Deuteronomy 23

1 "No man {with crushed testicles} or [whose] {male organ is cut off} may come into the assembly of Yahweh.

2 An illegitimate child may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh.

3 An Ammonite or a Moabite may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even [to] the tenth generation none {of his descendants} may come into the assembly of Yahweh {forever},

4 {because} they did not come to meet you with food and with water {when you came out of Egypt}, and [also] {because} they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor, in Aram Naharaim [to act] against you to curse you

5 But Yahweh your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you.

6 You shall not promote their welfare or their prosperity all your days {forever}.

7 "You shall not abhor an Edomite, because he [is] your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian because you were an alien in his land.

8 The children [that] are born to them [in] the third generation may come {representing them} in the assembly of Yahweh.

9 "If you go out to encamp against your enemies, then you shall guard against [doing] anything evil.

10 "If [there] is among you a man that is not clean because of a seminal emission {during the night}, he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come within the camp.

11 {And then} toward the {coming} of the evening, he shall bathe with water, and at the going down of the sun, he may come to the midst of the camp.

12 "And there shall be for you a designated place outside the camp; {and you shall go there to relieve yourself},

13 and a digging tool shall [be included] in addition to your [other] utensils for yourself; {and then} {when you relieve yourself} outside [the camp] you shall dig with it, and [then] you shall turn, and you shall cover your excrement.

14 For Yahweh your God [is] walking about in the midst of your camp to deliver you and {to hand your enemies over to you before you}, and so let your camp be holy, so that he shall not see in it {anything indecent}, and he shall turn away {from going with you}.

15 "And you shall not hand over a slave to his master who has escaped [and fled] to you from his master.

16 He shall reside with you in your midst in the place that he chooses in one of {your towns wherever he pleases}; you shall not oppress him.

17 "No woman {of Israel} shall be a temple prostitute, and no man {of Israel} shall be a male shrine prostitute.

18 You may not bring the {hire} of a prostitute or {the earnings of a male prostitute} [into] the house of Yahweh your God, for any vow offerings, because {both} are a detestable thing to Yahweh your God.

19 "{You shall not charge your brother interest on money}, interest on food, or interest on anything that one could lend on interest

20 You may lend on interest to the foreigner, but to your countryman you may not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you {in all your undertakings} in {the land where you are going}, {in order to take possession of it}.

21 "{When you make a vow} to Yahweh your God, you shall not postpone {fulfillment of it}, [for] certainly Yahweh your God shall require it from you and [if postponed] {you will incur guilt}.

22 And {if you refrain from vowing}, {you shall not incur guilt}.

23 The utterance of your lips {you must perform diligently} [just] as you have vowed freely to Yahweh your God whatever [it was] that you promised with your mouth.

24 "When you come into the vineyard of your neighbor, then you may eat grapes {as you please} and {until you are full}, but you shall not put [any] into your container.

25 "When you come into the standing grain of your neighbor, then you may pluck ears with your hand, but you may not {swing} a sickle among the standing grain of your neighbor."

Deuteronomy 23 Commentary

Chapter 23

Who are shut out from the congregation. (1-8) Cleanliness enjoined. (15-25) Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts. (9-14)

Verses 1-8 We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us out under the Christian dispensation. But an unsound heart will deprive us of blessings; and a bad example, or an unsuitable marriage, may shut our children from them.

Verses 9-14 The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.

Verses 15-25 It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where the borrower gets, or hopes to get, it is just that the lender should share the gain; but to him that borrows for necessary food, pity must be showed. That which is gone out of thy lips, as a solemn and deliberate vow, must not be recalled, but thou shalt keep and perform it punctually and fully. They were allowed to pluck and eat of the corn or grapes that grew by the road side; only they must not carry any away. This law intimated what great plenty of corn and wine they should have in Canaan. It provided for the support of poor travellers, and teaches us to be kind to such, teaches us to be ready to distribute, and not to think every thing lost that is given away. Yet it forbids us to abuse the kindness of friends, or to take advantage of what is allowed. Faithfulness to their engagements should mark the people of God; and they should never encroach upon others.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "bruised of crushing"
• [b]. Literally "cut off of male organ"
• [c]. Literally "to him"
• [d]. Literally "to him"
• [e]. Literally "until eternity"
• [f]. Literally "because of the event when"
• [g]. Literally "at your going out of Egypt"
• [h]. Literally "because of the event when"
• [i]. Hebrew "he," but with plural meaning
• [j]. Or "Mesopotamia" = "between the rivers"
• [k]. Literally "until eternity"
• [l]. Or "sons"
• [m]. Literally "for them" or possibly "become members of"
• [n]. Or "when"
• [o]. Literally "of the night"
• [p]. Literally "And it will happen/come about that"
• [q]. Literally "turning"
• [r]. Hebrew "in" but this is instrumental use of this preposition
• [s]. The verb can mean "coming/going" and here it means "going"
• [t]. Literally "and you shall go out there, outside [to relieve yourself]"
• [u]. Or "spade"
• [v]. Hebrew "utensil"
• [w]. Literally "and it will happen"
• [x]. Literally "at your sitting"
• [y]. Literally "to give your enemies to the face of you"
• [z]. Literally "nakedness of a thing"
• [aa]. Literally "from behind/after you"
• [ab]. Literally "in your gates good for him"
• [ac]. Literally "from the daughters of Israel"
• [ad]. Literally "from the sons of Israel"
• [ae]. Literally "gift"
• [af]. Literally "the earnings of a dog"
• [ag]. Literally "both, the two of them"
• [ah]. Literally "You shall not lend on interest to your brother, interest of money"
• [ai]. Hebrew "of"
• [aj]. Hebrew "of"
• [ak]. Or "can lend"
• [al]. Or "brother"
• [am]. Literally "in all the sending[s] out of your hand"
• [an]. Literally "the land that you [are] going there"
• [ao]. Literally "to take possession"
• [ap]. Literally "When/if you vow a vow"
• [aq]. Literally "to fulfill it"
• [ar]. Literally "it shall become against you [as] sin"
• [as]. Literally "if you refrain to make a vow"
• [at]. Literally "it shall not become against you [as] sin"
• [au]. Literally "you must observe and you shall do"
• [av]. Or "spoke"
• [aw]. Or "If"
• [ax]. Literally "according to your desire"
• [ay]. Literally "to your satiation"
• [az]. Or "If"
• [ba]. Literally "wave"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 23

Orders are here given to restrain certain persons from entering into the congregation of the Lord, De 23:1-8, and to take care that there be no unclean person in the camp, or any indecent thing done in it, De 23:9-14, to protect fugitive servants, and not deliver them up to their masters, De 23:15,16 not to suffer a filthy person to be among them, or any filthy thing to be brought into the house of God for a vow, De 23:17,18, then follow some laws against usury, and for the payment of vows, De 23:19-23, and the chapter is concluded with some directions how to behave in a neighbour's vineyard, or standing corn, De 23:24,25.