Deuteronomy 25:11

11 "If men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one comes up to help her husband get away from the man attacking him by grabbing the attacker's private parts with her hand,

Deuteronomy 25:11 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 25:11

When men strive together, one with another
Quarrel with one another, and come to blows, and strive for mastery, which shall beat, and be the best man:

and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of
the hand of him that smiteth him;
perceiving that his antagonist has more skill or strength, or both, for fighting, and is an more than a match for her husband, who is like to be much bruised and hurt; wherefore, to save him out of the hands of the smiter, she goes up to them to part them, or take her husband's side:

and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets;
or privy parts; in Hebrew his "shameful" parts ^F24, which through shame are hidden, and modesty forbids to express in proper terms; and such is the purity of the Hebrew language, that no obscene words are used in it; for which reason, among others, it is called the holy tongue. This immodest action was done partly out of affection to her husband, to oblige his antagonist to let go his hold of him; and partly out of malice and revenge to him, to spoil him, and make him unfit for generation, and therefore was to be severely punished, as follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (wyvbmb) "verenda ejus", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version; "pudenda ejus", Piscator.

Deuteronomy 25:11 In-Context

9 then his brother's widow is to approach him in the presence of the leaders, pull his sandal off his foot, spit in his face and say, 'This is what is done to the man who refuses to build up his brother's family.'

10 From that time on, his family is to be known in Isra'el as 'the family of the man who had his sandal pulled off.'

11 "If men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one comes up to help her husband get away from the man attacking him by grabbing the attacker's private parts with her hand,

12 you are to cut off her hand; show no pity.

13 "You are not to have in your pack two sets of weights, one heavy, the other light.