Chapters 19-21

 

Deu 19:1  When Jehovah your God shall cut off the nations whose land Jehovah your God is giving to you, and when you dispossess them, and live in their cities, and in their houses, 

Deu 19:2  you shall separate three cities for you in the midst of your land, which Jehovah your God is giving you to possess it. 

Deu 19:3  You shall prepare the way for yourself, and shall divide into three parts the border of your land which Jehovah your God shall cause you to inherit, so that every manslayer may flee there. 

Deu 19:4  And this is the case of the manslayer who shall flee there, that he may live: whoever strikes his neighbor unawares, and has not hated him yesterday and the day before; 

Deu 19:5  even he who goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand brings a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips from the wood and finds his neighbor so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities, and shall live; 

Deu 19:6  that the avenger of blood not pursue the manslayer when his heart is hot, and shall overtake him because the way is long, and shall strike him so as to die, and he had no sentence of death, for he did not hate him yesterday or the day before. 

Deu 19:7  On account of this I am commanding you, saying, You shall separate to yourself three cities. 

Deu 19:8  And if Jehovah your God shall enlarge your border, as He has sworn to your fathers, and shall give to you all the land which He has spoken to give to your fathers, 

Deu 19:9  if you will keep these commandments which I am commanding you today, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in His ways forever, then you shall add to yourself another three cities to these three. 

Deu 19:10  And innocent blood shall not be shed in the midst of your land, which Jehovah your God is giving to you as an inheritance, and there be blood on you. 

Deu 19:11  And if a man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes his life from him, so that he dies, and flees to one of these cities, 

Deu 19:12  then the elders of his city shall send and bring from him there, and give him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 

Deu 19:13  Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it shall be well with you. 

Deu 19:14  You may not remove your neighbor's landmark, which those formerly have set in your inheritance, which you shall inherit in the land which Jehovah your God is giving you, to possess it. 

Deu 19:15  One witness shall not rise against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin which he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses a thing shall be raised up to judgment. 

Deu 19:16  If a vicious witness rises up against any man to charge apostasy against him, 

Deu 19:17  then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days. 

Deu 19:18  And the judges shall carefully investigate and, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and he has testified falsely against his brother, 

Deu 19:19  then you shall do to him as he plotted to do to his brother. And you shall put away the evil from among you. 

Deu 19:20  And those who remain shall hear and fear, and thereafter shall not add to commit any such evil among you. 

Deu 19:21  And your eye shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 

Deu 20:1  When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots, a people more than you, you shall not be afraid of them. For Jehovah your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 

Deu 20:2  And it shall be, when you draw near to battle, the priest shall come and speak to the people, 

Deu 20:3  and say to them. Hear, Israel, you are drawing near today to battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart be faint; do not fear nor tremble, nor be terrified before their faces. 

Deu 20:4  For Jehovah your God is He who is going before you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 

Deu 20:5  And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, Who is the man that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, that he not die in battle and another man dedicate it. 

Deu 20:6  And who is the man that has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, that he not die in battle, and another man use its fruit. 

Deu 20:7  And who is the man who has betrothed a woman, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, that he not die in the battle, and another man take her. 

Deu 20:8  And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, Who is the man who is afraid, and faint of heart? Let him go and return to his house; then the heart of his brothers will not melt like his heart. 

Deu 20:9  And it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, commanders of the armies shall be appointed at the head of the people. 

Deu 20:10  When you come near a city to fight against it, then call to it for peace. 

Deu 20:11  And it shall be, if it answers peace to you, and shall open to you, then it shall be that all the people found in it shall be forced laborers for you, and shall serve you. 

Deu 20:12  And if it shall not make peace with you, and shall make war with you, then you shall lay siege against it. 

Deu 20:13  And Jehovah your God shall give it into your hand; and you shall strike every male of it by the mouth of the sword. 

Deu 20:14  Only, the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all in the city, all its plunder, you shall seize for yourself. And you shall eat the plunder of your enemies which Jehovah your God has given to you. 

Deu 20:15  So you shall do to all the cities very far away from you, which are not of the cities of these nations. 

