Deuteronomy 23:1-6

1 A gelding when his stones be broken, either cut away, and his rod cut off, he shall not enter into the church of the Lord. (When a man is made a gelding, or a eunuch, that is, if his stones, or his ballocks, be broken, or cut off, or if his rod is cut off, he shall no longer be part of the Lord's congregation.)
2 A child born of whoredom shall not enter into the church of the Lord, unto the tenth generation.
3 Ammonites and Moabites, yea after the tenth generation, shall not enter into the church of the Lord (into) without end; (The Ammonites and the Moabites, even after the tenth generation, shall not be part of the Lord's congregation, yea, forevermore;)
4 for they would not come to you with bread and water in the way, when ye went out of Egypt; and for they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor, of Mesopotamia of Syria, that he should curse thee; (because they would not come to you with bread and water on the way, when ye went out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor, from Pethor in Mesopotamia, to curse thee;
5 and thy Lord God would not hear Balaam (but the Lord thy God would not listen to Balaam), and God turned his curse into thy blessing, for he loved thee.
6 Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither thou shalt seek good things to them (nor shalt thou seek good things for them), in all the days of thy life (and) into without end.

Deuteronomy 23:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.