v n 19:21. Israel. o 20:1-20. The nations. War. n 21:1–25:16. Israel. o 25:17-19. The nations. War.
n p 1-13. Persons. Manslayer. q 14. Property. Landmarks. p 15-21. Persons. Witnesses.
p E 1. Prospective. "When". F 2,3-. Cities. Seperation of three. G r¹ -3. Purpose. s¹ 4,5-. Case of ignorance. s¹ -5. Provision. Flight. r¹ 6,7. Purpose. E 8,9-. Prospective. "If". F -9. Cities. Addition of three. G r² 10. Purpose. s² 11. Case of intention. s² 12,13-. Provision. Death. r² -13. Purpose.1452 B.C.
2: You shall separate three cities for you in the midst of your land (cp. Num.35:14), which the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) gives you to possess it.
3: You shall prepare you a way, and divide the borders (or confines) of your land, which the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) gives you to inherit, into three parts,
that every slayer may flee to that place.
4: And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee to that place, that he may live: Whosoever kills his neighbor ignorantly (cp. Ex.21:12), whom he hated not in time past;
5: As when (Fig., one example put for every kind) a man goes into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head (Heb. = iron) slips from the handle, and lights upon his neighbor, that he die;
he shall flee to one of those cities, and live:
6: Lest the avenger (= the kinsman avenger) of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him (i.e. take his life); whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
7: Wherefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for you.
8: And if the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) enlarge your borders, as He has sworn to your fathers, and give you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers;
9: If you shall keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day (cp. 4:26), to love the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim), and to walk ever in His ways; then shall you add three cities more for you, beside these three (this done by Joshua, Josh.20:7,8):
10: That innocent blood be not shed in your land, which the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be upon you (= guilt, Fig., the blood shed put for guilt incurred).
11: But if any man hate his neighbor (case of presumption. Cp. Ex.21:14), and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and flees into one of these cities:
12: Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him from that place, and deliver him into the hand of the kinsman avenger of murder, that he may die.
13: Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall surely put away (see 13:5) the guilt of innocent blood from Israel,
that it may go well with you.’
14: You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark (cp. 27:17. Hos.5:10. Prov.22:28. Not to be removed, but "stumbling blocks" to be taken out of the way". Lev.19:14. Isa.557:14. Rom.14:13), which they of old time have set in your inheritance, which you shalt inherit in the land that the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) gives you to possess it.
p t 15-. True witness. One insufficient. u -15. Direction. Two or three necessary. t 16. False witnesses. One insufficient. u 17-21. Direction (Trial, 17,18; Penalty, 19-21).
15: One witness shall not rise up against a man for any perverseness (see 17:6), or for any sin, in any sin that he sins:
at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
16: If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong (cp. Ex.23:1 and Deut.19:16);
17: Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yehovah, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;
18: And the judges shall make diligent (=thorough) inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother;
19: Then shall you all do to him, as he had thought to have done to his brother: so shall you put the evil away from among you.
20: And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
21: And your eye (Fig., put for yourself) shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
o H¹ t¹ 1. War. u¹ 2-8. Enemy. Proclamation. v¹ 9. Action as to leaders. H² t² 10-. War. u² -10,11. Enemy. Proclamation to city. v² 12. Action. Siege. H³ t³ 13-. War. u² -13,14. Enemy. Treatment. v³ 15. Action towards distant cities. H4 t4 16-. War. Canaanite nations. u4 -16,17. Enemy. Treatment. v4 18. Action towards them. H5 t5 19-. War. Any seige u5 -19. Treatment as to trees. v5 20. Action as to other trees.
2: And it shall be, when you all are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
3: And shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you all approach this day to battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be you all terrified because of them (= be exited, Heb. = make haste);
4: For the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) is He that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies (cp. Ex.14:25. Ps.3:5; 35:1), to save you.’
5: And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘What man is there that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
6: And what man is he that has planted a vineyard, and has not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.
7: And what man is there that has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.’
8: And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, ‘What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.’
9: And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.
10: When you come near to a city to fight against it,
then proclaim peace to it (i.e. if it does not belong to the Canaanites. Cp. 2 Sam.20:18,19. Matt.10:12,13).
11: And it shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries to you, and they shall serve you.
12: And if it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:
13: And when the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) has delivered it into your hands,
you shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
14: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall you take to yourself (= take a prey. These two words "spoil" and "prey", occur in the name Maher-shalalhash-baz. Isa.8:1); and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) has given you.
15: Thus shall you do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16: But of the cities of these people, which the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) does give you for an inheritance,
you shall save alive nothing that breaths:
17: But you shall utterly destroy them (because they were the descendants of the Nephlim. See Gen.6:2,4); namely (only 6 mentioned here), the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; according as the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) has commanded you:
18: That (= to the intent that) they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so should you all sin against the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) (Idolatry was, and still is, the great sin. Cp. Gal.5:20).
