heb “go into.”
6 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