King James Version
Deuteronomy 25
19 verses with commentary
Justice and Mercy
If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment</strong>—the Hebrew <em>riv</em> (רִיב, controversy/dispute) requires formal adjudication. <strong>That the judges may judge them</strong> (<em>shaphat</em>, שָׁפַט)—the verb for rendering judicial decisions based on Torah. <strong>Then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked</strong>—the terms <em>hitsdiq<...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXV.
Deuteronomy 25:1-3. **HUMANITY IN PUNISHMENTS.**
(1) **They shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.**—“I will not justify the wicked” (Exodus 23:7). “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 17:15). It should be noticed that *justify *is here used forensically, not meaning to make righteous, but to *trea...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:2-7. Idolaters Must Be Slain.
**2-7. If there be found among you ... man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness--**The grand object contemplated in choosing Israel was to preserve the knowledge and worship of the one true God; and hence idolatry of any kind, whether of the heavenly bodies or in some grosser form, is called "a transgression of His covenant." No rank or sex could palliate thi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
Extent of punishment.(1-3)
The ox that treadeth the corn.(4)
Marriage of a brother's wife.(5-12)
Of unjust weights.(13-16)
War against Amalek.(17-19)
**Verses 1-3**
Every punishment should be with solemnity, that those who see it may be filled with dread, and be warned not to offend in like manner. And though the criminals must be shamed as ...
Read full commentary →And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If the wicked man be worthy to be beaten</strong>—not all crimes required death penalty; the verb <em>hakkot</em> (הַכּוֹת, to strike/beat) provided proportional punishment for lesser offenses. <strong>The judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face</strong>—judicial oversight prevents excessive punishment or vigilante justice. The judge's presence (<em>le-fanav</em...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:8-13. The Priests and Judges to Determine Controversies.
**8-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--**In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical per...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
Extent of punishment.(1-3)
The ox that treadeth the corn.(4)
Marriage of a brother's wife.(5-12)
Of unjust weights.(13-16)
War against Amalek.(17-19)
**Verses 1-3**
Every punishment should be with solemnity, that those who see it may be filled with dread, and be warned not to offend in like manner. And though the criminals must be shamed as ...
Read full commentary →Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.</strong> This verse establishes a crucial limit on corporal punishment within Israel's judicial system, revealing profound theological truths about human dignity and justice. The Hebrew <em>arbaim</em> (אַרְבָּעִים, "forty") sets...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:8-13. The Priests and Judges to Determine Controversies.
**8-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--**In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical per...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 25
Chapter Outline
Extent of punishment.(1-3)
The ox that treadeth the corn.(4)
Marriage of a brother's wife.(5-12)
Of unjust weights.(13-16)
War against Amalek.(17-19)
**Verses 1-3**
Every punishment should be with solemnity, that those who see it may be filled with dread, and be warned not to offend in like manner. And though the criminals must be shamed as ...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. treadeth: Heb. thresheth
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn</strong>—the Hebrew <em>lo-tachsom</em> (לֹא־תַחְסֹם, do not muzzle) protects the working animal's right to eat from its labor. Threshing (<em>dush</em>, דּוּשׁ) involved oxen treading grain to separate kernels from chaff—arduous work deserving immediate reward.<br><br>Paul applies this principle twice to gospel ministry (1 Corinth...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:8-13. The Priests and Judges to Determine Controversies.
**8-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--**In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical per...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verse 4**
This is a charge to husbandmen. It teaches us to make much of the animals that serve us. But we must learn, not only to be just, but kind to all who are employed for the good of our better part, our souls, 1Co 9:9.
Levirate Marriage
If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger : her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. her husband's: or, her next kinsman
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child</strong>—the Hebrew <em>yabam</em> (יָבָם) gives its name to this practice: 'levirate marriage' (from Latin <em>levir</em>, 'brother-in-law'). <strong>The wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger</strong>—she couldn't marry outside the family while the brother-in-law lived. <strong>Her husband's brother shal...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Deuteronomy 25:5-10. **LEVIRATE MARRIAGES.**
(5) **If brethren dwell together.**—This law is made the subject of a whole treatise in the Talmud, called *Yebâmôth. *The object of the law was held to be attained if the family of the dead man was perpetuated, and did not become extinct. And therefore the marriage specified was not necessarily between the brother and the brother’s wife, but might be b...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:8-13. The Priests and Judges to Determine Controversies.
**8-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--**In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical per...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead</strong>—the Hebrew <em>yaqum al-shem achiv hamet</em> (יָקוּם עַל־שֵׁם אָחִיו הַמֵּת) means 'shall rise up/stand upon the name of his dead brother.' The firstborn son legally became the deceased's son, inheriting his property rights and continuing his genealogical line. <strong>Tha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:8-13. The Priests and Judges to Determine Controversies.
