Deuteronomy 22


Be a good neighbor, distinguish between the sexes, garment fringes, adultery
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 1 ¶ Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
.3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
 4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
  1 - Brother's ox Being helpful to others included enemies ex2304. More is implied than "go astray." The term means "being driven away." It is used in de2019, de3004, de3017, jb0613. The action would be by thieves. On "hide thyself," see is5807.
.5 ¶ The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. 5 - ... not wear  It has been appropriately suggested that this rule may have been to protect against homosexual relationships where one partner acts like a person of the opposite sex. I believe it's more. God created men and women as different ge0127. Proper clothing and behavior help preserve that distinction and maintain a special kind of respect. Christlike love toward one of the opposite sex outside of marriage generally means keeping hands off, avoiding long times with each other, and not discussing certain personal things. Husband and wife need a special circle of confidence not opened to others.
 6 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
  6 - Dam Or "mother."
 8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.
 9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
  8 - Battlement "The flat roof of a hous was to have a low parapet to protect an unwary person from falling to the street below. The roof was often used as a place for the drying of variuos grains and fruiets for children, and for relaxation inthe cool of the evening. See jos0206, 2sa1102, 2sa1824, ne0816, mt1027." SDA Bible Commentary.
 10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
 11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.
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 12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.   Fringes Better "tassels." The Hebrew word appears in the OT only in 1ki0717. It comes from the verb "to become great," or "to twist" and is different from the word translated "fringes" in nu1537. God's people were to be distinguished by their dress. They were to avoid following popular fashion. Jesus wants us to be distinguished by our our unity with Christ and each other jn1723.
 13 ¶ If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
 14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
 15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
 16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
  13 - Hate her Or find out he dislikes her. We assume the marriage was based on lust rather than serious love.
  14, 15 - Speech against her "and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,' then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate." (NKJV)
.17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
 18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
 19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
  17 - Cloth The word means "wrapper" or "mantle." It's a large square cloth used as an outer garment by both men and women. v5, ge3502, ex2226, 2sa1220, ru0303.
  19 - Amerce Or "fine" or "punish."
 20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
.21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
  21 - Stone her See on de1306.
.22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
 23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
.24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
  23 - Betrothed We would say "engaged."
  24 - Stone See de1306.
 25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: 
 26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
 27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
  25 - Man force her "A rape also, by these ancient institutions, was punished with death, because a woman's honour was considered equally as precious as her life; therefore the same punishment was inflicted on the ravisher as upon the murderer. This offence is considered in the same point of view in the British laws, and by them also it is punished with death." (Clarke).
 28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
 29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
.30 A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.
  30 - Take his father's wife "This is to be understood as referring to the case of a stepmother.  A man in his old age may have married a young wife, and on his dying, his son by a former wife may desire to espouse her: this the law prohibits.  It was probably on pretence of having broken this law, that Solomon put his brother Adonijah to death, because he had desired to have his father's concubine to wife, 1Ki 2:13-25." (Clarke)
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