Beginning
Laws Concerning Unsolved Murder
21 If a homicide victim[a] should be found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you,[b] and no one knows who killed[c] him, 2 your elders and judges must go out and measure how far it is to the cities in the vicinity of the corpse.[d] 3 Then the elders of the city nearest to the corpse[e] must take from the herd a heifer that has not been worked—that has never pulled with the yoke— 4 and bring the heifer down to a wadi with flowing water,[f] to a valley that is neither plowed nor sown.[g] There at the wadi they are to break the heifer’s neck. 5 Then the Levitical priests[h] will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name,[i] and to decide[j] every judicial verdict[k]) , 6 and all the elders of that city nearest the corpse[l] must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.[m] 7 Then they must proclaim, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, nor have we[n] witnessed the crime.[o] 8 Do not blame[p] your people Israel whom you redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold them accountable for the bloodshed of an innocent person.”[q] Then atonement will be made for the bloodshed. 9 In this manner you will purge the guilt of innocent blood from among you, for you must do what is right before[r] the Lord.
Laws Concerning Female Captives
10 When you go out to do battle with your enemies and the Lord your God allows you to prevail[s] and you take prisoners, 11 if you should see among them[t] an attractive woman whom you wish to take as a wife, 12 you may bring her back to your house. She must shave her head,[u] trim her nails, 13 discard the clothing she was wearing when captured,[v] and stay[w] in your house, lamenting for her father and mother for a full month. After that you may sleep with her[x] and become her husband and she your wife. 14 If you are not pleased with her, then you must let her go[y] where she pleases. You cannot in any case sell[z] her;[aa] you must not take advantage of[ab] her, since you have already humiliated[ac] her.
Laws Concerning Children
15 Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other,[ad] and they both[ae] bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less-loved wife. 16 In the day he divides his inheritance[af] he must not appoint as firstborn the son of the favorite wife in place of the other wife’s[ag] son who is actually the firstborn. 17 Rather, he must acknowledge the son of the less-loved wife[ah] as firstborn and give him the double portion[ai] of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his father’s procreative power[aj]—to him should go the right of the firstborn.
18 If a person has a stubborn, rebellious son who pays no attention to his father or mother, and they discipline him to no avail,[ak] 19 his father and mother must seize him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his city. 20 They must declare to the elders[al] of his city, “Our son is stubborn and rebellious and pays no attention to what we say—he is a glutton and drunkard.” 21 Then all the men of his city must stone him to death. In this way you will purge[am] wickedness from among you, and all Israel[an] will hear about it and be afraid.
Disposition of a Criminal’s Remains
22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse[ao] on a tree, 23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury[ap] him that same day, for the one who is left exposed[aq] on a tree is cursed by God.[ar] You must not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Laws Concerning Preservation of Life
22 When you see[as] your neighbor’s[at] ox or sheep going astray, do not ignore it;[au] you must return it without fail[av] to your neighbor. 2 If the owner[aw] does not live near[ax] you or you do not know who the owner is,[ay] then you must corral the animal[az] at your house and let it stay with you until the owner looks for it; then you must return it to him. 3 You shall do the same to his donkey, his clothes, or anything else your neighbor[ba] has lost and you have found; you must not refuse to get involved.[bb] 4 When you see[bc] your neighbor’s donkey or ox fallen along the road, do not ignore it;[bd] instead, you must be sure[be] to help him get the animal on its feet again.[bf]
5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing,[bg] nor should a man dress up in women’s clothing, for anyone who does this is offensive[bh] to the Lord your God.
6 If you happen to notice a bird’s nest along the road, whether in a tree or on the ground, and there are chicks or eggs with the mother bird sitting on them,[bi] you must not take the mother from the young.[bj] 7 You must be sure[bk] to let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourself. Do this so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
8 If you build a new house, you must construct a guardrail[bl] around your roof to avoid being culpable[bm] in the event someone should fall from it.
