Deuteronomy 23 Study Notes
General
What two reasons does 23:3-4 give for barring Ammonites and Moabites from the assembly?
Answer: They withheld food and water and hired Balaam to curse Israel
Ammonites and Moabites were barred from the assembly for ten generations (23:3). The text gives two reasons: they did not come out to supply Israel with food or water on the journey from Egypt, and they paid Balaam, Beor's son, to pronounce a curse on Israel, a hiring arranged by Balak king of Moab (23:4; Numbers 22:4-6). After the return from exile, Nehemiah's generation read this law and recalled the same reasons (Nehemiah 13:1-2). Scripture also records that Ruth, a Moabite woman, gave herself to Israel's people and Israel's God (Ruth 1:16), married Boaz, and became part of the family line of King David and of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Her story shows God's grace reaching a Moabite who took refuge in Him.
- Deuteronomy 23:3-4 (BSB)“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.”Ammonites and Moabites are barred from the assembly, and two reasons are given.
- Numbers 22:4-6 (BSB)“So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time, he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.””Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent for Balaam to put a curse on Israel.
- Nehemiah 13:1-2 (BSB)“At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).”After the exile, Israel read this law and recalled the same two reasons.
- Ruth 1:16 (BSB)“But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”Ruth the Moabitess commits herself to Israel's people and Israel's God.
- Matthew 1:5 (BSB)“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”Ruth appears in the genealogy that leads to David and to Jesus.
Theological
What twofold rationale does 23:3-4 give for excluding Ammonites and Moabites from the assembly?
Answer: They withheld food and water and hired Balaam to curse Israel
The exclusion of Ammon and Moab for ten generations (23:3) rests on two stated grounds: their failure to meet Israel with provisions on the way from Egypt, and the hiring of Balaam to curse Israel, which Balak king of Moab arranged (23:4; Numbers 22:4-6). The postexilic community read and applied this very law, citing the same grounds (Nehemiah 13:1-2). Scripture also records Ruth the Moabitess, who bound herself to Israel's people and God (Ruth 1:16) and became an ancestor of David and of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5). Her inclusion displays sovereign grace toward a Moabite who took refuge in Israel's God.
- Deuteronomy 23:3-4 (BSB)“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.”Ammonites and Moabites are barred from the assembly, and two reasons are given.
- Numbers 22:4-6 (BSB)“So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time, he sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.””Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent for Balaam to put a curse on Israel.
- Nehemiah 13:1-2 (BSB)“At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).”After the exile, Israel read this law and recalled the same two reasons.
- Ruth 1:16 (BSB)“But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”Ruth the Moabitess commits herself to Israel's people and Israel's God.
- Matthew 1:5 (BSB)“Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”Ruth appears in the genealogy that leads to David and to Jesus.
General
According to 23:1-2, which two kinds of people were barred from entering the LORD's assembly?
Answer: A man who had been emasculated and one born of an illegitimate union
The LORD's assembly was Israel gathered as God's covenant people, especially for worship. These verses bar two kinds of people from it: a man whose sexual organs had been crushed or cut off, that is, a eunuch, and a person of illegitimate birth, along with that person's descendants for ten generations (23:1-2). The chapter does not give a reason for these two rules. Later Scripture shows God widening His welcome. Through Isaiah, God promises eunuchs who keep His covenant a place in His house and a name worth more than sons and daughters, one that will last forever (Isaiah 56:3-5). In Acts, an Ethiopian eunuch returning from worship in Jerusalem hears the gospel and is baptized by Philip (Acts 8:27, 38).
- Deuteronomy 23:1-2 (BSB)“No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD. No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation.”The law names two kinds of people who may not enter the LORD's assembly.
- Isaiah 56:3-5 (BSB)“Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.” For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant— I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.”Isaiah later promises eunuchs who hold fast to God's covenant a lasting name in His house.
- Acts 8:27 (BSB)“So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,”An Ethiopian eunuch had traveled to Jerusalem to worship.
- Acts 8:38 (BSB)“And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.”Philip baptizes the eunuch, receiving him into the people of Christ.
Theological
Which two categories of person does 23:1-2 exclude from the LORD's assembly?
Answer: A man who had been emasculated and one born of an illegitimate union
The LORD's assembly denotes Israel constituted as the covenant community, particularly in its gathered worship. The law excludes the emasculated man and the person born illegitimately, the latter for ten generations (23:1-2), without stating a rationale. Later revelation widens the horizon. Isaiah promises eunuchs who hold fast to the covenant a memorial in God's house better than sons and daughters (Isaiah 56:3-5), and in Acts the Ethiopian eunuch, who had traveled to Jerusalem for worship, is baptized into the people of Christ (Acts 8:27, 38). Deuteronomy regulated Israel's assembly in its own time; the prophets and the gospel reveal the fuller scope of God's grace.
