Deuteronomy 23

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.
7 Thou shalt not loathe a man of Idumea, for he is thy brother, neither of a man of Egypt, for thou were a comeling in the land of him. (Thou shalt not despise an Edomite, for he is thy brother, nor an Egyptian, for thou were newcomers in his land.)
8 They that be born of them, shall enter in the third generation into the church of the Lord. (They who be born of them, from the third generation onward, can be part of the Lord's congregation.)
9 When thou shalt go out into battle against thine enemies, thou shalt keep thee from all evil thing (thou shalt keep thyself from all evil things).
10 If a man is among you, that is defouled in his night sleep, he shall go out of your tents; and he shall not turn again (If there is a man among you, who is defiled during his night's sleep, he shall go away from your tents; and he shall not return)
11 before that he be washed in water at the eventide, and after the going down of the sun, he shall turn again into the tents. (until he is washed in water in the evening, and then, after the going down of the sun, he shall return to the camp.)
12 Thou shalt have a place without the tents, to which thou shalt go out to (do the) needful things of (man)kind;
13 and thou shalt bear a little stake in thy girdle; and when thou hast set, thou shalt dig about, and thou shalt cover with earth things voided out, where thou art relieved. (and thou shalt bring a little peg in thy belt; and after that thou hast squatted down, thou shalt dig about, and thou shalt cover with earth the things voided out, where thou art relieved.)
14 For thy Lord God goeth in (the) midst of the tents, that he deliver thee, and betake thine enemies to thee, that thy tents be holy, and nothing of filth appear in them, lest for uncleanness he forsake thee. (For the Lord thy God goeth in the midst of thy tents, to keep thee safe, and to deliver thy enemies to thee, so thy tents must be kept holy, and nothing of filth appear in them, otherwise he shall leave thee because of thy uncleanness.
15 Thou shalt not take a servant (back) to his lord, which fleeth to thee; (Thou shalt not take a slave, who hath fled to thee, back to his master;)
16 he shall dwell with thee in the place that pleaseth him, and he shall abide in one of thy cities; and make thou not him sorry, or heavy (and do not thou mistreat him).
17 None whore/No strumpet shall be of the daughters of Israel, neither a lecher of the sons of Israel.
18 Thou shalt not offer the hire of an whorehouse, neither the price of a dog, in the house of thy Lord God, (for) whatever thing it is that thou hast avowed; for ever either is abomination before thy Lord God. (Thou shalt not offer the wages of a common whore, or the fee of a male prostitute, in the House of the Lord thy God, to fulfill thy vow; for both of them be abominable before the Lord thy God.)
19 Thou shalt not lend to thy brother to usury, money, neither fruits, neither any other thing, (Thou shalt not lend money, or fruits, or any other thing, to thy brother, that is, thy kinsman, and charge him interest,
20 but (thou mayest) to an alien. For thou shalt lend to thy brother without usury that that he needeth, that thy Lord God bless thee in all thy work in the land to which thou shalt enter to wield. (but thou mayest do so to a foreigner, or a stranger. For thou shalt lend to thy brother what he needeth without charging interest, and then the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy work in the land to which thou shalt enter to take.)
21 When thou makest a vow to thy Lord God, thou shalt not tarry to yield it, for thy Lord God shall ask that of thee; and if thou tarriest, it shall be reckoned to thee into sin. (When thou makest a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shouldest not delay in fulfilling it, for the Lord thy God shall ask for that of thee; and if thou delayest, it shall be reckoned unto thee as a sin.
22 If thou wilt not promise, thou shalt be without sin. (If thou maketh no vow, thou hast not sinned.)
23 Forsooth thou shalt keep (thy word), and do that that went out once of thy lips, as thou promisedest to thy Lord God, and hast spoken with thine own will and thy mouth. (But once thy vow hath gone out of thy lips, thou shalt keep thy word, and do it, as thou promisedest to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken with thy own will and thy own mouth.)
24 If thou enterest into the vineyard of thy neighbour, eat thou (some) grapes, as much as [it] pleaseth thee; but bear thou none out with thee (but carry none away with thee).
25 If thou enterest into the corn (field) of thy friend, thou shalt break off the ears of the corn, and rub them together with thine hands; but thou shalt not reap them with a sickle.

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.

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.

Deuteronomy 23 Commentaries

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