Dr Paul Allen

  "But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property." Ex 22:8 The phrase “appear before the judges” in Ex 22:8 can also be translated as “appear before God.” The word translated as “judges/God” is Elohim, a common designation for God. While “judges” might be a possible translation in Ex 22:8, the most natural reading is to understand it as referring to God.  When the text indicates that the receiver of the goods (the “owner of the house” [22:8]) is to appear before God, it has in view a particular method for resolving the dispute at hand, namely, what scholars call suprarational procedures.  These are procedures that go beyond the pale of rational evidence, such as testimony, physical evidence or documentary evidence, by appealing directly to divinity to settle the matter.  Three basic categories of suprarational methods are used for resolv