King James Version
Deuteronomy 23
25 verses with commentary
Exclusion from the Assembly
He that is wounded in the stones , or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.</strong><br><br>This verse addresses physical disqualifications from full participation in Israel's worship assembly. The Hebrew term <em>qahal YHWH</em> (קְהַל יְהוָה, 'congregation of the LORD') refers to the formal assembly of covenant Israel, particularly for worship a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) The rule that a eunuch should not enter into the congregation was doubtless intended to prevent the Israelitish rulers from making eunuchs of their brethren the children of Israel. As a set off to this apparent harshness towards the man who had been thus treated, we must read Isaiah 56:3-4, in which a special promise is given to the eunuchs that keep God’s Sabbaths and take hold of His covenan...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-11. If there be among you a poor man ... thou shalt not harden thine heart--**Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing (Ro 12:8; 2Co 9:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.</strong><br><br>The Hebrew word <em>mamzer</em> (מַמְזֵר) traditionally translated 'bastard' specifically denotes a child born from an incestuous or adulterous union forbidden by Leviticus 18, not merely illegitimate birth. This narrow definition d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **A bastard shall not enter.**—Such a person would not, even now, be circumcised by the Jews, or permitted to marry an Israelitish woman, or be buried with his people; therefore he was excluded from the covenant. It is manifest how efficacious would be the enforcement of this law also in preserving the purity of family life.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-11. If there be among you a poor man ... thou shalt not harden thine heart--**Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing (Ro 12:8; 2Co 9:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever.</strong><br><br>This permanent exclusion of Ammonites and Moabites stands as one of the most severe restrictions in Mosaic law. Both nations descended from Lot's incestuous unions with his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38), mak...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter.** According to Rashi, “shall not marry an Israelitish woman.” It must be remembered that the children, according to Jewish law, follow the *father, *not the mother. The case of Ruth would not, therefore, be touched by this precept.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-11. If there be among you a poor man ... thou shalt not harden thine heart--**Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing (Ro 12:8; 2Co 9:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.</strong><br><br>This verse provides the historical-theological rationale for excluding Ammonites and Moabites. Their twofold sin involved both omission (failing to show hospitality) and commission...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Because they met you not with bread and with water.**—We learn incidentally from this passage how the Moabites and the Ammonites requited the forbearance shown them by the Israelites (Deuteronomy 2:9; Deuteronomy 2:19; Deuteronomy 2:29). No one not acquainted with the details of Israel’s intercourse with these people on their journey could have written thus.
**Because they hired against thee...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-11. If there be among you a poor man ... thou shalt not harden thine heart--**Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing (Ro 12:8; 2Co 9:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.</strong><br><br>This verse celebrates divine sovereignty and covenant love. The threefold repetition of 'the LORD thy God' emphasizes personal relationship and God's covenant faithfulness to Israel. Despite Balaam's professional ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Because the Lord thy God loved thee.**—The contrast between what He says to Israel in this book and what He said by Balaam is very striking. (See on Deuteronomy 31:16.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-11. If there be among you a poor man ... thou shalt not harden thine heart--**Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing (Ro 12:8; 2Co 9:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. prosperity: Heb. good
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.</strong><br><br>This verse mandates perpetual non-alliance with Ammon and Moab. The Hebrew phrase <em>lo tidrosh shalom vetov</em> (לֹא־תִדְרֹשׁ שְׁלֹמָם וְטֹבָתָם) literally means 'do not seek their peace and their good.' This wasn't mere passive avoidance but active prohibition against pursuing treaties, trade ag...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 15:12-19. Hebrew Servants' Freedom.
