Deuteronomy 25 Footnotes

25:9 To spit in the face may strike one as repulsive behavior, yet each society has its gestures that would seem crude to people of other cultures. This act of disdain or refusal was (and is) common in Middle Eastern societies and must be judged, as to its propriety, against that cultural environment. The loosening of the sandal suggests that the reluctant brother is abandoning all claim to the widow’s property (see Nm 12:14; Ru 4:7-8).

25:16 Even modern moral relativism has not erased the public’s disgust with duplicity or cheating in business practice (vv. 13-15). Dishonest dealings are an abomination to the Lord, as well. Such behavior is not just an abuse of another individual; it impacts the ethical equilibrium of the whole community. To rob one’s neighbor is, in a sense, to rob God, for he is the one who dispenses economic blessing as he sees fit.

25:17 The injunction to forgive and forget, while clearly a biblical principle, does not apply in cases where God’s honor or that of his people has been violated without subsequent remorse and repentance. The attack of the Amalekites against the weakest of the Israelites was an attack on the Lord, who cares for just such people (v. 18). Saul’s later failure to carry out the mandate for Amalek’s complete annihilation resulted in the termination of his dynasty (1Sm 15:26).