Deuteronomy 21
BBCDeuteronomy 21:1
P. Various Laws (Chaps. 2125)1. Expiation for Unsolved Murder (21:1-9)If a man was found slain . . . in the land, and the slayer could not be located, the elders of the . . . nearest . . . city were required to make atonement. They brought a heifer . . . to a valley with flowing water and killed it there. Washing their hands over the heifer, they protested their innocence of the crime and asked that no guilt of bloodshed should attach to them. Even when individual guilt could not be ascertained, there was still a corporate guilt that needed to be taken care of; the land had to be cleansed from the defilement of blood. This became the responsibility of the nearest . . . city. Someone has called verses 1-9 “God’s Great Inquest Over His Son.” Israel is bloodguilty in connection with Christ’s death and must be cleansed in a righteous way.
Deuteronomy 21:10
- Female Prisoners of War (21:10-14)An Israelite was permitted to marry a beautiful woman captured in war after she went through a ceremonial cleansing and separation. (But the passage does not apply to female inhabitants of the land of Canaan.) The marriage was of a probationary nature; he could subsequently let her leave him if he was not pleased with her. However, he could not sell her or treat her brutally.
Deuteronomy 21:15
- Rights of the Firstborn (21:15-17) The son of an unloved wife could not be deprived of the birthright, if he was the firstborn. These verses do not prove that God ever approved of bigamy, but simply that He guarded the right of the firstborn even in the case of multiple marriages. Sometimes God sovereignly set aside the firstborn of a family to bless the youngere.g., Jacob and Esau, Ephraim and Manasseh. However, this was the exception, based on the selective choosing of God, and not the rule, which is stated here.
Deuteronomy 21:18
- Stubborn and Rebellious Sons (21:18-21)A rebellious son was to be stoned to death, after having been found guilty by the elders of the city. Compare this with the reception given to the repentant prodigal son in Luke 15.
Deuteronomy 21:22
- The Bodies of Hanged Criminals (21:22, 23)This text definitely points forward to Christ. Though innocent Himself, He was hanged on a tree. He was bearing the curse that we deserved. His body was not allowed to remain on the cross overnight (see Joh_19:31). To Him who suffered on the tree Our souls at His soul’s price to gain, Blessing and praise and glory be; Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain! To Him enthroned by filial right, All power in heaven and earth proclaim, Honor, and majesty, and might; Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain! James Montgomery