As we have seen in some of the examples, they do not view land as private property in the modern, Western sense. Land is family property. The broader community can impose obligations on its use. These includes help during personal crisis. These mutual assistance arrangements also provide a system for redistributing time, labor, money, and other resources, including food, among the community members.
Social equality is considered normative.
Although peasant societies tend to be very poor, they care for the needy, especially widows and orphans. Finally, throughout history peasants have been dominated by people in more powerful social sectors. The family or kin group was the center of Israelite social order. Family land was the basis of the whole economy. Village elders assumed public leadership.