Deuteronomy 23
BBCDeuteronomy 23:1
- Those Barred from Entering the Assembly (23:1-8)Various persons were barred from entering the assembly of the LORD, that is, from full rights as citizens and worshipers: (1) a man whose reproductive organs were damaged or missing; (2) an illegitimate personi.e., one born out of wedlock; (3) an Ammonite or Moabite; (4) an Edomite or Egyptian. Verse 4 says that Moab did not “meet the Israelites with food and drink,” whereas Deu_2:29 implies that certain Moabites sold food supplies to the Jews. “To meet . . . with bread and water” is an idiomatic expression meaning to give a hospitable reception. This the Moabites did not do. The eunuch was excluded from the congregation. The illegitimate person, the Moabite, and the Ammonite were barred from the assembly . . . to the tenth generation. The Edomite and the Egyptian could enter after three generations. However, there were exceptions to these general rules when individuals sought Jehovah. Among David’s mighty men could be found both an Ammonite and a Moabite (1Ch_11:39, 1Ch_11:46). Some think that the rules of exclusion applied only to males and therefore did not apply to Ruth, for example. Some think that “the tenth generation” is an idiom that means indefinitely.
Deuteronomy 23:9
- Cleanliness in the Camp (23:9-14)Verse 9 warns against the temptations that face men who are away from home in military service. (Or perhaps it serves as an introduction to verses 10-14.) The law on nocturnal emissions shows the sacredness with which the reproduction of life was regarded. Each soldier was required to carry a shovel with his weapons for sanitation of the camp. All excrement was to be covered immediately with dirt. If all armies down through history had followed this simple regulation, they would have avoided the spread of plagues many times.
Deuteronomy 23:15
- Social and Religious Laws (23:15-25) 23:15, 16 A foreign slave who had escaped to freedom was not to be delivered up to his master. Thus Israel was to be an asylum for the oppressed. 23:17, 18 Male or female prostitution was not to be tolerated in the land, and money derived from such immoral traffic should never be brought to the house of the LORD in payment of a vow. A “dog” means a male prostitute. 23:19, 20 Jews were not to charge interest on anything they lent to another Jew, though it was permitted for them to charge interest . . . to a foreigner. This is a further expansion of the principle already given in Exo_22:25, which prohibited exacting usury from the poor. 23:21-23 Vows were voluntary. A man did not have to make a vow to the LORD, but once he made it, he was obligated to pay it. 23:24, 25 Travelers were allowed to help themselves to grapes for their current needs, but they were not allowed to put any in a container. Likewise, they were allowed to take grain from a field, but only what they could pick with their hands, not with a sickle. In our Lord’s day, His twelve disciples made use of this privilege (Mar_2:23).