Deuteronomy 21

CHAPTER 21

Atonement for an Unsolved Murder (21:1–9)

1–9 In God’s sight, the murder of a human being polluted the land, and the only way to cleanse—to atone for—the land was to take the life of the murderer (Numbers 35:33). But how could the land be cleansed if the identity of the murderer was not known? In this section, Moses gives the answer.

A murder not only polluted the land but it also brought a collective, symbolic guilt upon the people of the land. Someone or something had to bear the punishment for the murder in order to clear the guilt away; in this situation it was to be a heifer (verses 3–4). The elders of the town nearest to the site of the murder were to take responsibility for carrying out the ritual of cleansing and ATONEMENT. To demonstrate that they themselves were not personally guilty of the murder, the elders were to wash their hands over the dead heifer in the presence of the priests, who represented the Lord (verses 6–7). Hand washing symbolized the declaration of one’s innocence (Matthew 27:24). When this ritual was completed, the people’s guilt would be symbolically removed, the land would be cleansed, and the bloodshed would be atoned for (verses 8–9).

Marrying a Captive Woman (21:10–14)

10–14 The captives mentioned in this section were from areas outside the promised land, since no captives could be taken from the Canaanite tribes (Deuteronomy 20:16). A captive woman was required to go through a cleansing ritual to make her suitable for marriage into an Israelite family. She was allowed a month to mourn her separation from her parents and then the marriage was consummated. If her husband later decided to divorce her, he could not sell her as a slave but had to treat her as a divorced wife, since he had dishonored her (verse 14)—that is, had sexual intercourse with her.⁵⁵

The Right of the Firstborn (21:15–17)

15–17 Having more than one wife at the same time (polygamy) was common in ancient times, though never approved of in Scripture. However, the right of the firstborn was to be determined by order of birth and not by the father’s preference of one wife over another.⁵⁶ The right of the firstborn included receiving a double share of the father’s estate (verse 17). The firstborn son was the first sign of his father’s procreative strength, and the privilege of being firstborn was not to be taken from him.

A Rebellious Son (21:18–21)

18–21 See Leviticus 20:9 and comment.

The Burial of an Executed Criminal (21:22–23)

22–23 The body of an executed criminal was customarily hung on a tree⁵⁷ or impaled on a post in order to serve as a warning to others. However, by nighttime the body had to be buried. Otherwise, prolonged exposure of a dead body would desecrate (defile) the land.

. . . anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse (verse 23). In the context of these verses, anyone who deserved to be executed was guilty of a terrible offense against God and thus came under God’s “curse” or judgment. Hanging a condemned criminal “on a tree” added shame and humiliation to his punishment. Paul quoted verse 23 to show what awful shame and humiliation Christ endured on the cross—even though He died there not for His own sin but for the sins of others (Galatians 3:13).