**8-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--**In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical per...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. brother's: or, next kinsman's
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And if the man like not to take his brother's wife</strong>—the brother-in-law could refuse the obligation, though at social cost. <strong>Then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders</strong>—the city gate was where legal matters were adjudicated publicly. She initiated proceedings, saying <strong>My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:8-13. The Priests and Judges to Determine Controversies.
**8-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--**In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical per...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him</strong>—the community leaders investigated, ensuring the brother-in-law understood his obligation and the consequences of refusal. <strong>And if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her</strong>—if after counseling he persisted in refusal, the law provided release mechanism. The Hebrew <em>lo chafatsti</em> (לֹא חָפַצְ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
De 17:14-20. The Election and Duty of a King.
**14. When thou ... shalt say, I will set a king over me--**In the following passage Moses prophetically announces a revolution which should occur at a later period in the national history of Israel. No sanction or recommendation was indicated; on the contrary, when the popular clamor had effected that constitutional change on the theocracy by the app...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot</strong>—the ceremony of <em>chalitzah</em> (חֲלִיצָה, 'removal') publicly released both parties from levirate obligation. <strong>And spit in his face</strong>—not violent assault but ritualized contempt, probably spitting toward or before his face rather than directly on it. <s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother--**that is, by their free and voluntary choice. But God, in the retributions of His providence, did allow foreign princes to usurp the dominion (Jr 38:17; Mt 22:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed</strong>—the Hebrew <em>beit chalutz ha-na'al</em> (בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנַּעַל) became a permanent designation, a nickname of disgrace. The family would be known by this epithet, a lasting memorial of the ancestor who refused family duty. This wasn't merely personal shame but generational stigma, affecting descen...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. he shall not multiply horses to himself--**The use of these animals was not absolutely prohibited, nor is there any reason to conclude that they might not be employed as part of the state equipage. But the multiplication of horses would inevitably lead to many evils, to increased intercourse with foreign nations, especially with Egypt, to the importation of an animal to which the character o...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
Honest Weights and Measures
When men strive together one with another , and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband</strong>—describing a wife intervening in a fight to protect her husband. <strong>And putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets</strong>—the Hebrew <em>machazah bim-bushaiv</em> (הֶחֱזִיקָה בִּמְבֻשָׁיו) literally means 'seizes his shameful parts,' referring to grabbing th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away--**There were the strongest reasons for recording an express prohibition on this point, founded on the practice of neighboring countries in which polygamy prevailed, and whose kings had numerous harems; besides, the monarch of Israel was to be absolutely independent of the people and had nothing but the divine law to re...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her</strong>—the penalty seems harsh, leading some scholars to suggest this is the only biblical amputation law applied literally, while others argue for symbolic interpretation or monetary compensation (as with eye-for-eye laws). The Hebrew <em>qatsotah et-kapah</em> (וְקַצֹּתָה אֶת־כַּפָּהּ) literally means 'you shall cut off her...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-20. he shall write him a copy of this law in a book--**The original scroll of the ancient Scriptures was deposited in the sanctuary under the strict custody of the priests (see on De 31:26; 2Ki 22:8). Each monarch, on his accession, was to be furnished with a true and faithful copy, which he was to keep constantly beside him, and daily peruse it, that his character and sentiments being cast i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.
Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights , a great and a small. divers: Heb. a stone and a stone
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small</strong>—prohibiting dishonest merchants who carried two sets of weights: heavy ones for buying (getting more goods for payment) and light ones for selling (giving less goods for payment). The Hebrew <em>even va-even</em> (אֶבֶן וָאֶבֶן, 'stone and stone') refers to stone weights used with balance scales. Having multiple we...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Deuteronomy 25:13-16. **JUST WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.**
So Leviticus 19:35-36. Among the laws of moral holiness comes the law of just weights and measures.
(16) **An abomination unto the Lord.**—So in Proverbs 11:1, “a false balance is abomination to the Lord.” (See also Amos 8:4-8.) The protection of the poor is the chief practical end in this; rich men can take care of themselves. Poor men are *dou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-20. he shall write him a copy of this law in a book--**The original scroll of the ancient Scriptures was deposited in the sanctuary under the strict custody of the priests (see on De 31:26; 2Ki 22:8). Each monarch, on his accession, was to be furnished with a true and faithful copy, which he was to keep constantly beside him, and daily peruse it, that his character and sentiments being cast i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Dishonest gain always brings a curse on men's property, families, and souls. Happy those who judge themselves, repent of and forsake their sins, and put away evil things, that they may not be condemned of the Lord.
Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures , a great and a small. divers: Heb. an ephah and an ephah
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small</strong>—extending the prohibition from portable weights (bag) to household measures (containers for dry goods). The Hebrew <em>ephah ve-ephah</em> (אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה) literally means 'ephah and ephah,' referring to the standard dry measure (about 22 liters). Like the bag of diverse weights, multiple measures enabled fra...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-20. he shall write him a copy of this law in a book--**The original scroll of the ancient Scriptures was deposited in the sanctuary under the strict custody of the priests (see on De 31:26; 2Ki 22:8). Each monarch, on his accession, was to be furnished with a true and faithful copy, which he was to keep constantly beside him, and daily peruse it, that his character and sentiments being cast i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Dishonest gain always brings a curse on men's property, families, and souls. Happy those who judge themselves, repent of and forsake their sins, and put away evil things, that they may not be condemned of the Lord.
But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have</strong>—the positive command after negative prohibitions. The Hebrew <em>even shelemah va-tzedek</em> (אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק) means 'complete/whole and righteous weight.' <strong>Perfect</strong> indicates accuracy and wholeness; <strong>just</strong> means righteous, fair, conforming to God's stand...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Dishonest gain always brings a curse on men's property, families, and souls. Happy those who judge themselves, repent of and forsake their sins, and put away evil things, that they may not be condemned of the Lord.
For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God</strong>—the Hebrew <em>to'avat YHWH</em> (תּוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה) places commercial fraud in the strongest category of divine disapproval, the same term used for idolatry, child sacrifice, sexual perversion, and occult practices (Deuteronomy 7:25-26, 18:9-12, 22:5). <strong>All that do unrighteo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 18 De 18:1-8. The Lord Is the Priests' and the Levites' Inheritance.
**1. The priests the Levites ... shall eat the offerings--**As the tribe of Levi had no inheritance allotted them like the other tribes but were wholly consecrated to the priestly office, their maintenance was to arise from tithes, first-fruits, and certain portions of the oblations presented on the altar, which God havi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Dishonest gain always brings a curse on men's property, families, and souls. Happy those who judge themselves, repent of and forsake their sins, and put away evil things, that they may not be condemned of the Lord.
Remember Amalek
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt</strong>—referring to Exodus 17:8-16, when Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephidim shortly after the Red Sea crossing. This begins the three-verse command (25:17-19) requiring Amalek's eventual destruction. <strong>Remember</strong> (<em>zachor</em>, זָכוֹר) isn't passive recollection but active, purposeful ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Deuteronomy 25:17-19. **AMALEK TO BE EXTERMINATED.**
At the end of all the precepts of humanity, the extermination of that people which is presented to us as the incarnation of inhumanity is decreed.
(18) **He . . . smote the hindmost . . .**—These details are not given in Exodus 17. Amalek’s attack follows the appearance of the stream of water from Horeb. There was nothing more natural than that ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-19**
Let every persecutor and injurer of God's people take warning from the case of the Amalekites. The longer it is before judgement comes, the more dreadful will it be at last. Amalek may remind us of the foes of our souls. May we be enabled to slay all our lusts, all the corruptions both within and without, all the powers of darkness and of the world, which oppose our way to the...
Read full commentary →How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee</strong>—Amalek specifically targeted stragglers: the elderly, sick, exhausted, children—those unable to keep pace with the main column. <strong>When thou wast faint and weary</strong>—Israel's vulnerable condition made Amalek's attack particularly cowardly and cruel. <strong>And he feared not...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. this shall be the priest's due from the people--**All who offered sacrifices of thanksgiving or peace offerings (Le 7:31-33) were ordered to give the breast and shoulder as perquisites to the priests. Here "the two cheeks" or head and "the maw" or stomach, deemed anciently a great dainty, are specified. But whether this is a new injunction, or a repetition of the old with the supplement of mo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-19**
Let every persecutor and injurer of God's people take warning from the case of the Amalekites. The longer it is before judgement comes, the more dreadful will it be at last. Amalek may remind us of the foes of our souls. May we be enabled to slay all our lusts, all the corruptions both within and without, all the powers of darkness and of the world, which oppose our way to the...
Read full commentary →Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about</strong>—the command's execution was deferred until Israel secured the land and established peace. God didn't require immediate revenge but patient obedience at the appointed time. <strong>That thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven</strong>—complete destruction, er...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-19**
Let every persecutor and injurer of God's people take warning from the case of the Amalekites. The longer it is before judgement comes, the more dreadful will it be at last. Amalek may remind us of the foes of our souls. May we be enabled to slay all our lusts, all the corruptions both within and without, all the powers of darkness and of the world, which oppose our way to the...
Read full commentary →