19: When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it,
you shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down {for the tree of the field is mankind's life} to employ them in the siege:
20: Only the trees which you know that they be not trees for meat, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it be subdued.
n J¹ 21:1–22:8. Persons and property. K¹ 22:9,10. Sowing and plowing. J² 22:11–23:23. Persons. K² 23:24,25. Vineyards and cornfields. J³ 24:1-18. Persons. K³ 24:19-22. Harvests. J4 25:1-3. Persons. K4 25:4. Threshing. J5 25:5-16. Persons and property.
J¹ L¹ 21:1-3. Persons. L² 22:1-8-. Property.
L¹ w 1-9. Crime. Dead body found slain. x y¹ 10-14. Captives. Living Persons. y² 15-17. Two wives. " y³ 18-21. Rebellious son. " w 22,23. Crime. Dead body, hanged.
w z 1. The guilt incurred. a b c 2. Elders and Judges. d 3-. City next to crime. e -3,4. Elders of that city. a b c 5. Priests, the sons of Levi. d 6. City next to crime. e 7,8. Elders of that city. z 9. The guilt put away.
2: Then your elders and your judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
3: And it shall be, that the city which is next to the slain man,
even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which has not been wrought with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;
4: And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer to a rough valley (= ravine, or rough gully), which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall strike off (= behead, or break the neck) the heifer's neck there in the valley:
5: And the priests the sons of Levi (see 17:9) shall come near; for them the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) has chosen to minister to Him, and to bless in the name of the Lord (Yehovah); and by their word shall every controversy and every punishment be tried:
6: And all the elders of that city, that are next to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7: And they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8: Be merciful (= be propitious, or make expiation or atonement), O Lord (Yehovah), to Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and lay not innocent blood (Fig., put for the guilt which shed it) to Your people of Israel's charge.’ And the blood shall assuredly be forgiven them.
9: So shall you put away from the camp (see 13:5) the guilt of innocent blood from among you (= blood-guiltless, blood being put for guilt, see v.8), when you shall do that which is right in the sight of Yehovah.
10: When you go forth to war against your enemies, and Yehovah you Elohim has delivered them into your hands, and you have taken them captive,
11: And see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire unto her, that you would have her to your wife;
12: Then you shall bring her home to you house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
13: And she shall put the clothing of her captivity from off her (= mantle in which she was taken captivity), and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that you shall go in unto her, and be her husband (Heb. Baal, or lord. First occ. of verb, Gen.20:3), and she shall be your wife.
14: And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go to which place she will (= according to her soul); but you shall not sell her at all for money, you shalt not make merchandise of her (Heb. ‘åmar. In this sense, only here and 24:7), because you have humbled her.
y² f 15. Firstborn. Case. g 16-. Inheritance. " f -16,17-. Firstborn. Prohibition. g -17. Inheritance. "
15: If a man have two wives (cp. 1Sam.1:2. 2 Chron.24:3), one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
16: Then it shall be, when (Heb. in the day) he makes his sons to inherit that which he has,
that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
17: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn,
by giving him a double portion of all that he has: for he is the beginning of his strength (cp. Gen.49:3); the right of the firstborn is his.
y³ h 18. Evil case. i 19,20. Prosecution. i 21-. Penalty. h -21. Evil put away.
18: If a man have a stubborn (=rebellious) and rebellious (=refractory, unmanageable) son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not listen to them:
19: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place (i.e. the place of judgment);
20: And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is rebellious and unmanageable, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.’ (cp. Matt.11:19)
21: And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die:
so shall you put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
22: And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and you hang him up (i.e. after putting to death, not to put to death by hanging) on a tree (= timber, i.e. a wooden stake. Cp. Josh.8:29; 10:26,27. Gal.3:13):
23: His body shall not remain all night upon the timber, but you shall in any wise bury him that day; {for he that is hanged is accursed of God (cp. Num.25:4. 2 Sam.21:6);} that your land (= soil, Heb. ’adåmåh) be not defiled, which the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) gives you for an inheritance.
L² k 1-4. Lost. (Animals, astray). l 5. Dress. k 6,7. Found. (Birds). l 8. Dwellings.
5: The woman shall not wear that which (i.e. any article of ornament or apparel) pertains to a man (Heb. geber, mighty man, in respect of his physical strength), neither shall a man put on a woman's garment (generally red, and shunned by men. This also means that should not take the place of a woman sexually, i.e. homosexually): for all that do so are abomination to the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) (don't do things that are unnatural).
6: If a bird's nest by chance be before you in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, you shall not take the dam with the young (a special various reading called Sevir reads, "their lying nests", i.e. before all the eggs are laid ):
7: But you shall in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to you; that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days.
8: When you build a new house, then you shall make a battlement for your roof (i.e. a low wall about 3 feet high running around the flat roof), that you bring not blood upon your house, if any man fall from there.