Illustrations of the Principle of Purity
9 You must not plant your vineyard with two kinds of seed; otherwise the entire yield, both of the seed you plant and the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled.[bn] 10 You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together. 11 You must not wear clothing made with wool and linen meshed together.[bo] 12 You shall make yourselves tassels[bp] for the four corners of the clothing you wear.
Purity in the Marriage Relationship
13 Suppose a man marries a woman, sleeps with her,[bq] and then rejects[br] her, 14 accusing her of impropriety[bs] and defaming her reputation[bt] by saying, “I married this woman but when I approached her for marital relations[bu] I discovered she was not a virgin!” 15 Then the father and mother of the young woman must produce the evidence of virginity[bv] for the elders of the city at the gate. 16 The young woman’s father must say to the elders, “I gave my daughter to this man and he has rejected[bw] her. 17 Moreover, he has raised accusations of impropriety by saying, ‘I discovered your daughter was not a virgin,’ but this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity!” The cloth must then be spread out[bx] before the city’s elders. 18 The elders of that city must then seize the man and punish[by] him. 19 They will fine him 100 shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, for the man who made the accusation[bz] ruined the reputation[ca] of an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.
20 But if the accusation is true and the young woman was not a virgin, 21 the men of her city must bring the young woman to the door of her father’s house and stone her to death, for she has done a disgraceful thing[cb] in Israel by behaving like a prostitute while living in her father’s house. In this way you will purge[cc] the evil from among you.
22 If a man is discovered in bed with[cd] a married woman,[ce] both the man lying in bed with the woman and the woman herself must die; in this way you will purge[cf] the evil from Israel.
23 If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets[cg] her in the city and goes to bed with[ch] her, 24 you must bring the two of them to the gate of that city and stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry out though in the city and the man because he violated[ci] his neighbor’s fiancée;[cj] in this way you will purge[ck] evil from among you. 25 But if the man came across[cl] the engaged woman in the field and overpowered her and raped[cm] her, then only the rapist[cn] must die. 26 You must not do anything to the young woman—she has done nothing deserving of death. This case is the same as when someone attacks another person[co] and murders him, 27 for the man[cp] met her in the field and the engaged woman cried out, but there was no one to rescue her.
28 Suppose a man comes across a virgin who is not engaged and takes hold of her[cq] and sleeps with[cr] her and they are discovered. 29 The man who has slept with her must pay her father fifty shekels of silver and she must become his wife. Because he has humiliated her, he may never divorce her as long as he lives.
30 (23:1)[cs] A man may not marry[ct] his father’s former[cu] wife and in this way dishonor his father.[cv]
Purity in Public Worship
23 A man with crushed[cw] or severed genitals[cx] may not enter the assembly of the Lord.[cy] 2 A person of illegitimate birth[cz] may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation no one related to him may do so.[da]
3 No Ammonite or Moabite[db] may enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever[dc] do so,[dd] 4 for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired[de] Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you. 5 But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed[df] the curse to a blessing, for the Lord your God loves[dg] you. 6 You must not seek peace and prosperity for them through all the ages to come. 7 You must not hate an Edomite, for he is your relative;[dh] you must not hate an Egyptian, for you lived as a foreigner[di] in his land. 8 Children of the third generation born to them[dj] may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Purity in Personal Hygiene
9 When you go out as an army against your enemies, guard yourselves against anything impure.[dk] 10 If there is someone among you who is impure because of some nocturnal emission,[dl] he must leave the camp; he may not reenter it immediately. 11 When evening arrives he must wash himself with water, and then at sunset he may reenter the camp.
12 You are to have a place outside the camp to serve as a latrine.[dm] 13 You must have a spade among your other equipment, and when you relieve yourself[dn] outside you must dig a hole with the spade[do] and then turn and cover your excrement.[dp] 14 For the Lord your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you and defeat[dq] your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent[dr] among you and turn away from you.
Purity in the Treatment of the Unprivileged
15 You must not return an escaped slave to his master when he has run away to you.[ds] 16 Indeed, he may live among you in any place he chooses, in whichever of your villages[dt] he prefers; you must not oppress him.
