Old Testament Commentary - Deuteronomy 21

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
             CHAPTER 21            

How murders by unknown persons are expiated—Equity required in dealing with wives and children under plural marriage—Stubborn and rebellious sons may be put to death.

  1 IF one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:
  2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure aunto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
  3 And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been awrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
  4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither aeared nor sown, and shall bstrike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
  5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every astroke be tried:
  6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer athat is beheaded in the valley:
  7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
  8 aBe merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast bredeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
  9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.
  10 ¶ When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
  11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
  12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
  13 And she shall put the araiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
  14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she willa; but thou shalt not asell her at all for money, thou shalt not bmake merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.
 14a if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will If a man does civilly approach a woman, that is to not force her unwillingly, then rather than to mistreat her and abuse her [that is rape her], then that women will have the ability to 'spern' that man if she has no love towards him. In such a case both the interest of the woman and the Israelite man is served. For if the woman has no 'love' unto him, he will know it and what desire he may have had unto her will diminish and fade. And that man will no longer desire her that does not return the feeling for him. It must be supposed that this is the order of this matter and not that the Hebrew man would be overbearing and abusive to the woman just out of unrequited lusts. And thus the mutual attraction ought to be considered to be the effect of such direction as given by Moses from the Lord unto the people of Israel. And yet, herein lies the potential for a corrupting force to enter in among Israel's households if the ways of that 'pagan' woman are too strong and do work to overcome the faith of that Hebrew man and his Israelite household.
  15 ¶ If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another ahated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
  16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not amake the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
  17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a adouble portion of all that he hath: for he is bthe cbeginning of his strength; the right of the dfirstborn is his.
  18 ¶ If a man have a astubborn and rebellious son, which will not bobey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
  19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto athe gate of his place;
  20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
  21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
  22 ¶ And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
  23 His abody shall not bremain all night upon the ctree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is daccursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an einheritance.