- Deuteronomy 23:1-2 (BSB)“No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD. No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation.”The law names two kinds of people who may not enter the LORD's assembly.
- Isaiah 56:3-5 (BSB)“Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.” For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant— I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.”Isaiah later promises eunuchs who hold fast to God's covenant a lasting name in His house.
- Acts 8:27 (BSB)“So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,”An Ethiopian eunuch had traveled to Jerusalem to worship.
- Acts 8:38 (BSB)“And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.”Philip baptizes the eunuch, receiving him into the people of Christ.
General
According to 23:5, why did the LORD change Balaam's curse into blessing?
Answer: Out of His love for Israel
Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel, but the LORD refused to heed him and changed the curse into blessing (23:5). The reason given is simply God's love for His people. Joshua later recalls the same event: God refused to heed the prophet, so Balaam ended up blessing Israel repeatedly (Joshua 24:9-10). Balaam himself admitted he could not undo a blessing God had given (Numbers 23:20). Deuteronomy explains that God chose and redeemed Israel, not because they were a large nation, but because He loved them and kept His promise (7:7-8). No curse can overturn the love of God for His people.
- Deuteronomy 23:5 (BSB)“Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.”The LORD would not listen to Balaam and turned the curse into a blessing out of love for Israel.
- Joshua 24:9-10 (BSB)“Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.”Joshua recalls that God refused to listen to Balaam and made him bless Israel instead.
- Numbers 23:20 (BSB)“I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.”Balaam himself admits he cannot reverse the blessing God has given.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Deuteronomy grounds Israel's election and redemption in the LORD's love and His oath, not in Israel's size.
Theological
What ground does 23:5 give for the LORD's turning of Balaam's curse into blessing?
Answer: Out of His love for Israel
The LORD refused to hear Balaam and converted the intended curse into blessing (23:5), and the stated ground is His covenant love for Israel. Joshua rehearses the same sovereign intervention (Joshua 24:9-10), and Balaam confesses his inability to revoke what God has blessed (Numbers 23:20). The ground is the same unmerited love that Deuteronomy gives for Israel's election and redemption (7:7-8): God's favor rests on His own love and oath, not on any greatness in its objects, and no hostile power can reverse it.
- Deuteronomy 23:5 (BSB)“Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.”The LORD would not listen to Balaam and turned the curse into a blessing out of love for Israel.
- Joshua 24:9-10 (BSB)“Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.”Joshua recalls that God refused to listen to Balaam and made him bless Israel instead.
- Numbers 23:20 (BSB)“I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.”Balaam himself admits he cannot reverse the blessing God has given.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Deuteronomy grounds Israel's election and redemption in the LORD's love and His oath, not in Israel's size.
General
What does 23:24-25 allow when someone walks through a neighbor's vineyard or grainfield?
Answer: Eating what he needs there, but not carrying any away
Anyone entering a neighbor's land could eat his fill of grapes in a neighbor's vineyard and pick heads of grain by hand in a neighbor's field (23:24-25). But he could not fill a basket or cut the grain with a sickle, because that would be taking the owner's harvest. The law balances generosity toward the hungry with respect for property, guarding the command not to steal (Exodus 20:15). This law explains the scene in the Gospels when Jesus' disciples picked grain as they walked: the Pharisees complained about the Sabbath, not about taking grain from someone else's field (Matthew 12:1-2).
- Deuteronomy 23:24-25 (BSB)“When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket. When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.”A passerby may eat from a neighbor's vineyard or grainfield but may not carry produce away.
- Matthew 12:1-2 (BSB)“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.””Jesus' disciples picked grain as they walked, and the objection raised concerned the Sabbath, not theft.
- Exodus 20:15 (BSB)“You shall not steal.”The limit on carrying produce away guards the command against stealing.
Theological
What does 23:24-25 permit a person passing through a neighbor's vineyard or grainfield?
Answer: Eating what he needs there, but not carrying any away
The passerby may satisfy his hunger from a neighbor's grapes or pluck grain by hand (23:24-25), but he may not fill a container or cut the crop with a sickle. The statute holds together provision for the hungry and the owner's property rights, so that charity does not become theft (Exodus 20:15). It supplies the background for the disciples' plucking of grain in the Gospels, where the Pharisees' charge concerned Sabbath labor, not theft (Matthew 12:1-2).