Cultic Prostitution Banned
17 There must never be a sacred prostitute[du] among the young women[dv] of Israel nor a sacred male prostitute[dw] among the young men[dx] of Israel. 18 You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute[dy] or the wage of a male prostitute[dz] into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God.
Respect for Others’ Property
19 You must not charge interest on a loan to your fellow Israelite,[ea] whether on money, food, or anything else that has been loaned with interest. 20 You may lend with interest to a foreigner, but not to your fellow Israelite; if you keep this command the Lord your God will bless you in all you undertake in the land you are about to enter to possess. 21 When you make a vow to the Lord your God you must not delay in fulfilling it, for otherwise he[eb] will surely[ec] hold you accountable as a sinner.[ed] 22 If you refrain from making a vow, it will not be sinful. 23 Whatever you vow, you must be careful to do what you have promised, such as what you have vowed to the Lord your God as a freewill offering. 24 When you enter the vineyard of your neighbor you may eat as many grapes as you please,[ee] but you must not take away any in a container.[ef] 25 When you go into the ripe grain fields of your neighbor you may pluck off the kernels with your hand,[eg] but you must not use a sickle on your neighbor’s ripe grain.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 21:1 tn Heb “slain [one].” The term חָלָל (khalal) suggests something other than a natural death (cf. Num 19:16; 23:24; Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15; 30:24; 31:17-18).
- Deuteronomy 21:1 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Deuteronomy 21:1 tn Heb “struck,” but in context a fatal blow is meant; cf. NLT “who committed the murder.”
- Deuteronomy 21:2 tn Heb “surrounding the slain [one].”
- Deuteronomy 21:3 tn Heb “slain [one].”
- Deuteronomy 21:4 tn The combination “a wadi with flowing water” is necessary because a wadi (נַחַל, nakhal) was ordinarily a dry stream or riverbed. For this ritual, however, a perennial stream must be chosen so that there would be fresh, rushing water.
- Deuteronomy 21:4 sn The unworked heifer, fresh stream, and uncultivated valley speak of ritual purity—of freedom from human contamination.
- Deuteronomy 21:5 tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”
- Deuteronomy 21:5 tn Heb “in the name of the Lord.” See note on Deut 10:8. The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 21:5 tn Heb “by their mouth.”
- Deuteronomy 21:5 tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”
- Deuteronomy 21:6 tn Heb “slain [one].”
- Deuteronomy 21:6 tn Heb “wadi,” a seasonal watercourse through a valley.
- Deuteronomy 21:7 tn Heb “our eyes.” This is a figure of speech known as synecdoche in which the part (the eyes) is put for the whole (the entire person).
- Deuteronomy 21:7 tn Heb “seen”; the implied object (the crime committed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 21:8 tn Heb “Atone for.”
- Deuteronomy 21:8 tn Heb “and do not place innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 21:9 tn Heb “in the eyes of” (so ASV, NASB, NIV).
- Deuteronomy 21:10 tn Heb “gives him into your hands.”
- Deuteronomy 21:11 tn Heb “the prisoners.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 21:12 sn This requirement for the woman to shave her head may symbolize the putting away of the old life and customs in preparation for being numbered among the people of the Lord. The same is true for the two following requirements.
- Deuteronomy 21:13 tn Heb “she is to…remove the clothing of her captivity” (cf. NASB); NRSV “discard her captive’s garb.”
- Deuteronomy 21:13 tn Heb “sit”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “remain.”
- Deuteronomy 21:13 tn The verb בּוֹא (boʾ; “to come”) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel; “to”) means “to approach, to come to” (HALOT 113 s.v. בּוֹא) and is a euphemism for coming together for sexual relations. A clearer euphemism has been used for the translation than the more literal “get together with.” See the note at 2 Sam 12:24 on this phrase being only a euphemism.
