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Deuteronômio 23

ARC · Chapter 23/34

1O quebrado de quebradura, e o castrado, não entrará na congregação do Senhor.

2Nenhum bastardo entrará na congregação do Senhor: nem ainda a sua decima geração entrará na congregação do Senhor.

3Nenhum ammonita nem moabita entrará na congregação do Senhor: nem ainda a sua decima geração entrará na congregação do Senhor eternamente.

4Porquanto não sairam com pão e agua, a receber-vos no caminho, quando saíeis do Egypto; e porquanto alugou contra ti a Balaão, filho de Beor, de Pethor, de Mesopotamia, para te amaldiçoar.

5Porém o Senhor teu Deus não quiz ouvir Balaão: antes o Senhor teu Deus trocou em benção a maldição; porquanto o Senhor teu Deus te amava.

6Não lhes procurarás nem paz nem bem em todos os teus dias para sempre.

7Não abominarás o edumeo, pois é teu irmão: nem abominarás o egypcio; pois estrangeiro foste na sua terra.

8Os filhos que lhes nascerem na terceira geração, cada um d'elles entrará na congregação do Senhor.

9Quando o exercito sair contra os teus inimigos, então te guardarás de toda a coisa má.

10Quando entre ti houver algum que por algum accidente de noite não estiver limpo, sairá fóra do exercito; não entrará no meio do exercito.

11Porém será que, declinando a tarde, se lavará em agua; e, em se pondo o sol, entrará no meio do arraial.

12Tambem terás um logar fóra do arraial; e ali sairás fóra.

13E entre as tuas armas terás uma pá; e será que, quando estiveres assentado fóra, então com ella cavarás, e, virando-te, cobrirás aquillo que saiu de ti.

14Porquanto o Senhor teu Deus anda no meio do teu arraial, para te livrar, e entregar os teus inimigos diante de ti: pelo que o teu arraial será sancto: para que elle não veja coisa feia em ti, e se torne atraz de ti.

15Não entregarás a seu senhor o servo que se acolner a ti de seu senhor;

16Comtigo ficará no meio de ti, no logar que escolher em alguma das tuas portas, onde lhe estiver bem: não o opprimirás.

17Não haverá rameira d'entre as filhas d'Israel; nem haverá sodomita d'entre os filhos d'Israel.

18Não trarás salario de rameira nem preço de cão á casa do Senhor teu Deus por qualquer voto: porque estes ambos são egualmente abominação ao Senhor teu Deus.

19A teu irmão não emprestarás á usura, nem á usura de dinheiro, nem á usura de comida, nem á usura de qualquer coisa que se empreste á usura.

20Ao estranho emprestarás á usura, porém a teu irmão não emprestarás á usura: para que o Senhor teu Deus te abençoe em tudo no que pozeres a tua mão, na terra a qual vaes a possuir.

21Quando votares algum voto ao Senhor teu Deus, não tardarás em pagal-o; porque o Senhor teu Deus certamente o requererá de ti, e em ti haverá peccado.

22Porém, abstendo-te de votar, não haverá peccado em ti

23O que saiu da tua bocca guardarás, e o farás; trazendo a offerta voluntaria, assim como votaste ao Senhor teu Deus, o que declaraste pela tua bocca.

24Quando entrares na vinha do teu proximo, comerás uvas conforme ao teu desejo até te fartares, porém não as porás no teu vaso

25Quando entrares na seara do teu proximo, com a tua mão arrancarás as espigas; porém não metterás a foice na seara do teu proximo.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses establishes who may or may not be included in the 'congregation of the LORD,' hygiene laws for the military camp, protection for runaway slaves, a prohibition against cultic prostitution, rules about charging interest on loans to foreigners versus Israelites, and the seriousness of keeping vows made to God.

Explanation

The restrictions on who could fully participate in the 'congregation' (certain neighboring peoples hostile for generations) reflected specific historical memories of hostility (such as the Ammonites and Moabites refusing to help Israel in the wilderness), but even these restrictions were not absolute or eternal for every people — Edomites and Egyptians, for example, would be accepted after the third generation, showing gradations rather than a permanent, total exclusion. The prohibition against charging interest to a fellow Israelite (while permitting it with foreigners) sought to protect the community's internal economic solidarity, preventing Israelites from financially exploiting one another in times of need. The emphasis on the seriousness of vows ('that which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep') reinforces a recurring theme in Deuteronomy: the integrity of one's given word, both to God and between people, was fundamental for a covenant society to function with mutual trust.