- Deuteronomy 23:24-25 (BSB)“When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket. When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.”A passerby may eat from a neighbor's vineyard or grainfield but may not carry produce away.
- Matthew 12:1-2 (BSB)“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.””Jesus' disciples picked grain as they walked, and the objection raised concerned the Sabbath, not theft.
- Exodus 20:15 (BSB)“You shall not steal.”The limit on carrying produce away guards the command against stealing.
General
What reasons does 23:7 give for not despising an Edomite or an Egyptian?
Answer: Edom is Israel's brother, and Israel once lived as foreigners in Egypt
Israel was not to despise an Edomite, because the Edomites descended from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, whose other name was Israel (23:7; Genesis 25:24-26). Moses himself had spoken to Edom's king as a brother (Numbers 20:14). Nor were they to look down on Egyptians, because Israel had lived in Egypt as foreigners. The same memory of being foreigners in Egypt shaped how Israel was to treat outsiders (Exodus 22:21). Edomite and Egyptian descendants in the third generation could enter the assembly (23:8).
- Deuteronomy 23:7-8 (BSB)“Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land. The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.”Israel must not despise Edomites or Egyptians, and their third generation may enter the assembly.
- Genesis 25:24-26 (BSB)“When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.”Esau, father of Edom, and Jacob, father of Israel, were twin brothers.
- Numbers 20:14 (BSB)“From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has befallen us,”Moses addressed the king of Edom as a brother of Israel.
- Exodus 22:21 (BSB)“You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”Israel's own years as foreigners in Egypt shaped how they were to treat outsiders.
Theological
On what grounds does 23:7 forbid Israel to despise an Edomite or an Egyptian?
Answer: Edom is Israel's brother, and Israel once lived as foreigners in Egypt
Edom is not to be abhorred because of kinship, since Esau and Jacob were twins (23:7; Genesis 25:24-26), a bond Moses invoked in addressing Edom's king (Numbers 20:14). Egypt is not to be abhorred because Israel sojourned there, the same memory that grounds Israel's ethic toward the resident alien (Exodus 22:21). In contrast to Ammon and Moab, Edomites and Egyptians could enter the assembly in the third generation (23:8).
- Deuteronomy 23:7-8 (BSB)“Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land. The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.”Israel must not despise Edomites or Egyptians, and their third generation may enter the assembly.
- Genesis 25:24-26 (BSB)“When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.”Esau, father of Edom, and Jacob, father of Israel, were twin brothers.
- Numbers 20:14 (BSB)“From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has befallen us,”Moses addressed the king of Edom as a brother of Israel.
- Exodus 22:21 (BSB)“You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”Israel's own years as foreigners in Egypt shaped how they were to treat outsiders.
General
True or False: 23:15-16 requires an Israelite to send a runaway slave who has fled to him back to his master.
Answer: False
This is false. The law says the opposite: a slave who has escaped and sought refuge must not be handed back to his master. He may settle in whatever town he chooses, and no one may mistreat him (23:15-16). Elsewhere God forbids Israel to oppress an outsider (Exodus 22:21), and He Himself loves the foreigner and defends the helpless (10:18-19). Israel's own history as slaves whom God set free stood behind its laws about servants (15:15). The passage protects a vulnerable person who has fled; it is not an approval of slavery.
- Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (BSB)“Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you. Let him live among you wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing. Do not oppress him.”A slave who has taken refuge must not be handed back but may live where he chooses, free from oppression.
- Exodus 22:21 (BSB)“You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”Israel was forbidden to exploit or oppress an outsider living among them.
- Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (BSB)“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”God's own love for the foreigner is the pattern for Israel's treatment of the vulnerable.
- Deuteronomy 15:15 (BSB)“Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.”Israel's memory of its own slavery and redemption shaped its laws about servants.
Theological
True or False: 23:15-16 obligates an Israelite to return a fugitive slave who has sought refuge with him to his master.
Answer: False
This is false. The statute forbids extraditing the fugitive: he is to dwell wherever he chooses among Israel's towns and must not be oppressed (23:15-16). The command coheres with Israel's broader duty not to oppress the sojourner (Exodus 22:21) and with the LORD's own love for the foreigner and defense of the vulnerable (10:18-19), and Israel's servant laws were shaped by the memory of its own redemption from slavery (15:15). The law protects the refugee; it does not commend the institution he fled.
- Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (BSB)“Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you. Let him live among you wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing. Do not oppress him.”A slave who has taken refuge must not be handed back but may live where he chooses, free from oppression.
