16 He shall dwell H3427 with thee, even among H7130 you, in that place H4725 which he shall choose H977 in one H259 of thy gates, H8179 where it liketh him best: H2896 thou shalt not oppress H3238 him.
Take H935 counsel, H6098 execute H6213 judgment; H6415 make H7896 thy shadow H6738 as the night H3915 in the midst H8432 of the noonday; H6672 hide H5641 the outcasts; H5080 bewray H1540 not him that wandereth. H5074 Let mine outcasts H5080 dwell H1481 with thee, Moab; H4124 be H1933 thou a covert H5643 to them from the face H6440 of the spoiler: H7703 for the extortioner H4160 is at an end, H656 the spoiler H7701 ceaseth, H3615 the oppressors H7429 are consumed H8552 out of the land. H776
And G2532 he went G4198 and joined himself G2853 to G1520 a citizen G4177 of that G1565 country; G5561 and G2532 he sent G3992 him G846 into G1519 his G846 fields G68 to feed G1006 swine. G5519 And G2532 he would fain G1937 have filled G1072 his G846 belly G2836 with G575 the husks G2769 that G3739 the swine G5519 did eat: G2068 and G2532 no man G3762 gave G1325 unto him. G846 And G1161 when he came G2064 to G1519 himself, G1438 he said, G2036 How many G4214 hired servants G3407 of my G3450 father's G3962 have bread G740 enough and to spare, G4052 and G1161 I G1473 perish G622 with hunger! G3042 I will arise G450 and go G4198 to G4314 my G3450 father, G3962 and G2532 will say G2046 unto him, G846 Father, G3962 I have sinned G264 against G1519 heaven, G3772 and G2532 before G1799 thee, G4675 And G2532 am G1510 no more G3765 worthy G514 to be called G2564 thy G4675 son: G5207 make G4160 me G3165 as G5613 one G1520 of thy G4675 hired servants. G3407 And G2532 he arose, G450 and came G2064 to G4314 his G1438 father. G3962 But G1161 when he G846 was yet G2089 a great way G3112 off, G568 his G846 father G3962 saw G1492 him, G846 and G2532 had compassion, G4697 and G2532 ran, G5143 and fell G1968 on G1909 his G846 neck, G5137 and G2532 kissed G2705 him. G846 And G1161 the son G5207 said G2036 unto him, G846 Father, G3962 I have sinned G264 against G1519 heaven, G3772 and G2532 in G1799 thy G4675 sight, G1799 and G2532 am G1510 no more G3765 worthy G514 to be called G2564 thy G4675 son. G5207 But G1161 the father G3962 said G2036 to G4314 his G846 servants, G1401 Bring forth G1627 the best G4413 robe, G4749 and G2532 put it on G1746 him; G846 and G2532 put G1325 a ring G1146 on G1519 his G846 hand, G5495 and G2532 shoes G5266 on G1519 his feet: G4228 And G2532 bring hither G5342 the fatted G4618 calf, G3448 and kill G2380 it; and G2532 let us eat, G5315 and be merry: G2165 For G3754 this G3778 my G3450 son G5207 was G2258 dead, G3498 and G2532 is alive again; G326 G2532 he was G2258 lost, G622 and G2532 is found. G2147 And G2532 they began G756 to be merry. G2165
To speak evil of G987 no man, G3367 to be G1511 no brawlers, G269 but gentle, G1933 shewing G1731 all G3956 meekness G4236 unto G4314 all G3956 men. G444 For G1063 we ourselves G2249 also G2532 were G2258 sometimes G4218 foolish, G453 disobedient, G545 deceived, G4105 serving G1398 divers G4164 lusts G1939 and G2532 pleasures, G2237 living G1236 in G1722 malice G2549 and G2532 envy, G5355 hateful, G4767 and hating G3404 one another. G240
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 23
Commentary on Deuteronomy 23 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 23
De 23:1-25. Who May and Who May Not Enter into the Congregation.
1-3. He that is wounded …, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord—"To enter into the congregation of the Lord" means either admission to public honors and offices in the Church and State of Israel, or, in the case of foreigners, incorporation with that nation by marriage. The rule was that strangers and foreigners, for fear of friendship or marriage connections with them leading the people into idolatry, were not admissible till their conversion to the Jewish faith. But this passage describes certain limitations of the general rule. The following parties were excluded from the full rights and privileges of citizenship: (1) Eunuchs—It was a very ancient practice for parents in the East by various arts to mutilate their children, with a view to training them for service in the houses of the great. (2) Bastards—Such an indelible stigma in both these instances was designed as a discouragement to practices that were disgraceful, but too common from intercourse with foreigners. (3) Ammonites and Moabites—Without provocation they had combined to engage a soothsayer to curse the Israelites; and had further endeavored, by ensnaring them into the guilt and licentious abominations of idolatry, to seduce them from their allegiance to God.
3. even to the their tenth generation shall they not enter—Many eminent writers think that this law of exclusion was applicable only to males; at all events that a definite is used for an indefinite number (Ne 13:1; Ru 4:10; 2Ki 10:2). Many of the Israelites being established on the east side of Jordan in the immediate neighborhood of those people, God raised this partition wall between them to prevent the consequences of evil communications. More favor was to be shown to Edomites and Egyptians—to the former from their near relationship to Israel; and to the latter, from their early hospitalities to the family of Jacob, as well as the many acts of kindness rendered them by private Egyptians at the Exodus (Ex 12:36). The grandchildren of Edomite or Egyptian proselytes were declared admissible to the full rights of citizenship as native Israelites; and by this remarkable provision, God taught His people a practical lesson of generosity and gratitude for special deeds of kindness, to the forgetfulness of all the persecution and ill services sustained from those two nations.
9-14. When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing—from the excesses incident to camp life, as well as from habits of personal neglect and impurity.
15, 16. Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which has escaped from his master unto thee—evidently a servant of the Canaanites or some of the neighboring people, who was driven by tyrannical oppression, or induced, with a view of embracing the true religion, to take refuge in Israel.
19, 20. Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother … Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury—The Israelites lived in a simple state of society, and hence they were encouraged to lend to each other in a friendly way without any hope of gain. But the case was different with foreigners, who, engaged in trade and commerce, borrowed to enlarge their capital, and might reasonably be expected to pay interest on their loans. Besides, the distinction was admirably conducive to keeping the Israelites separate from the rest of the world.
21, 22. When thou shalt vow a vow—(See on Nu 30:2).
24, 25. When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure—Vineyards, like cornfields mentioned in the next verse [De 23:25], were often unenclosed. In vine-growing countries grapes are amazingly cheap; and we need not wonder, therefore, that all within reach of a person's arm, was free; the quantity plucked was a loss never felt by the proprietor, and it was a kindly privilege afforded to the poor and wayfaring man.