The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 365

EXPOSITION. Ver. 6.-Isrnel was not to eeek, i.e. caro CHAPTER XXIII. for and use IDlll\UB to promote, the welfare C1nL RroHTS, WHO ll!AY AND 'l\'JIO MAY NOT of those nl\tions. Individuals howover of El\"TER INTO THE CONGREGATION, UN- the.,e na.tions might be naturalized in Isr~el CLEANKESS JN THE CAlllP TO BE AVOIDED, a.nd as proselytes enter the congregntion, ~ the_oose of Ruth proves. It wos against the RECEPTION OF Fl'GITIVE SLAVES. LICEN• nations, as such, that this ban WRB directed T1ous P1msoxs TO BE REMOVED, A1''D GIFTS and this they had brought on themselves by 1'HE I'mcE OF IMPURITY TO BE REFUSED. ch_oosing to be enemies of Israel when they LAWS REGARDING UsunY, Vows, Ai-'D CEB• nught hn\'e bren friends ond allies. 1'ATN DUTIES OF CITJZENSHII'. Ver. 7.-It wo.s to be otherwise with the Edomite and the Egyptinn; though the Yc>l'S. 1-8.-Firn classes of persons are ~ormer hnd refused permission to the Isrnel- here excl udcd from the congregntion of the 1tcs to pnss throng Ii their ]Rud, and the latter Lord. hnd oppressed aud wronged the nation, yet Yer. !.-Mutilation was performed by the as tho former were connected with Israel two methods here specified-crushing and by a bond of kindred-for he is thy brother exc1s1on. The exclusion of persons who had -and the latter had received Israel to so- suffered this from the congregation, i.e. journ in their land, where, notwithstandiu"' from the covenant fellowship of Israel, the the oppression which clouded the later time~ '71'o7'.,•r,[a "Toii 'l<rpa¾ll. (Eph. ii. 12), was due of their sojourn, they ho.d reaped many to the priestly character of the nation. benefits, they were not to abhor these notions Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exod. xi:i::. or p)ace them under 11 ban of perpetual ex- 6). nnd the admission into it of one in whom cius10n; descendants in the third gencm• the nature of man, e.s made by God, had tlon of an Edomite or Egyptian mi.,.ht 0 be been degraded and marred, would have been naturalized in Israel. unfitting; just as all bodily blemish un- Vers. 9-11.-When the people went forth fitted a ma_n for being a priest, though other- to war, all impurity and defilement _was to wise quoltfied (Lev. xxi 16-24). This be kept out of their camp. When the host law, however, was one of the ordinances goeth forth; liter111ly, when thou goest forth intended for the period of nonage: it Jl.9,d as a camp or host. As in the wilderness the reference to the outward typical aspect of camp was to be kept pure (Numb. v. 2, etc.), the Israelitish constitution; and it ceased so also in the future, when they went out to to have any significance wlien the spiritual war, all defilement was to be removed from kingdom of God came to be established. their host. Every wicked thing; rather, J-:\'en under the theocracy, eunucl.is were not er,ery er,il thing, evil in the sense of blemish excluded from religious privileges; they or uncleanness (cf. eh. xvii. 1). could keep God's sabbaths, and take hold Ver. 13.-A paddle upon thy weapon ; of bi:1 cornnaut, and choose the things rather, a Bmall spade (the word properly 11leasing to him, and so be part of the means o pin or nail) among thy furniture spiritual Israel, thongh shut out from the ~r, according to another reading among thy fellowship of that which was outward and implements or accoutrements ; they were to national (cf. Isa. 1vi. 4). carry with them along with their imple- Yer. 2.-A bastard; one born ofa harlot; ments of war a tool for digging in the eut.h. so the Hebrew word ("W?~), which occurs Ver. H.-The camp was to bo kept holy, beca?se _God went forth with their armies, ouly here and in Zech. ix. 6, is said to mean· and m his presence there must be nothing LXX., ~K .,,.&pV1Js: Vulgate, de soorto natus; that defileth or is unclean. That he see no the Talmud and the rabhins represent the unclean thing in thee; literally, naT,ednesR, word a;; denoting one begotten in adultery shamefulness of a thing, i.e. anything that or ic;cest (Maimon., 'lssure Biah.,' c. :i::v. one would be ashamed of. §§ 1, 2, 7, 9); so also the Syriac bar gaTTW, Vere. 15, 16.-A slave that had escaped '." son of adultery." . To his tenth generation; from his ma.ster was not to be given up, but ,.e. for ever, ten berng the number of inde- allowed to dwell in the land, in whatever finitenc."!!B (cf. Gen. =x.i. 7; Numb. xiv. 22; part he might choose. The reference is to Job xix. 3; Ps. iii. 6, etc.). a foreign sl11ve who had fled from the harsh Ytr. 3.-As Ammon and Moab had met treatment of his master to seek refuge in tl,e l.sraeli!.es with hostility,and had brought Balaam to curse them, e. curse had !hereby Israel, as is evident from the exr,ression, Lte_n brought upon themselves, and they also 'lj'JV.11 ,~~1, '' in one of thy go.tee, ' i.e. in ""'" ~ be for ever excluded from the con- any part of thy land. Onkelos, ]'Q7tl1 ,;ip,, . gr<ogat1on of lcre.eL "a slave of the Gentile&." llil muter; the OR. xxm. l-25.J THE BOOK OF DEUTERO~OMY. 3G9