- Exodus 22:21 (BSB)“You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”Israel was forbidden to exploit or oppress an outsider living among them.
- Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (BSB)“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”God's own love for the foreigner is the pattern for Israel's treatment of the vulnerable.
- Deuteronomy 15:15 (BSB)“Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.”Israel's memory of its own slavery and redemption shaped its laws about servants.
General
What reason does 23:14 give for keeping Israel's war camp clean and holy?
Answer: The LORD moves through the camp to protect them and give victory
When Israel went out to war, the soldiers were to keep away from every evil thing (23:9). A man who became ceremonially unclean during the night had to stay outside the camp, wash in the evening, and return at sunset (23:10-11); Leviticus likewise requires washing and counts such a man unclean until evening (Leviticus 15:16). Soldiers were to relieve themselves outside the camp and bury the waste (23:12-13). The reason given is God's own presence: the LORD Himself moved through the camp to protect Israel and give them victory, so nothing unclean should be seen there, lest He turn away (23:14). God had promised to walk among His people (Leviticus 26:12), and Paul applies that promise to the church, which is now God's temple (2 Corinthians 6:16).
- Deuteronomy 23:14 (BSB)“For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.”The camp must be kept holy because the LORD moves within it to protect Israel and give victory.
- Leviticus 15:16 (BSB)“When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”Leviticus gives the same washing and waiting until evening for this kind of uncleanness.
- Leviticus 26:12 (BSB)“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.”God promises to walk among His people and be their God.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 (BSB)“What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.””Paul applies God's promise to dwell and walk among His people to the church.
Theological
What rationale does 23:14 give for the purity regulations of the war camp?
Answer: The LORD moves through the camp to protect them and give victory
The war camp is governed by purity rules: abstaining from every evil thing (23:9), temporary exclusion and washing for nocturnal uncleanness (23:10-11), with Leviticus likewise prescribing washing and uncleanness until evening (Leviticus 15:16), and a latrine outside the camp with waste buried (23:12-13). The stated rationale is theological: the LORD moves within the camp as Israel's protector and warrior, so the camp must be kept holy, since uncleanness there would cause Him to withdraw (23:14). This is the covenant promise of God's walking among His people (Leviticus 26:12), which Paul applies to the church as God's dwelling place (2 Corinthians 6:16).
- Deuteronomy 23:14 (BSB)“For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.”The camp must be kept holy because the LORD moves within it to protect Israel and give victory.
- Leviticus 15:16 (BSB)“When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening.”Leviticus gives the same washing and waiting until evening for this kind of uncleanness.
- Leviticus 26:12 (BSB)“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.”God promises to walk among His people and be their God.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 (BSB)“What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.””Paul applies God's promise to dwell and walk among His people to the church.
General
What distinction does 23:19-20 make about charging interest on a loan?
Answer: Interest may be charged to a foreigner but never to a fellow Israelite
Israelites were not to charge one another interest on any kind of loan, whether money, food, or anything else (23:19). Interest could be taken from a foreigner, though never from a fellow Israelite, and the promise attached is that God would bless all their work in the land (23:20). Earlier laws had already forbidden taking interest from a poor Israelite (Exodus 22:25) and profiting from a struggling countryman (Leviticus 25:35-37). Lending was to be an act of help within the covenant family, not a way to profit from a brother in need. The psalmist describes the person who may dwell with God as one who lends without interest (Psalm 15:5).
- Deuteronomy 23:19-20 (BSB)“Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.”Israelites may not charge each other interest, though they may charge a foreigner, with a promise of blessing.
- Exodus 22:25 (BSB)“If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.”The earlier law forbids charging interest to a poor fellow Israelite.
- Leviticus 25:35-37 (BSB)“Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit.”Leviticus forbids profiting from a struggling countryman so that he can go on living among them.
- Psalm 15:5 (BSB)“who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”The one who may dwell with God lends without interest.
Theological
What distinction regarding interest does 23:19-20 establish?
Answer: Interest may be charged to a foreigner but never to a fellow Israelite
The law prohibits interest between Israelites on any kind of loan (23:19) while permitting it with a foreigner, and it attaches the promise of the LORD's blessing on all their labor in the land (23:20). The prohibition extends the Exodus ban on exacting interest from the poor (Exodus 22:25) and the Levitical prohibition on profiting from an impoverished countryman (Leviticus 25:35-37). Within the covenant community, lending was an act of brotherly relief rather than a commercial venture, and the psalmist marks the one who may dwell with God as one who lends without usury (Psalm 15:5).