- Deuteronomy 21:14 sn Heb “send her off.” The Hebrew term שִׁלַּחְתָּה (shillakhtah) is a somewhat euphemistic way of referring to divorce, the matter clearly in view here (cf. Deut 22:19, 29; 24:1, 3; Jer 3:1; Mal 2:16). This passage does not have the matter of divorce as its principal objective, so it should not be understood as endorsing divorce generally. It merely makes the point that if grounds for divorce exist (see Deut 24:1-4), and then divorce ensues, the husband could in no way gain profit from it.
- Deuteronomy 21:14 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates by the words “in any case.”
- Deuteronomy 21:14 tn The Hebrew text includes “for money.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Deuteronomy 21:14 tn Or perhaps “must not enslave her” (cf. ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); Heb “[must not] be tyrannical over.”
- Deuteronomy 21:14 sn You have humiliated her. Since divorce was considered rejection, the wife subjected to it would “lose face” in addition to the already humiliating event of having become a wife by force (21:11-13). Furthermore, the Hebrew verb translated “humiliated” here (עָנָה, ʿanah), commonly used to speak of rape (cf. Gen 34:2; 2 Sam 13:12, 14, 22, 32; Judg 19:24), likely has sexual overtones as well. The woman may not be enslaved or abused after the divorce because it would be double humiliation (see also E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy [NAC], 291).
- Deuteronomy 21:15 tn Heb “one whom he loves and one whom he hates.” For the idea of שָׂנֵא (saneʾ, “hate”) meaning to be rejected or loved less (cf. NRSV “disliked”), see Gen 29:31, 33; Mal 1:2-3. Cf. A. Konkel, NIDOTTE 3:1256-60.
- Deuteronomy 21:15 tn Heb “both the one whom he loves and the one whom he hates.” On the meaning of the phrase “one whom he loves and one whom he hates” see the note on the word “other” earlier in this verse. The translation has been simplified for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 21:16 tn Heb “when he causes his sons to inherit what is his.”
- Deuteronomy 21:16 tn Heb “the hated.”
- Deuteronomy 21:17 tn See note on the word “other” in v. 15.
- Deuteronomy 21:17 tn Heb “measure of two.” The Hebrew expression פִּי שְׁנַיִם (pi shenayim) suggests a two-thirds split; that is, the elder gets two parts and the younger one part. Cf. 2 Kgs 2:9; Zech 13:8. The practice is implicit in Isaac’s blessing of Jacob (Gen 25:31-34) and Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim (Gen 48:8-22).
- Deuteronomy 21:17 tn Heb “his generative power” (אוֹן, ʾon; cf. HALOT 22 s.v.). Cf. NAB “the firstfruits of his manhood”; NRSV “the first issue of his virility.”
- Deuteronomy 21:18 tn Heb “and he does not listen to them.”
- Deuteronomy 21:20 tc The LXX and Smr read “to the men,” probably to conform to this phrase in v. 21. However, since judicial cases were the responsibility of the elders in such instances (cf. Deut 19:12; 21:3, 6; 25:7-8) the reading of the MT is likely original and correct here.
- Deuteronomy 21:21 tn The Hebrew term בִּעַרְתָּה (biʿartah), here and elsewhere in such contexts (cf. Deut 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19; 21:9), suggests God’s anger which consumes like fire (thus בָּעַר, baʿar, “to burn”). See H. Ringgren, TDOT 2:203-4.
- Deuteronomy 21:21 tc Some LXX traditions read הַנִּשְׁאָרִים (hannishʾarim, “those who remain”) for the MT’s יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisraʾel, “Israel”), understandable in light of Deut 19:20. However, the more difficult reading found in the MT is more likely original.
- Deuteronomy 21:22 tn Heb “him.”
- Deuteronomy 21:23 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates by “make certain.”
- Deuteronomy 21:23 tn Heb “hung,” but this could convey the wrong image in English (hanging with a rope as a means of execution). Cf. NCV “anyone whose body is displayed on a tree.”
