Deuteronomy 22:1-12

Sundry Laws

1 "1You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman.
2 "If your countryman is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall remain with you until your countryman looks for it; then you shall restore it to him.
3 "Thus you shall do with his donkey, and you shall do the same with his garment, and you shall do likewise with anything lost by your countryman, which he has lost and you have found. You are not allowed to neglect them.
4 "You shall not see your countryman's donkey or his ox fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly help him to raise them up.
5 "A woman shall not wear man's clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.
6 "If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, 2you shall not take the mother with the young;
7 you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, 3in order that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.
8 "When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.
9 "4You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.
10 "5You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
11 "6You shall not wear a material mixed of wool and linen together.
12 "7You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself.

Deuteronomy 22:1-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 22

In this chapter are various laws, concerning care of a neighbour's cattle gone astray or in distress, and of anything lost by him, De 22:1-4, forbidding one sex to wear the apparel, of another, De 22:5 and the taking away of the dam with the young found in a bird's nest, De 22:6,7, ordering battlements to be made in a new house, De 22:8, prohibiting mixtures in sowing, ploughing, and in garments, De 22:9-11, requiring fringes on the four quarters of a garment, De 22:12, fining a man that slanders his wife, upon producing the tokens of her virginity, De 22:13-19 but if these cannot be produced, then orders are given that she be put to death, De 22:20-21, then follow other laws, punishing with death the adulterer and adulteress, and one that hath ravished a betrothed damsel, De 22:22-27, amercing a person that lies with a virgin not betrothed and she consenting, and obliging him to marry her, and not suffering him to divorce her, De 22:28-29 and another against a man's lying with his father's wife, De 22:30.

Cross References 7

  • 1. Exodus 23:4, 5; Proverbs 27:10; Zechariah 7:9
  • 2. Leviticus 22:28
  • 3. Deuteronomy 4:40
  • 4. Leviticus 19:19
  • 5. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
  • 6. Leviticus 19:19
  • 7. Numbers 15:37-41; Matthew 23:5

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. Lit "brother," and so through v 4
  • [b]. Lit "hide yourself from them"
  • [c]. Lit "hide yourself"
  • [d]. Lit "hide yourself from them"
  • [e]. Lit "the fullness"
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