Proverbs 22:28

22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone ¹ 

which was put in place by your ancestors. ² 

Deuteronomy 19:14

Laws Concerning Witnesses

19:14 You must not encroach on your neighbor’s property, ³  which will have been defined ⁴  in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you. ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 27:17

27:17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Job 24:2

24:2 Men ⁶  move boundary stones;

they seize the flock and pasture them. ⁷ 

[22:28]  ¹ 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.

[22:28]  ² tn Heb “your fathers” (so NAB, NASB).

[19:14]  ³ tn Heb “border.” Cf. NRSV “You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker.”

[19:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “which they set off from the beginning.”

[19:14]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it.” This phrase has been left untranslated to avoid redundancy.

[24:2]  ⁶ 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).

[24:2]  ⁷ 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.