Deuteronomy 23:1-14

Exclusion From the Assembly

1 No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.

2 No one born of a forbidden marriage^[a] nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.

3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.

4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim^[b] to pronounce a curse on you.

5 However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

6 Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.

7 Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.

8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.

Uncleanness in the Camp

9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.

10 If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.

11 But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself.

13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.

14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

Deuteronomy 23:1-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 23

Orders are here given to restrain certain persons from entering into the congregation of the Lord, De 23:1-8, and to take care that there be no unclean person in the camp, or any indecent thing done in it, De 23:9-14, to protect fugitive servants, and not deliver them up to their masters, De 23:15,16 not to suffer a filthy person to be among them, or any filthy thing to be brought into the house of God for a vow, De 23:17,18, then follow some laws against usury, and for the payment of vows, De 23:19-23, and the chapter is concluded with some directions how to behave in a neighbour's vineyard, or standing corn, De 23:24,25.

Cross References

• 1. S Leviticus 21:20
• 2. S Genesis 19:38
• 3. ver 4; Nehemiah 13:2
• 4. Deuteronomy 2:28
• 5. S Numbers 22:5-6; Numbers 23:7; S 2 Peter 2:15
• 6. S Genesis 24:10
• 7. S ver 3
• 8. Numbers 24:10; Joshua 24:10; Proverbs 26:2
• 9. S Deuteronomy 4:37
• 10. S Numbers 24:17; Isaiah 15:1; Isaiah 25:10; Jeremiah 25:21; Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 48:1; Ezekiel 25:8; Zephaniah 2:9
• 11. Ezra 9:12; Matthew 5:43
• 12. S Genesis 25:30
• 13. S Genesis 25:26; Obadiah 1:10,12
• 14. Exodus 22:21; Exodus 23:9; S Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:19
• 15. Leviticus 15:1-33
• 16. Leviticus 15:16
• 17. S Leviticus 15:16
• 18. 1 Samuel 21:5
• 19. S Genesis 3:8; Leviticus 26:12
• 20. Exodus 3:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "one of illegitimate birth"
• [b]. That is, Northwest Mesopotamia