Deuteronomy 23:4-25

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:1-8

Interpreters are not agreed what is here meant by entering into the congregation of the Lord, which is here forbidden to eunuchs and to bastards, Ammonites and Moabites, for ever, but to Edomites and Egyptians only till the third generation. 1. Some think they are hereby excluded from communicating with the people of God in their religious services. Though eunuchs and bastards were owned as members of the church, and the Ammonites and Moabites might be circumcised and proselyted to the Jewish... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:9-14

Israel was now encamped, and this vast army was just entering upon action, which was likely to keep them together for a long time, and therefore it was fit to give them particular directions for the good ordering of their camp. And the charge is in one word to be clean. They must take care to keep their camp pure from moral, ceremonial, and natural pollution. I. From moral pollution (Deut. 23:9): When the host goes forth against thy enemy then look upon thyself as in a special manner engaged... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:15-25

Orders are here given about five several things which have no relation one to another:? I. The land of Israel is here made a sanctuary, or city of refuge, for servants that were wronged and abused by their masters, and fled thither for shelter from the neighbouring countries, Deut. 23:15, 16. We cannot suppose that they were hereby obliged to give entertainment to all the unprincipled men that ran from service; Israel needed not (as Rome at first did) to be thus peopled. But, 1. They must not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:4

Because they met you not with bread and with water ,.... To supply them therewith, either as a gift, which was a piece of humanity to strangers and travellers, or rather to sell unto them, for on no other terms did the Israelites desire their bread and their water: in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt ; not as soon as they came forth from thence, for it was near forty years after; but it was while they were in the way from thence, as they were journeying to the land of Canaan, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:5

Nevertheless, the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam ,.... To his solicitations, and the methods he took to prevail on the Lord to suffer him to curse Israel, which he gladly would have done for the sake of Balak's reward: but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee ; in the very mouth of Balaam, as the Targum of Jonathan; for when he opened his mouth and Balak expected he would have cursed Israel, and he intended it, could he have been permitted, the Lord... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:6

Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. Not that they were to retain malice towards them, or indulge a spirit of revenge, or not do them any good offices in a private way, which is contrary to the law of love; nor does this contradict any offices of kindness and friendship that might be performed in a personal way: so we find that David had a kindness for Hanun the Ammonite, and showed it, though ill rewarded for it, yet is not blamed for doing it; 2... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:7

Thou shall not abhor an Edomite ,.... Or an Idumean, the descendants of Esau, whose name was Edom, Genesis 25:30 the Targum of Jonathan adds, "that comes to be made a proselyte"; he was not to be rejected with abhorrence, because of the old grudge between Jacob and Esau, and which was become national in their posterity: for he is thy brother ; the Israelites and the Edomites were nearest akin to each other of all the nations; for Jacob and Esau were own brothers by father's and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:8

The children that are begotten of them , Of such as became proselytes: shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation ; not in the third generation from the time that this law was made, but from the time that any of them should embrace the true religion; their sons were the second generation, and their grandchildren the third; and such might be admitted into the congregation, and be reckoned as of them, both in their civil and church state, and be capable of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:9

When the host goeth forth against thine enemies ,.... An army of soldiers march in order to meet the enemy and fight him: then keep thee from every wicked thing ; the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation,"from strange worship, uncovering of nakedness, and from shedding innocent blood;'that is, from idolatry, uncleanness of every sort, and murder; and all other wickednesses ought to be abstained from at all times by all persons, but especially by soldiers in such a circumstance,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 23:10

If there be among you any man that is not clean ,.... Any unclean person in the army, that was even ceremonially unclean in any of the instances the law makes so, one of which put for the rest is mentioned: by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night ; through pollution by a nocturnal flux, as the Septuagint version, or a gonorrhoea, an involuntary one, occasioned by impure thoughts and imaginations in dreams; the same case as in Leviticus 15:16 . then shall he go abroad out... read more

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