- Deuteronomy 21:23 sn The idea behind the phrase cursed by God seems to be not that the person was impaled because he was cursed but that to leave him exposed there was to invite the curse of God upon the whole land. Why this would be so is not clear, though the rabbinic idea that even a criminal is created in the image of God may give some clue (thus J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [JPSTC], 198). Paul cites this text (see Gal 3:13) to make the point that Christ, suspended from a cross, thereby took upon himself the curse associated with such a display of divine wrath and judgment (T. George, Galatians [NAC], 238-39).
- Deuteronomy 22:1 tn Heb “you must not see,” but, if translated literally into English, the statement is misleading.
- Deuteronomy 22:1 tn Heb “brother’s” (also later in this verse). In this context it is not limited to one’s siblings, however; cf. NAB “your kinsman’s.”
- Deuteronomy 22:1 tn Heb “hide yourself.”
- Deuteronomy 22:1 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail.”
- Deuteronomy 22:2 tn Heb “your brother” (also later in this verse).
- Deuteronomy 22:2 tn Heb “is not.” The idea of “residing” is implied.
- Deuteronomy 22:2 tn Heb “and you do not know him.”
- Deuteronomy 22:2 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the ox or sheep mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 22:3 tn Heb “your brother” (also in v. 4).
- Deuteronomy 22:3 tn Heb “you must not hide yourself.”
- Deuteronomy 22:4 tn Heb “you must not see.” See note at 22:1.
- Deuteronomy 22:4 tn Heb “and (must not) hide yourself from them.”
- Deuteronomy 22:4 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “be sure.”
- Deuteronomy 22:4 tn Heb “help him to lift them up.” In keeping with English style the singular is used in the translation, and the referent (“the animal”) has been specified for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 22:5 tn Heb “a man’s clothing.”
- Deuteronomy 22:5 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah, “offense”) speaks of anything that runs counter to ritual or moral order, especially (in the OT) to divine standards. Cross-dressing in this covenant context may suggest homosexuality, fertility cult ritual, or some other forbidden practice.
- Deuteronomy 22:6 tn Heb “and the mother sitting upon the chicks or the eggs.”
- Deuteronomy 22:6 tn Heb “sons,” used here in a generic sense for offspring.
- Deuteronomy 22:7 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “be sure.”
- Deuteronomy 22:8 tn Or “a parapet” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV “a battlement”; NLT “a barrier.”
- Deuteronomy 22:8 tn Heb “that you not place bloodshed in your house.”
- Deuteronomy 22:9 tn Heb “set apart.” The verb קָדַשׁ (qadash) in the Qal verbal stem (as here) has the idea of being holy or being treated with special care. Some take the meaning as “be off-limits, forfeited,” i.e., the total produce of the vineyard, both crops and grapes, have to be forfeited to the sanctuary (cf. Exod 29:37; 30:29; Lev 6:18, 27; Num 16:37-38; Hag 2:12).
- Deuteronomy 22:11 tn The Hebrew term שַׁעַטְנֵז (shaʿatnez) occurs only here and in Lev 19:19. HALOT 1610-11 s.v. takes it to be a contraction of words (שַׁשׁ [shash, “headdress”] and עַטְנַז [ʿatnaz, “strong”]). BDB 1043 s.v. שַׁעַטְנֵז offers the translation “mixed stuff” (cf. NEB “woven with two kinds of yarn”; NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “woven together”). The general meaning is clear even if the etymology is not.
- Deuteronomy 22:12 tn Heb “twisted threads” (גְּדִלִים, gedilim) appears to be synonymous with צִיצִת (tsitsit) which, in Num 15:38, occurs in a passage instructing Israel to remember the covenant. Perhaps that is the purpose of the tassels here as well. Cf. KJV, ASV “fringes”; NAB “twisted cords.”
- Deuteronomy 22:13 tn Heb “goes to her,” a Hebrew euphemistic idiom for sexual relations. See note at Deut 21:13.
- Deuteronomy 22:13 tn Heb “hate.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15. Cf. NAB “comes to dislike”; NASB “turns against”; TEV “decides he doesn’t want.”
- Deuteronomy 22:14 tn Heb “deeds of things”; NRSV “makes up charges against her”; NIV “slanders her.”
