Deuteronomy 23:13

13 and a nail thou hast on thy staff, and it hath been, in thy sitting without, that thou hast digged with it, and turned back, and covered thy filth;

Deuteronomy 23:13 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 23:13

And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon
A nail or spike, some kind of instrument to make a hole in the ground with, which was fastened to the sword upon their loins; which was to be instead of a spade or mattock to dig with:

and it shall be, when thou shall ease thyself abroad;
without the camp, in the place appointed for that use, whenever nature required such an action to be performed;

thou shall dig therewith;
with, the paddle, an hole in the earth: the Essenes used, according to Josephus, to make it a foot deep with a spade or mattock, and to everyone that was newly admitted among them, a little pickaxe was given for that purpose ^F18:

and shalt turn back;
having eased nature:

and cover that which cometh from thee;
their dung, with the earth they dug out of the hole they made. This law was made to preserve modesty and decency becoming men, and not act like brute beasts, as well as cleanliness in the camp, and, the health of themselves and their fellow soldiers; and that, they might not be offensive to the smell, as well as pernicious to the health of one another; and especially for a reason that follows in ( Deuteronomy 23:14 ) ; so Maimonides ^F19 says, the intention of this law is especially cleanliness, and to avoid nastiness, filthiness, and impurities of every kind, that men might not be like the brute animals.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 8. sect. 9.
F19 Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 41.

Deuteronomy 23:13 In-Context

11 and it hath been, at the turning of the evening, he doth bathe with water, and at the going in of the sun he doth come in unto the midst of the camp.

12 `And a station thou hast at the outside of the camp, and thou hast gone out thither without,

13 and a nail thou hast on thy staff, and it hath been, in thy sitting without, that thou hast digged with it, and turned back, and covered thy filth;

14 for Jehovah thy God is walking up and down in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give thine enemies before thee, and thy camp hath been holy, and He doth not see in thee the nakedness of anything, and hath turned back from after thee

15 `Thou dost not shut up a servant unto his lord, who is delivered unto thee from his lord;