**12. if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee--**The last extremity of an insolvent debtor, when his house or land was not sufficient to cancel his debt, was to be sold as a slave with his family (Le 25:39; 2Ki 4:1; Ne 5:1-13; Job 24:9; Mt 18:25). The term of servitude could not last beyond six years. They obtained their freedom ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.</strong><br><br>This verse presents a striking contrast with the prohibition against Ammonites and Moabites (vv. 3-6). Despite Edom's often hostile relationship with Israel, they were to be treated differently because of kinship—'he is thy brother.' Edom desce...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite . . . an Egyptian.**—The contrast between these and the Moabite and Ammonite is drawn rather well by Rashi in this passace. “Learn here,” he says, “that he who makes a man to sin, treats him worse than he who kills-him; for he that kills, kills only in this world, but he who causes him to sin, banishes him both from this world and from the world to come. Edom,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-15. thou shalt not let him go away empty--**A seasonable and wise provision for enabling a poor unfortunate to regain his original status in society, and the motive urged for his kindness and humanity to the Hebrew slave was the remembrance that the whole nation was once a degraded and persecuted band of helots in Egypt. Thus, kindness towards their slaves, unparalleled elsewhere in those day...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.</strong><br><br>This verse specifies the mechanism for incorporating Edomites and Egyptians into Israel's covenant community. Unlike Ammonites and Moabites who faced permanent exclusion (v. 3), Edomite and Egyptian converts could be fully integrated by the third generation. The H...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **The children that are begotten of them** From this passage it is clear that it was not only from Egypt that a “mixed multitude” came up with Israel. It seems to have been impossible to prevent some inter-marriages between Edom, Moab, and Israel when the Israelites passed through their land. Such a precept is suitable to the circumstances of Moses’ time. It would be less necessary when the bu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-15. thou shalt not let him go away empty--**A seasonable and wise provision for enabling a poor unfortunate to regain his original status in society, and the motive urged for his kindness and humanity to the Hebrew slave was the remembrance that the whole nation was once a degraded and persecuted band of helots in Egypt. Thus, kindness towards their slaves, unparalleled elsewhere in those day...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 23
Chapter Outline
Who are shut out from the congregation.(1-8)
Cleanliness enjoined.(15-25)
Of fugitive servants, Usury, and other precepts.(9-14)
**Verses 1-8**
We ought to value the privileges of God's people, both for ourselves and for our children, above all other advantages. No personal blemishes, no crimes of our forefathers, no difference of nation, shuts us o...
Read full commentary →Cleanliness in the Camp
When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.</strong><br><br>This verse introduces regulations for military camps (vv. 9-14), emphasizing that warfare doesn't exempt God's people from holiness. The Hebrew <em>machaneh</em> (מַחֲנֶה, 'host' or 'camp') refers to Israel's military encampments during campaigns. The command to 'keep from every wicked ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Deuteronomy 23:9-14. **PURITY OF THE CAMP.**
(9) **When the host goeth forth against thine enemies . . . keep thee.**—“Because Satan maketh his accusations in the hour of danger” (Rashi).
(10) **Uncleanness that chanceth him by night.** As in Leviticus 15:16.
(11) **When the sun is down.**—“No man is clean (after ceremonial uncleanness) except at the going down of the sun” (Rashi).
