Theft

Theft, the unlawful taking of another's property, is strictly prohibited by the eighth commandment (Ex. 20:15). Mosaic law required proportional restitution: fivefold for an ox slaughtered or sold after theft, fourfold for a sheep, and double for other property (Ex. 22:1-4). If the thief could not make restitution, he could be sold into indentured service. Man-stealing — kidnapping another person for sale — carried the death penalty (Ex. 21:16).

The prophets condemn theft alongside injustice and false dealing as symptoms of covenant unfaithfulness (Jer. 7:9; Hos. 4:2). The New Testament likewise prohibits theft (Eph. 4:28; 1 Cor. 6:10), with Paul's instruction that the former thief must instead labor honestly and give to those in need presenting a positive alternative rooted in transformed character rather than mere prohibition.