9: You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seeds (cp. Lev.19:19): lest the fruit of your seed which you have sown, and the fruit of your vineyard, be defiled.
10: You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together (One clean, the other unclean; one tall, the other short, therefore cruel under the same yolk).
J² m¹ 22:11,12. Men. n¹ 22:13-30. Women. m² 23:1-16. Men. n² 23:17,18. Women. m³ 23:19-23. Men.
11: You shall not wear a garment of two kinds, as of woolen and linen together (One animal, the other vegetable. Linen used of Divine righteousness [Rev.19:8], and not to be mixed with animal or fleshy labor).
12: You shall make you fringes (= twisted cords. In Matt.23:5 the Greek craspda, because hanging like locks of hair. Not the same an Num.15:38 which was ordained to distinguish Israel from the nations) upon the four quarters (Heb. = wings) of your vesture, wherewith you cover yourself.
n¹ o¹ 13-21. Wives. o² 22-30. Violations.
13: If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14: And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
15: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity (explained by the word's " the tokens of") to the elders of the city in the gate:
16: And the damsel's father shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to wife, and he hates her;
17: And, lo, he has given occasions of speech against her, saying, ‘I found not your daughter a maid;’ and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
18: And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
19: And they shall fine him in a hundred shekels of silver (aprox. 50 oz.), and give them to the father of the damsel, because he has brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
20: But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
21: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she has wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shall you put the wicked things away from among you (see 13:5).
22: If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shall you put away the wicked things from Israel.
23: If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed to an husband (this, taken with "wife" [v.24] explains Matt.1:19,20), and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24: Then you all shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you all shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor's wife (see v.23 above): so you shall put away the wicked things from among you.
25: But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
26: But to the damsel you shall do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for according as when a man rises against his neighbor, and slays him, even so is this matter:
27: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
28: If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29: Then the man that lay with her shall give to the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he has humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
30: A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt (put for nakedness, i.e. to have sexual intercourse. Cp. Lev.18:7,8; 20:11).
m² p¹ 1-8. Congregation (exclusions). p² 9-14. Camp (cleanness). p³ 15,16. Home (slave).
9: When the host goes forth against your enemies, then keep you from every wicked thing.
10: If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chances him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11: But it shall be, when evening comes on, he shall wash himself with water (see Lev.14:9): and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
12: You shall have a place also outside the camp, to which place you shall go forth abroad:
13: And you shall have a paddle (= blade) upon your weapon (= staff); and it shall be, when you will ease yourself abroad (beautiful Euphemy, when dealing with physical uncleanness, but plain speaking when dealing with moral uncleanness. Means to sit down, as on a toilet), you shall dig therewith, and shall turn back and cover that which comes from you:
14: For Yehovah your Elohim walks in the midst of your camp (cp. Gen.3:8. Lev.26:12), to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore shall your camp be holy (= set apart or separate, see Ex.3:5): that He see no unclean thing in you, and turn away from you.
15: You shall not deliver to his master the servant which is escaped from his master to you:
16: He shall dwell with you, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of your gates, where it likes him best: you shall not oppress him.
17: There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel (= sodomites. Heb. means one consecrated as such in connection with heathen worship. Hence her name kedêshåh, a seperated one. Cp. 1 Kings 14:24; 15:22; 22:46. Job 36:14 ["unclean" = temple woman]. Hos.4:14. The laws of Khammurabi refer to these [§§ 181, 187, 192. See Ex.18:16), nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel (first occ. of this word, see above note).
18: You shall not bring the hire of a whore (= a prostitute, Heb. zônah), or the price of a dog (Heb. keleb; but here probably = priest [of the above orgies], same as Arabic kaleb), into the house of the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) for any vow: for even both these are abomination to the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim).
m³ q¹ 19,20. Usury. q² 21-23. Vows.
19: You shall not lend upon usury to your brother (cp. Ex.22:25. Lev.25:35-37); usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
20: To a stranger you may lend upon usury; but to your brother you shall not lend upon usury: that the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) may bless you in all that you set your hand to in the land to which place you go to possess it.
21: When you shall make a solemn vow to the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) (cp. Num.30:2), you shall not slack to pay it: for the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim) will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.
22: But if you shall forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in you.
23: That which is gone out of your lips you shall keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as you have vowed to the Lord (Yehovah) your God (Elohim), which you have promised with your mouth.
K² r s 24-. Vineyard. t -24-. Permission. u -24. Prohibition. r s 25-. Cornfields. t -25-. Permission. u -25. Prohibition.
24: When you come into your neighbor's vineyard,
then you may eat grapes your fill at thine own pleasure (= as your soul desires);
but you shall not put any in your vessel.
25: When you come into the standing corn of your neighbor (cp. Matt.12:1),
then you may pluck the ears with your hand;
but you shall not move a sickle to your neighbor's standing corn.