Deuteronomy 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

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

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.