(12) **Without ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-15. thou shalt not let him go away empty--**A seasonable and wise provision for enabling a poor unfortunate to regain his original status in society, and the motive urged for his kindness and humanity to the Hebrew slave was the remembrance that the whole nation was once a degraded and persecuted band of helots in Egypt. Thus, kindness towards their slaves, unparalleled elsewhere in those day...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:</strong><br><br>This verse addresses nocturnal emissions and their implications for ritual purity in military contexts. The euphemistic Hebrew phrase <em>mikreh-laylah</em> (מִקְרֵה־לָיְלָה, 'that which chanceth by...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-17. if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee--**If they declined to avail themselves of the privilege of release and chose to remain with their master, then by a peculiar form of ceremony they became a party to the transaction, voluntarily sold themselves to their employer, and continued in his service till death.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again. cometh: Heb. turneth toward
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.</strong><br><br>This verse prescribes the cleansing ritual for restoring ceremonial purity after nocturnal emission. The protocol mirrors Leviticus 15:16: washing with water and waiting until evening (sunset marking the day's end in Hebrew reckoning). This...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16-17. if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee--**If they declined to avail themselves of the privilege of release and chose to remain with their master, then by a peculiar form of ceremony they became a party to the transaction, voluntarily sold themselves to their employer, and continued in his service till death.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:</strong><br><br>This verse introduces sanitation regulations for military camps, requiring designated areas outside the camp for bodily elimination. The Hebrew <em>yad</em> (יָד, literally 'hand') here means 'place' or 'designated location.' The command to go 'abroad' (<em>chutz</em>) means outside the camp'...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee--**that is, he is entitled to double wages because his service was more advantageous to you, being both without wages and for a length of time, whereas hired servants were engaged yearly (Le 25:53), or at most for three years (Is 16:14).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: wilt: Heb. sittest down
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:</strong><br><br>This verse provides specific instructions for waste disposal in military settings. The Hebrew <em>yated</em> (יָתֵד, 'paddle' or 'stake') refers to a digging implement carried as part of the s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. All the firstling males of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God--**[See on Ex 13:2]; see Ex 22:30).
**thou shalt do not work with the firstling of thy bullock--**that is, the second firstlings (see De 12:17, 18; 14:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. unclean: Heb. nakedness of any thing
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.</strong><br><br>This verse provides the theological foundation for the preceding sanitation regulations (vv. 9-13). God's presence <em>halak</em> (הָלַךְ, 'walketh') in the camp—an ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
Miscellaneous Laws
Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:</strong><br><br>This remarkable law prohibited returning escaped slaves to their masters, standing in stark contrast to ancient Near Eastern legal codes and modern fugitive slave laws. The Hebrew <em>eved</em> (עֶבֶד, 'servant' or 'slave') likely refers to foreign slaves fleeing to Israel from ha...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Deuteronomy 23:15-16.—**REFUGEES.**
**Thou shalt not deliver . . . the servant.**—Even on Israelitish ground the escaped slave was free. Rashi adds, “Even a Canaanitish slave who has escaped from abroad into *the land *of Israel.”
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him. liketh: Heb. is good for him
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.</strong><br><br>This verse expands the protection offered to escaped slaves (v. 15), granting them remarkable freedom and rights within Israel. The phrase 'dwell with thee' (<em>yeshev immekha</em>) denotes full residential rights, not mer...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. whore: or, sodomitess
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.</strong><br><br>This verse prohibits cultic prostitution, both female and male. The Hebrew <em>qedeshah</em> (קְדֵשָׁה, 'whore') and <em>qadesh</em> (קָדֵשׁ, 'sodomite') literally mean 'consecrated woman' and 'consecrated man,' referring to temple prostitutes dedicated to pagan deities, not ordinary p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Whore and sodomite** seem both intended to be taken in the sense in which they belonged to the temples of Baal and Ashtaroth, of persons dedicated to impurity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.</strong><br><br>This verse prohibits using money from morally tainted sources for religious offerings. The 'hire of a whore' (<em>etnan zonah</em>) refers to prostitution proceeds, while 'price of a dog' (<em>mehir kelev...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **The hire of a whore.**—Even a lamb or a kid might not be sacrificed for them, if obtained as the wages of sin (Genesis 38:17).
**The price of a dog.**—The ass might be redeemed with a lamb, and the lamb could be sacrificed. The dog could not be treated thus. Yet “the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.” But there is a “dog that turns to his own vcmit again,” and of these it i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:</strong><br><br>This verse prohibits charging interest on loans to fellow Israelites. The Hebrew <em>neshek</em> (נֶשֶׁךְ, 'usury') literally means 'bite,' vividly depicting interest's consuming effect on debtors. The comprehensive scope—'money, victuals, any thing'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19, 20) **Usury.**—See Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35-36. Some recent writers on this law have thought that it forbids the putting out of money to interest. But it is noticeable that in both the previous passages referred to (in Exod. and Lev.) the loan is supposed to be made to a “poor man” in “real distress.” Usury in such cases means oppression; and so it is proved to be by the examples given i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 De 16:1-22. The Feast of the Passover.