- Deuteronomy 22:14 tn Heb “brings against her a bad name”; NIV “gives her a bad name.”
- Deuteronomy 22:14 tn The expression קָרַב אֶל (qarav ʾel) means “draw near to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for the intended purpose of sexual relations.
- Deuteronomy 22:15 sn In light of v. 17 this would evidently be blood-stained sheets indicative of the first instance of intercourse. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 302-3.
- Deuteronomy 22:16 tn Heb “hated.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15.
- Deuteronomy 22:17 tn Heb “they will spread the garment.”
- Deuteronomy 22:18 tn Heb “discipline.”
- Deuteronomy 22:19 tn Heb “for he”; the referent (the man who made the accusation) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion with the young woman’s father, the last-mentioned male.
- Deuteronomy 22:19 tn Heb “brought forth a bad name.”
- Deuteronomy 22:21 tn The Hebrew term נְבָלָה (nevalah) means more than just something stupid. It refers to a moral lapse so serious as to jeopardize the whole covenant community (cf. Gen 34:7; Judg 19:23; 20:6, 10; Jer 29:23). See C. Pan, NIDOTTE 3:11-13. Cf. NAB “she committed a crime against Israel.”
- Deuteronomy 22:21 tn Heb “burn.” See note on Deut 21:21.
- Deuteronomy 22:22 tn Heb “lying down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
- Deuteronomy 22:22 tn Heb “a woman married to a husband.”
- Deuteronomy 22:22 tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.
- Deuteronomy 22:23 tn Heb “finds.”
- Deuteronomy 22:23 tn Heb “lies down with,” a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
- Deuteronomy 22:24 tn Heb “humbled.”
- Deuteronomy 22:24 tn Heb “wife.”
- Deuteronomy 22:24 tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.
- Deuteronomy 22:25 tn Heb “found,” also in vv. 27, 28.
- Deuteronomy 22:25 tn Heb “lay with” here refers to a forced sexual relationship, as the accompanying verb “seized” (חָזַק, khazaq) makes clear.
- Deuteronomy 22:25 tn Heb “the man who lay with her, only him.”
- Deuteronomy 22:26 tn Heb “his neighbor.”
- Deuteronomy 22:27 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who attacked the woman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 22:28 tn The verb תָּפַשׂ (taphas) means “to sieze, grab.” In all other examples this action is done against another person’s will, as in being captured, arrested, attacked, or grabbed with insistence (e.g. 1 Sam 23:26; 1 Kgs 13:4; 18:40; 2 Kgs 14:13; 25:6; Isa 3:6; Jer 26:8; 34:3; 37:13; 52:9; Ps 71:11; 2 Chr 25:23.) So it may be that the man is forcing himself on her, which is what leads the NIV to translate the next verb as “rape,” although it is a neutral euphemism for sexual relations. However, this is the only case where the object of תָּפַשׂ is a woman and the verb also also refers to holding or handling objects such as musical instruments, weapons, or scrolls. So it possible that it has a specialized, but otherwise unattested nuance regarding sexual or romantic relations, as is true of other expressions. Several contextual clues point away from rape and toward a consensual relationship. (1) The verb which seems to express force is different from the verb of force in the rape case in v. 25. (2) The context distinguishes consequences based on whether the girl cried out, an expression of protest and a basis for distinguishing consent or force. But this case law does not mention her outcry which would have clarified a forcible act. While part of what is unique in this case is that the girl is not engaged, it is reasonable to expect the issue of consent to continue to apply. (3) The penalty is less than that of a man who slanders his new wife and certainly less than the sentence for rape. (4) The expression “and they are discovered” at the end of v. 28 uses the same wording as the expression in v. 22 which involves a consensual act. (5) Although from a separate context, the account of the rape of Dinah seems to express the Pentateuch’s negative attitude toward forcible rape, not in advocating for Simeon and Levi’s actions, but in the condemnation included in the line Gen 34:7 “because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.” This is very like the indictment in v. 21 against the consenting woman, “because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.” (6) The penalty of not being allowed to divorce her sounds like v. 19, where the man is punished for disgracing his wife unfairly. His attempted divorce fails and he must provide for her thereafter (the probable point of not being allowed to divorce her.) Here too, if his holding her is not forced, but instead he has seduced her, he is not allowed to claim that his new wife is not pure (since he is the culprit) and so he must take responsibility for her, cannot divorce her, and must provide for her as a husband thereafter.