Fun facts

  • The permission to eat grapes or grain from a neighbor's field while passing through it, but forbidding carrying any away in a vessel or using a sickle (v. 24-25), is the same principle behind Jesus' disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1), showing a biblical social practice still in effect in the first century.
  • Ruth the Moabitess would become the great-grandmother of King David despite the restriction against Moabites mentioned in this chapter (v. 3) — one of the most notable biblical examples of grace and inclusion overcoming legal ethnic barriers, showing how general principles sometimes gave way before circumstances of genuine faith and loyal integration into the community.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 23:1Eunuchs, “bastards,” and peoples such as the Ammonites and Moabites were kept out of the assembly of Israel for many generations. In the case of the Moabites and Ammonites, the reason given in the next verse is historical: they did not help Israel in the wilderness and even hired Balaam to curse the people.
  2. Deuteronômio 23:2It restricts full participation in the religious community for descendants of an illegitimate union, for many generations.
  3. Deuteronômio 23:3Ammonites and Moabites were also kept out of the assembly of Israel, even after many generations.
  4. Deuteronômio 23:4The historical reason for this exclusion is the hostility of these peoples during the exodus, including hiring the prophet Balaam to curse Israel.
  5. Deuteronômio 23:5But God reversed the plan: instead of a curse, Balaam ended up pronouncing a blessing on Israel, because of God’s love for the people.
  6. Deuteronômio 23:6It reinforces permanent hostility toward these peoples: never seeking their peace or prosperity.
  7. Deuteronômio 23:7Edomites and Egyptians, however, receive different treatment, either as kin (Edom through Esau) or for having hosted Israel in the past.
  8. Deuteronômio 23:8Descendants of Edomites and Egyptians could enter the assembly as early as the third generation, showing a path toward inclusion.
  9. Deuteronômio 23:9It introduces purity rules for the military camp, beginning with a general call to proper conduct.
  10. Deuteronômio 23:10Whoever had a ritual uncleanness at night was to withdraw temporarily from the camp.
  11. Deuteronômio 23:11That person was to wash in the evening and only return to the camp after sunset.
  12. Deuteronômio 23:12The law about digging a hole outside the camp for one’s needs, with a shovel kept among one’s weapons, ties basic hygiene to the idea that God walks “in the midst of thy camp”: the camp had to stay clean because it was considered sacred space.
  13. Deuteronômio 23:13It commands carrying a specific tool for digging and covering one’s own waste, maintaining the camp’s hygiene.
  14. Deuteronômio 23:14The spiritual reason for this hygiene rule is that God walks in the midst of the camp — which is why it must be kept holy and clean.
  15. Deuteronômio 23:15It forbids returning to his former master a runaway slave who sought refuge in Israel.
  16. Deuteronômio 23:16That servant was to be free to live wherever he chose, without oppression.
  17. Deuteronômio 23:17It forbids cultic prostitution, both female and male, within the religion of Israel — a practice common in Canaanite worship.
  18. Deuteronômio 23:18It forbids using money earned through prostitution, even to fulfill a religious vow, since it was considered an abomination.
  19. Deuteronômio 23:19Charging interest was forbidden between Israelites, but allowed with foreigners: the logic was to protect fellow community members who borrowed from growing poverty, without extending that protection to business outside the group.
  20. Deuteronômio 23:20It allows charging interest to a foreigner, but never to a fellow Israelite — reinforcing the different treatment inside and outside the community.
  21. Deuteronômio 23:21It requires promptly fulfilling any vow made to God, because delay would be counted as sin.
  22. Deuteronômio 23:22It makes clear that making no vow at all is not a sin — the problem is promising and not following through.
  23. Deuteronômio 23:23It reinforces that a word freely given to God must be kept exactly as promised.
  24. Deuteronômio 23:24Anyone passing through a neighbor’s vineyard or grainfield could eat grapes or pluck ears of grain by hand to satisfy hunger on the spot, but could not carry any away in a container or use a sickle. It was permission for the hungry, not a license to harvest another person’s crop.
  25. Deuteronômio 23:25It allows plucking ears of grain by hand in another person’s field to eat, but forbids using a sickle to harvest in quantity — a survival right that stops short of becoming theft.

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