**1. Observe the month of Abib--**or first-fruits. It comprehended the latter part of our March and the beginning of April. Green ears of the barley, which were then full, were offered as first-fruits, on the second day of the passover.
**for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee out of Egypt by night--**This statement is apparently...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.</strong><br><br>This verse permits charging interest to foreigners while prohibiting it toward fellow Israelites, creating dual economic systems based on covenant relations...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover--**not the paschal lamb, which was strictly and properly the passover. The whole solemnity is here meant, as is evident from the mention of the additional victims that required to be offered on the subsequent days of the feast (Nu 28:18, 19; 2Ch 35:8, 9), and from the allusion to the continued use of unleavened bread for seven days, whereas the pass...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.</strong><br><br>This verse addresses voluntary vows made to God, emphasizing the obligation to fulfill them promptly. The Hebrew <em>neder</em> (נֶדֶר, 'vow') denotes a voluntary promise to give offerings, perform actions, or abs...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **When thou shalt vow . . . thou shalt not be slack . . .**—The three yearly feasts are mentioned by Rashi and the Rabbis as occasions for the payment of vows. (See 1Samuel 1:21.) This precept is cited in Ecclesiastes 5:4, but with sufficient verbal variation to prevent its being called a quotation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread--**a sour, unpleasant, unwholesome kind of bread, designed to be a memorial of their Egyptian misery and of the haste with which they departed, not allowing time for their morning dough to ferment.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.</strong><br><br>This verse establishes that vows are entirely voluntary—no obligation exists to make them. The Hebrew <em>techdal lindor</em> (תֶּחְדַּל לִנְדֹּר, 'forbear to vow') means abstaining from making vows altogether. The assurance 'it shall be no sin' liberates believers from feeling obligated to make special promises ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.</strong><br><br>This verse reinforces the binding nature of spoken vows, particularly freewill offerings. The Hebrew <em>motza sephatekha</em> (מוֹצָא שְׂפָתֶיךָ, 'that which is gone out of thy lips') emphasiz...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-6. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates--**The passover was to be observed nowhere but in the court of the tabernacle or temple, as it was not a religious feast or sacramental occasion merely, but an actual sacrifice (Ex 12:27; 23:18; 34:25). The blood had to be sprinkled on the altar and in the place where the true Passover was afterwards to be sacrificed for us "at ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.</strong><br><br>This verse permits travelers to eat from neighbors' vineyards while prohibiting harvest for commercial purposes or storage. The Hebrew <em>ke'avkha</em> (כְּנַפְשְׁךָ, 'thy fill at thine own pleasure,' literally 'according to ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard.**—Rashi tries to limit both this and the following precept to the labourer engaged in gathering the vintage or the harvest, when vessels are used and sickles employed. But the plain meaning will stand, and is accepted by our Lord in the Gospel. The objection made to His disciples was not that they plucked their neighbour’s corn, but that they ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-6. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates--**The passover was to be observed nowhere but in the court of the tabernacle or temple, as it was not a religious feast or sacramental occasion merely, but an actual sacrifice (Ex 12:27; 23:18; 34:25). The blood had to be sprinkled on the altar and in the place where the true Passover was afterwards to be sacrificed for us "at ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.</strong><br><br>This verse parallels the preceding regulation about vineyards (v. 24), applying the same principle to grain fields. The permission to 'pluck ears with thine hand' (<em>qatafta melilot beyadekha</em>) ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. thou shalt roast and eat it--**(See on Ex 12:8; compare 2Ch 35:13).
**thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents--**The sense of this passage, on the first glance of the words, seems to point to the morning after the first day--the passover eve. Perhaps, however, the divinely appointed duration of this feast, the solemn character and important object, the journey of the people fr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-25**
It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where t...
Read full commentary →