- Deuteronomy 23:19-20 (BSB)“Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.”Israelites may not charge each other interest, though they may charge a foreigner, with a promise of blessing.
- Exodus 22:25 (BSB)“If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.”The earlier law forbids charging interest to a poor fellow Israelite.
- Leviticus 25:35-37 (BSB)“Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit.”Leviticus forbids profiting from a struggling countryman so that he can go on living among them.
- Psalm 15:5 (BSB)“who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”The one who may dwell with God lends without interest.
General
What does 23:18 forbid bringing into God's house to pay a vow?
Answer: Money earned through prostitution
No Israelite man or woman was to serve as a shrine prostitute, a person who took part in sexual acts connected with pagan worship (23:17). Money earned by any prostitute could not be brought into God's house to pay a vow, because God regards both as detestable (23:18). God would not accept an offering paid for with the proceeds of sin. Later history shows why the law was needed: shrine prostitution spread in Judah as one of the practices of the nations (1 Kings 14:24), until King Josiah demolished the rooms used for it (2 Kings 23:7).
- Deuteronomy 23:17-18 (BSB)“No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.”No Israelite may serve as a shrine prostitute, and such earnings may not pay a vow in God's house.
- 1 Kings 14:24 (BSB)“There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”In Rehoboam's day shrine prostitution appeared in Judah as one of the abominations of the nations.
- 2 Kings 23:7 (BSB)“He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women had woven tapestries for Asherah.”King Josiah's reform tore down the quarters of the shrine prostitutes.
Theological
What does 23:18 prohibit bringing into the LORD's house in payment of a vow?
Answer: Money earned through prostitution
The law forbids any Israelite to serve as a cultic prostitute (23:17) and bars the earnings of prostitution, female or male, from the sanctuary as payment for a vow, since the LORD abhors both (23:18). God will not be worshiped with the proceeds of sin. The later history of the monarchy shows the practice infiltrating Judah as one of the nations' abominable practices (1 Kings 14:24), until Josiah's reform demolished its quarters (2 Kings 23:7).
- Deuteronomy 23:17-18 (BSB)“No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.”No Israelite may serve as a shrine prostitute, and such earnings may not pay a vow in God's house.
- 1 Kings 14:24 (BSB)“There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”In Rehoboam's day shrine prostitution appeared in Judah as one of the abominations of the nations.
- 2 Kings 23:7 (BSB)“He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women had woven tapestries for Asherah.”King Josiah's reform tore down the quarters of the shrine prostitutes.
General
True or False: According to 23:21-23, an Israelite who chose never to vow anything to the LORD was guilty of sin.
Answer: False
This is false. Making a vow, a solemn promise to give or do something for God, was voluntary. Choosing not to vow was no sin (23:22). But once a person made a vow, he had to keep it without delay, because God would hold him to it, and failing to pay would be sin (23:21, 23). Ecclesiastes gives the same counsel: pay your vows promptly, since refraining from a vow is better than vowing and failing to follow through (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). Numbers says a person who vows must do all he has promised (Numbers 30:2), and Jesus calls His followers to speech so plain and truthful that a simple yes or no can be trusted (Matthew 5:37).
- Deuteronomy 23:21-23 (BSB)“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.”A vow must be paid promptly, though choosing not to vow is no sin.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (BSB)“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”The Teacher likewise urges prompt payment of vows and says it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
- Numbers 30:2 (BSB)“If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”A person who makes a vow to the LORD must not break his word.
- Matthew 5:37 (BSB)“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.”Jesus calls His followers to plain, reliable speech.
Theological
True or False: 23:21-23 teaches that abstaining from vows to the LORD is itself a sin.
Answer: False
This is false. The vow was a freewill undertaking; to refrain from vowing incurred no guilt (23:22). Once made, however, it bound the one who vowed, who must pay without delay, for the LORD would require it and default would be sin (23:21, 23). Ecclesiastes restates the principle (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5), Numbers insists that the one who vows must perform all he has promised (Numbers 30:2), and Jesus calls for such integrity of speech that a simple yes or no suffices (Matthew 5:37).
- Deuteronomy 23:21-23 (BSB)“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.”A vow must be paid promptly, though choosing not to vow is no sin.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (BSB)“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”The Teacher likewise urges prompt payment of vows and says it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
- Numbers 30:2 (BSB)“If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”A person who makes a vow to the LORD must not break his word.
- Matthew 5:37 (BSB)“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.”Jesus calls His followers to plain, reliable speech.