1 Thou shalt not see H7200 thy brother's H251 ox H7794 or his sheep H7716 go astray, H5080 and hide H5956 thyself from them: thou shalt in any case H7725 bring them again H7725 unto thy brother. H251
2 And if thy brother H251 be not nigh H7138 unto thee, or if thou know H3045 him not, then thou shalt bring H622 it unto H8432 thine own house, H1004 and it shall be with thee until thy brother H251 seek H1875 after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. H7725
3 In like manner H3651 shalt thou do H6213 with his ass; H2543 and so shalt thou do H6213 with his raiment; H8071 and with all lost thing H9 of thy brother's, H251 which he hath lost, H6 and thou hast found, H4672 shalt thou do H6213 likewise: thou mayest H3201 not hide H5956 thyself.
4 Thou shalt not see H7200 thy brother's H251 ass H2543 or his ox H7794 fall down H5307 by the way, H1870 and hide H5956 thyself from them: thou shalt surely H6965 help him to lift them up again. H6965
5 The woman H802 shall not wear that which pertaineth H3627 unto a man, H1397 neither shall a man H1397 put H3847 on a woman's H802 garment: H8071 for all that do H6213 so H428 are abomination H8441 unto the LORD H3068 thy God. H430
6 If a bird's H6833 nest H7064 chance H7122 to be before H6440 thee in the way H1870 in any tree, H6086 or on the ground, H776 whether they be young ones, H667 or eggs, H1000 and the dam H517 sitting H7257 upon the young, H667 or upon the eggs, H1000 thou shalt not take H3947 the dam H517 with the young: H1121
7 But thou shalt in any wise H7971 let the dam H517 go, H7971 and take H3947 the young H1121 to thee; that it may be well H3190 with thee, and that thou mayest prolong H748 thy days. H3117
8 When thou buildest H1129 a new H2319 house, H1004 then thou shalt make H6213 a battlement H4624 for thy roof, H1406 that thou bring H7760 not blood H1818 upon thine house, H1004 if any man H5307 fall H5307 from thence.
9 Thou shalt not sow H2232 thy vineyard H3754 with divers seeds: H3610 lest the fruit H4395 of thy seed H2233 which thou hast sown, H2232 and the fruit H8393 of thy vineyard, H3754 be defiled. H6942
10 Thou shalt not plow H2790 with an ox H7794 and an ass H2543 together. H3162
11 Thou shalt not wear H3847 a garment of divers sorts, H8162 as of woollen H6785 and linen H6593 together. H3162
12 Thou shalt make H6213 thee fringes H1434 upon the four H702 quarters H3671 of thy vesture, H3682 wherewith thou coverest H3680 thyself.
13 If any man H376 take H3947 a wife, H802 and go in H935 unto her, and hate H8130 her,
14 And give H7760 occasions H5949 of speech H1697 against her, and bring up H3318 an evil H7451 name H8034 upon her, and say, H559 I took H3947 this woman, H802 and when I came H7126 to her, I found H4672 her not a maid: H1331
15 Then shall the father H1 of the damsel, H5291 and her mother, H517 take H3947 and bring forth H3318 the tokens of the damsel's H5291 virginity H1331 unto the elders H2205 of the city H5892 in the gate: H8179
16 And the damsel's H5291 father H1 shall say H559 unto the elders, H2205 I gave H5414 my daughter H1323 unto this man H376 to wife, H802 and he hateth H8130 her;
17 And, lo, he hath given H7760 occasions H5949 of speech H1697 against her, saying, H559 I found H4672 not thy daughter H1323 a maid; H1331 and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's H1323 virginity. H1331 And they shall spread H6566 the cloth H8071 before H6440 the elders H2205 of the city. H5892
18 And the elders H2205 of that city H5892 shall take H3947 that man H376 and chastise H3256 him;
19 And they shall amerce H6064 him in an hundred H3967 shekels of silver, H3701 and give H5414 them unto the father H1 of the damsel, H5291 because he hath brought up H3318 an evil H7451 name H8034 upon a virgin H1330 of Israel: H3478 and she shall be his wife; H802 he may H3201 not put her away H7971 all his days. H3117
20 But if this thing H1697 be true, H571 and the tokens of virginity H1331 be not found H4672 for the damsel: H5291
21 Then they shall bring out H3318 the damsel H5291 to the door H6607 of her father's H1 house, H1004 and the men H582 of her city H5892 shall stone H5619 her with stones H68 that she die: H4191 because she hath wrought H6213 folly H5039 in Israel, H3478 to play the whore H2181 in her father's H1 house: H1004 so shalt thou put H1197 evil H7451 away H1197 from among H7130 you.
22 If a man H376 be found H4672 lying H7901 with a woman H802 married H1166 to an husband, H1167 then they shall both of them H8147 die, H4191 both the man H376 that lay H7901 with the woman, H802 and the woman: H802 so shalt thou put away H1197 evil H7451 from Israel. H3478
23 If a damsel H5291 that is a virgin H1330 be betrothed H781 unto an husband, H376 and a man H376 find H4672 her in the city, H5892 and lie H7901 with her;
24 Then ye shall bring H3318 them both H8147 out unto the gate H8179 of that city, H5892 and ye shall stone H5619 them with stones H68 that they die; H4191 the damsel, H5291 because H834 H1697 she cried H6817 not, being in the city; H5892 and the man, H376 because H834 H1697 he hath humbled H6031 his neighbour's H7453 wife: H802 so thou shalt put away H1197 evil H7451 from among H7130 you.
