Ancient Boundary?

Q. What does Prov 22:28 “Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set” mean?

A. First, let’s find out what other passages have to say about “ancient boundary”:

• Prov 23:10 Do not move the ancient boundary or go into the fields of the fatherless,
• Deut 19:14 You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.
• Deut 27:17 Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark. …
• Job 24:2 Some remove the landmarks; they seize and devour flocks.

The meaning becomes obvious immediately. Boundary markers are stones or stakes set up by people to mark his property’s boundary, separating his from that of his neighbor’s. They identify the property for future generations. To move the marker is tantamount to theft, seizing other’s property for oneself, and considered a very serious offense. The principle is “you shall not steal”, honoring other’s property rights.