- Deuteronomy 22:28 tn Heb “lies with.”
- Deuteronomy 22:30 sn Beginning with 22:30, the verse numbers through 23:25 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 22:30 ET = 23:1 HT, 23:1 ET = 23:2 HT, 23:2 ET = 23:3 HT, etc., through 23:25 ET = 23:26 HT. With 24:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
- Deuteronomy 22:30 tn Heb “take.” In context this refers to marriage, as in the older English expression “take a wife.”
- Deuteronomy 22:30 sn This presupposes either the death of the father or their divorce since it would be impossible for one to marry his stepmother while his father was still married to her.
- Deuteronomy 22:30 tn Heb “uncover his father’s skirt” (so ASV, NASB). This appears to be a circumlocution for describing the dishonor that would come to a father by having his own son share his wife’s sexuality (cf. NAB, NIV “dishonor his father’s bed”).
- Deuteronomy 23:1 tn Heb “bruised by crushing,” which many English versions take to refer to crushed testicles (NAB, NRSV, NLT); TEV “who has been castrated.”
- Deuteronomy 23:1 tn Heb “cut off with respect to the penis”; KJV, ASV “hath his privy member cut off”; English versions vary in their degree of euphemism here; cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “penis”; NASB “male organ”; NCV “sex organ”; CEV “private parts”; NIV “emasculated by crushing or cutting.”
- Deuteronomy 23:1 sn The Hebrew term translated “assembly” (קָהָל, qahal) does not refer here to the nation as such but to the formal services of the tabernacle or temple. Since emasculated or other sexually abnormal persons were commonly associated with pagan temple personnel, the thrust here may be primarily polemical in intent. One should not read into this anything having to do with the mentally and physically handicapped as fit to participate in the life and ministry of the church.
- Deuteronomy 23:2 tn Or “a person born of an illegitimate marriage.”
- Deuteronomy 23:2 tn Heb “enter the assembly of the Lord.” The phrase “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 23:3 sn An Ammonite or Moabite. These descendants of Lot by his two daughters (cf. Gen 19:30-38) were thereby the products of incest and therefore excluded from the worshiping community. However, these two nations also failed to show proper hospitality to Israel on their way to Canaan (v. 4).
- Deuteronomy 23:3 tn The Hebrew term translated “ever” (עַד־עוֹלָם, ʿad ʿolam) suggests that “tenth generation” (vv. 2, 3) also means “forever.” However, in the OT sense “forever” means not “for eternity” but for an indeterminate future time. See A. Tomasino, NIDOTTE 3:346.
- Deuteronomy 23:3 tn Heb “enter the assembly of the Lord.” The phrase “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 23:4 tn Heb “hired against you.”
- Deuteronomy 23:5 tn Heb “the Lord your God changed.” The phrase “the Lord your God” has not been included in the translation here for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy. Moreover, use of the pronoun “he” could create confusion regarding the referent (the Lord or Balaam).
- Deuteronomy 23:5 tn The verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “love”) here and commonly elsewhere in the Book of Deuteronomy speaks of God’s elective grace toward Israel. See note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
- Deuteronomy 23:7 tn Heb “brother.”
- Deuteronomy 23:7 tn Heb “sojourner.”sn The same term ger (גֵּר) is used for the resident foreigner living in Israel and of the Israelite who lived in Israel, despite the very different social conditions of each. A foreign resident has differing status in different countries. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, but the resident foreigner in Israel was under the same laws (civil and religious) as the Israelite and could worship the Lord as part of the covenant community. Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16) or similar obligations (Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14).