25 But if a man H376 find H4672 a betrothed H781 damsel H5291 in the field, H7704 and the man H376 force H2388 her, and lie H7901 with her: then the man H376 only that lay H7901 with her shall die: H4191
26 But unto the damsel H5291 thou shalt do H6213 nothing; H1697 there is in the damsel H5291 no sin H2399 worthy of death: H4194 for as when a man H376 riseth H6965 against his neighbour, H7453 and slayeth H7523 H5315 him, even so is this matter: H1697
27 For he found H4672 her in the field, H7704 and the betrothed H781 damsel H5291 cried, H6817 and there was none to save H3467 her.
28 If a man H376 find H4672 a damsel H5291 that is a virgin, H1330 which is not betrothed, H781 and lay hold H8610 on her, and lie H7901 with her, and they be found; H4672
29 Then the man H376 that lay H7901 with her shall give H5414 unto the damsel's H5291 father H1 fifty H2572 shekels of silver, H3701 and she shall be his wife; H802 because he hath humbled H6031 her, he may H3201 not put her away H7971 all his days. H3117
30 A man H376 shall not take H3947 his father's H1 wife, H802 nor discover H1540 his father's H1 skirt. H3671
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 22
Commentary on Deuteronomy 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
De 22:1-4. Of Humanity toward Brethren.
1. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them, &c.—"Brother" is a term of extensive application, comprehending persons of every description; not a relative, neighbor, or fellow countryman only, but any human being, known or unknown, a foreigner, and even an enemy (Ex 23:4). The duty inculcated is an act of common justice and charity, which, while it was taught by the law of nature, was more clearly and forcibly enjoined in the law delivered by God to His people. Indifference or dissimulation in the circumstances supposed would not only be cruelty to the dumb animals, but a violation of the common rights of humanity; and therefore the dictates of natural feeling, and still more the authority of the divine law, enjoined that the lost or missing property of another should be taken care of by the finder, till a proper opportunity occurred of restoring it to the owner.
De 22:5-12. The Sex to Be Distinguished by Apparel.
5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment—Though disguises were assumed at certain times in heathen temples, it is probable that a reference was made to unbecoming levities practised in common life. They were properly forbidden; for the adoption of the habiliments of the one sex by the other is an outrage on decency, obliterates the distinctions of nature by fostering softness and effeminacy in the man, impudence and boldness in the woman as well as levity and hypocrisy in both; and, in short, it opens the door to an influx of so many evils that all who wear the dress of another sex are pronounced "an abomination unto the Lord."
6, 7. If a bird's nest chance to be before thee—This is a beautiful instance of the humanizing spirit of the Mosaic law, in checking a tendency to wanton destructiveness and encouraging a spirit of kind and compassionate tenderness to the tiniest creatures. But there was wisdom as well as humanity in the precept; for, as birds are well known to serve important uses in the economy of nature, the extirpation of a species, whether of edible or ravenous birds, must in any country be productive of serious evils. But Palestine, in particular, was situated in a climate which produced poisonous snakes and scorpions; and the deserts and mountains would have been overrun with them as well as immense swarms of flies, locusts, mice, and vermin of various kinds if the birds which fed upon them were extirpated [Michaelis]. Accordingly, the counsel given in this passage was wise as well as humane, to leave the hen undisturbed for the propagation of the species, while the taking of the brood occasionally was permitted as a check to too rapid an increase.
8. thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence—The tops of houses in ancient Judea, as in the East still, were flat, being composed of branches or twigs laid across large beams, and covered with a cement of clay or strong plaster. They were surrounded by a parapet breast high. In summer the roof is a favorite resort for coolness, and accidents would frequently happen from persons incautiously approaching the edge and falling into the street or court; hence it was a wise and prudent precaution in the Jewish legislator to provide that a stone balustrade or timber railing round the roof should form an essential part of every new house.
9. Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds—(See on Le 19:19).
10. Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together—Whether this association, like the mixture of seeds, had been dictated by superstitious motives and the prohibition was symbolical, designed to teach a moral lesson (2Co 6:14), may or may not have been the case. But the prohibition prevented a great inhumanity still occasionally practised by the poorer sort in Oriental countries. An ox and ass, being of different species and of very different characters, cannot associate comfortably, nor unite cheerfully in drawing a plough or a wagon. The ass being much smaller and his step shorter, there would be an unequal and irregular draft. Besides, the ass, from feeding on coarse and poisonous weeds, has a fetid breath, which its yoke fellow seeks to avoid, not only as poisonous and offensive, but producing leanness, or, if long continued, death; and hence, it has been observed always to hold away its head from the ass and to pull only with one shoulder.
11. thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts—The essence of the crime (Zep 1:8) consisted, not in wearing a woollen and a linen robe, but in the two stuffs being woven together, according to a favorite superstition of ancient idolaters (see on Le 19:19).
12. thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters—or, according to some eminent biblical interpreters, tassels on the coverlet of the bed. The precept is not the same as Nu 15:38.
13-30. If a man take a wife, &c.—The regulations that follow might be imperatively needful in the then situation of the Israelites; and yet, it is not necessary that we should curiously and impertinently inquire into them. So far was it from being unworthy of God to leave such things upon record, that the enactments must heighten our admiration of His wisdom and goodness in the management of a people so perverse and so given to irregular passions. Nor is it a better argument that the Scriptures were not written by inspiration of God to object that this passage, and others of a like nature, tend to corrupt the imagination and will be abused by evil-disposed readers, than it is to say that the sun was not created by God, because its light may be abused by wicked men as an assistant in committing crimes which they have meditated [Horne].