Deuteronomy 23:9

9 When thou shalt go out into battle against thine enemies, thou shalt keep thee from all evil thing (thou shalt keep thyself from all evil things).

Deuteronomy 23:9 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 23:9

When the host goeth forth against thine enemies
An army of soldiers march in order to meet the enemy and fight him:

then keep thee from every wicked thing;
the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation,

``from strange worship, uncovering of nakedness, and from shedding innocent blood;''

that is, from idolatry, uncleanness of every sort, and murder; and all other wickednesses ought to be abstained from at all times by all persons, but especially by soldiers in such a circumstance, just going to battle; since sin committed weakens natural courage, as it loads the conscience with guilt; and since victory and success, which depend upon the blessing of God on arms, cannot be reasonably expected, where vices of all sorts are indulged and abound; and especially seeing such are about to expose their lives to the utmost danger, and know not but that in a few hours they must exchange this life for another, and appear before God, the Judge of all, against whom they sin; and yet how little are these things thought of by such in common! it was the wisdom of the Jewish legislature, which was of God, to inculcate such things into the minds of their soldiers.

Deuteronomy 23:9 In-Context

7 Thou shalt not loathe a man of Idumea, for he is thy brother, neither of a man of Egypt, for thou were a comeling in the land of him. (Thou shalt not despise an Edomite, for he is thy brother, nor an Egyptian, for thou were newcomers in his land.)

8 They that be born of them, shall enter in the third generation into the church of the Lord. (They who be born of them, from the third generation onward, can be part of the Lord's congregation.)

9 When thou shalt go out into battle against thine enemies, thou shalt keep thee from all evil thing (thou shalt keep thyself from all evil things).

10 If a man is among you, that is defouled in his night sleep, he shall go out of your tents; and he shall not turn again (If there is a man among you, who is defiled during his night's sleep, he shall go away from your tents; and he shall not return)

11 before that he be washed in water at the eventide, and after the going down of the sun, he shall turn again into the tents. (until he is washed in water in the evening, and then, after the going down of the sun, he shall return to the camp.)