Nine laws conclude this section on the value of life. To begin, a straying ox or sheep is not to be ignored but is to be restored to its owner (22:1–4). Assistance must be given, for this “fellow Israelite” (Exod. 23:4–5 reads “enemy” in this place) is a person in need (cf. Luke 10:30–37, where Jesus identifies a person in need as our “neighbor”). The same obligation applies to helping the fallen beast of an enemy get to its feet (22:4).

The interchange of clothing between men and women (22:5), which seems harmless enough on the face of it, is read as an attempt to blur basic sexual differences. Lucian of Samosata and Eusebius describe the practice of masquerading in garments of the opposite sex in the worship of the goddess Astarte. The New Testament declaration (Gal. 3:28) that t…