7 Thou shalt not abhor H8581 an Edomite; H130 for he is thy brother: H251 thou shalt not abhor H8581 an Egyptian; H4713 because thou wast a stranger H1616 in his land. H776
And when her days H3117 to be delivered H3205 were fulfilled, H4390 behold, there were twins H8380 in her womb. H990 And the first H7223 came out H3318 red, H132 all over like an hairy H8181 garment; H155 and they called H7121 his name H8034 Esau. H6215 And after H310 that came H3318 his brother H251 out, H3318 and his hand H3027 took hold H270 on Esau's H6215 heel; H6119 and his name H8034 was called H7121 Jacob: H3290 and Isaac H3327 was threescore H8346 years H8141 old H1121 when she bare H3205 them.
And Pharaoh H6547 said H559 unto Joseph, H3130 Say H559 unto thy brethren, H251 This do H6213 ye; lade H2943 your beasts, H1165 and go, H3212 get H935 you unto the land H776 of Canaan; H3667 And take H3947 your father H1 and your households, H1004 and come H935 unto me: and I will give H5414 you the good H2898 of the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 and ye shall eat H398 the fat H2459 of the land. H776
For thy violence H2555 against thy brother H251 Jacob H3290 shame H955 shall cover H3680 thee, and thou shalt be cut off H3772 for ever. H5769 In the day H3117 that thou stoodest H5975 on the other side, in the day H3117 that the strangers H2114 carried away captive H7617 his forces, H2428 and foreigners H5237 entered H935 into his gates, H8179 and cast H3032 lots H1486 upon Jerusalem, H3389 even thou wast as one H259 of them. But thou shouldest not have looked H7200 on the day H3117 of thy brother H251 in the day H3117 that he became a stranger; H5235 neither shouldest thou have rejoiced H8055 over the children H1121 of Judah H3063 in the day H3117 of their destruction; H6 neither shouldest thou have spoken H6310 proudly H1431 in the day H3117 of distress. H6869
And G2532 delivered G1807 him G846 out of G1537 all G3956 his G846 afflictions, G2347 and G2532 gave G1325 him G846 favour G5485 and G2532 wisdom G4678 in the sight G1726 of Pharaoh G5328 king G935 of Egypt; G125 and G2532 he made G2525 him G846 governor G2233 over G1909 Egypt G125 and G2532 all G3650 his G846 house. G3624 Now G1161 there came G2064 a dearth G3042 over G1909 all G3650 the land G1093 of Egypt G125 and G2532 Chanaan, G5477 and G2532 great G3173 affliction: G2347 and G2532 our G2257 fathers G3962 found G2147 no G3756 sustenance. G5527 But G1161 when Jacob G2384 heard G191 that there was G5607 corn G4621 in G1722 Egypt, G125 he sent out G1821 our G2257 fathers G3962 first. G4412 And G2532 at G1722 the second G1208 time Joseph G2501 was made known G319 to his G846 brethren; G80 and G2532 Joseph's G2501 kindred G1085 was made G1096 known G5318 unto Pharaoh. G5328 Then G1161 sent G649 Joseph, G2501 and called G3333 his G846 father G3962 Jacob G2384 to him, and G2532 all G3956 his G846 kindred, G4772 G1722 threescore G1440 and fifteen G4002 souls. G5590 So G1161 Jacob G2384 went down G2597 into G1519 Egypt, G125 and G2532 died, G5053 he, G846 and G2532 our G2257 fathers, G3962 And G2532 were carried over G3346 into G1519 Sychem, G4966 and G2532 laid G5087 in G1722 the sepulchre G3418 that G3739 Abraham G11 bought G5608 for a sum G5092 of money G694 of G3844 the sons G5207 of Emmor G1697 the father G3588 of Sychem. G4966 But G1161 when G2531 the time G5550 of the promise G1860 drew nigh, G1448 which G3739 God G2316 had sworn G3660 to Abraham, G11 the people G2992 grew G837 and G2532 multiplied G4129 in G1722 Egypt, G125 Till G891 G3757 another G2087 king G935 arose, G450 which G3739 knew G1492 not G3756 Joseph. G2501
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.