- Deuteronomy 23:8 sn Concessions were made to the Edomites and Egyptians (as compared to the others listed in vv. 1-6) because the Edomites (i.e., Esauites) were full “brothers” of Israel and the Egyptians had provided security and sustenance for Israel for more than four centuries.
- Deuteronomy 23:9 tn Heb “evil.” The context makes clear that this is a matter of ritual impurity, not moral impurity, so it is “evil” in the sense that it disbars one from certain religious activity.
- Deuteronomy 23:10 tn Heb “nocturnal happening.” The Hebrew term קָרֶה (qareh) merely means “to happen” so the phrase here is euphemistic (a “night happening”) for some kind of bodily emission such as excrement or semen. Such otherwise normal physical functions rendered one ritually unclean whether accidental or not. See Lev 15:16-18; 22:4.
- Deuteronomy 23:12 tn Heb “so that one may go outside there.” This expression is euphemistic.
- Deuteronomy 23:13 tn Heb “sit.” This expression is euphemistic.
- Deuteronomy 23:13 tn Heb “with it”; the referent (the spade mentioned at the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 23:13 tn Heb “what comes from you,” a euphemism.
- Deuteronomy 23:14 tn Heb “give [over] your enemies.”
- Deuteronomy 23:14 tn Heb “nakedness of a thing”; NLT “any shameful thing.” The expression עֶרְוַת דָּבָר (ʿervat davar) refers specifically to sexual organs and, by extension, to any function associated with them. There are some aspects of human life that are so personal and private that they ought not be publicly paraded. Cultically speaking, even God is offended by such impropriety (cf. Gen 9:22-23; Lev 18:6-12, 16-19; 20:11, 17-21). See B. Seevers, NIDOTTE 3:528-30.
- Deuteronomy 23:15 tn The Hebrew text includes “from his master,” but this would be redundant in English style.
- Deuteronomy 23:16 tn Heb “gates.”
- Deuteronomy 23:17 tn The Hebrew term translated “sacred prostitute” here (קְדֵשָׁה [qedeshah], from קַדֵשׁ [qadesh, “holy”]; cf. NIV “shrine prostitute”; NASB “cult prostitute”; NRSV, TEV, NLT “temple prostitute”) refers to the pagan fertility cults that employed female and male prostitutes in various rituals designed to evoke agricultural and even human fecundity (cf. Gen 38:21-22; 1 Kgs 14:24; 15:12; 22:47; 2 Kgs 23:7; Hos 4:14). The Hebrew term for a regular, noncultic (i.e., “secular”) female prostitute is זוֹנָה (zonah).
- Deuteronomy 23:17 tn Heb “daughters.”
- Deuteronomy 23:17 tn The male cultic prostitute was called קָדֵשׁ (qadesh; see note on the phrase “sacred prostitute” earlier in this verse). The colloquial Hebrew term for a “secular” male prostitute (i.e., a sodomite) is the disparaging epithet כֶּלֶב (kelev, “dog”) which occurs in the following verse (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).
- Deuteronomy 23:17 tn Heb “sons.”
- Deuteronomy 23:18 tn Here the Hebrew term זוֹנָה (zonah) refers to a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) female prostitute; see note on the phrase “sacred prostitute” in v. 17.
- Deuteronomy 23:18 tn Heb “of a dog.” This is the common Hebrew term for a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) male prostitute. See note on the phrase “sacred male prostitute” in v. 17.
- Deuteronomy 23:19 tn Heb “to your brother” (likewise in the following verse). Since this is not limited to actual siblings, “fellow Israelite” is used in the translation (cf. NAB, NASB “countrymen”).
- Deuteronomy 23:21 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 23:21 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by “surely.”
- Deuteronomy 23:21 tn Heb “and it will be a sin to you”; NIV, NCV, NLT “be guilty of sin.”
- Deuteronomy 23:24 tn Heb “grapes according to your appetite, your fullness.”
- Deuteronomy 23:24 tn Heb “in your container”; NAB, NIV “your basket.”
- Deuteronomy 23:25 sn For the continuation of these practices into NT times see Matt 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.