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah your God is giving to you as an inheritance, you shall not keep alive any that breathes. 

Deu 20:17  But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as Jehovah your God has commanded you; 

Deu 20:18  so that they may not teach you to do according to all their filthy deeds which they have done for their gods; and you would sin against Jehovah your God. 

Deu 20:19  When you shall lay siege to a city many days, to fight against it, to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees in order to force an axe against them. For you shall eat of them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man, that it should be used by you to lay siege? 

Deu 20:20  Only the tree which you know not to be a fruit tree, you may destroy it, and may cut it down, and may build a bulwark against the city making war with you, until you have subdued it. 

Deu 21:1  If one is found slain in the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you, to possess it, lying in the field, and it is not known who has struck him; 

Deu 21:2  then your elders and your judges shall come out. And they shall measure to the cities which are around the one slain. 

Deu 21:3  And it shall be, that the city nearest to the one slain, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke. 

Deu 21:4  And the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to an ever-flowing stream, which is not plowed nor sown. And they shall break the heifer's neck there by the stream. 

Deu 21:5  And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near (for Jehovah your God has chosen them to minister to Him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah) and by their mouth shall every controversy and every stroke be tried. 

Deu 21:6  And all the elders of that city nearest to the one slain shall wash their hands by the stream, over the heifer whose neck was broken. 

Deu 21:7  And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. 

Deu 21:8  O Jehovah, be merciful to Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 

Deu 21:9  And you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, for you shall do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah. 

Deu 21:10  When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Jehovah your God has given them into your hands, and you have taken them captive; 

Deu 21:11  and you have seen in the captivity a woman of beautiful form, and you desire her, even to take her to you for a wife, 

Deu 21:12  then you shall bring her into the midst of your household. And she shall shave her head, and prepare her nails, 

Deu 21:13  and shall remove the clothing of her captivity from her, and shall live in your house, and shall sorrow for her father and her mother a month of days. Then afterwards you shall go in to her, and shall marry her; and she shall be a wife to you. 

Deu 21:14  And it shall be, if you do not delight in her, you shall send her away at her desire; and you shall not at all sell her for silver; you shall not treat her as a slave, because you have humbled her. 

Deu 21:15  If a man has two wives, the one loved, and the other hated; and they have borne him sons, both the loved one and the hated one; and if the first-born son was of her who was hated, 

Deu 21:16  then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons to inherit that which is his, he is not able to cause to inherit the first-born son of the one loved before the first-born son of the one hated, who is truly the first-born. 

Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated one, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the firstfruit of his strength, the right of the first-born is his. 

Deu 21:18  If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not listen to his father's voice, or his mother's voice; even though they discipline him, he will not listen to them; 

Deu 21:19  then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place; 

Deu 21:20  and they shall say to the elders of his city, This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not listen to our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 

Deu 21:21  And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, and he shall die. So you shall put away the evil from among you, that all Israel shall hear, and fear. 

Deu 21:22  And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 

Deu 21:23  his body shall not remain all night on the tree; but burying you shall bury him the same day. For he that is hanged is a reproach to God. And you shall not defile your land which Jehovah your God is giving to you as an inheritance. 

Main Points: Cities of refuge, penalty for murder, don’t move border landmarks, penalty for false witnesses, guidelines for war/battle, guidelines for war/plunder, rules for unsolved murder/slayings, rules concerning the taking of a plundered woman, rules for inheritance with multiple wives, dealing with a rebellious son, rules for an executed body.

1.    What was the purpose of the cities of refuge (19:1-13)? Apparently, if you accidentally killed someone, their relatives could exact recompense by killing you (out of anger). In this text, there is no crime committed for vengeance killing. As a measure of justice, cities were set up where the slayer could run to and live in peace. Today, we practice this with lesser charges (not murder, but manslaughter).    

2.    What was required to convict a crime (19:15-21)? What was to happen to a malicious witness? 2 or more witnesses are required before a charge can go before the court (see also 17:6). If someone falsely accuses another: you shall do to him as he plotted to do to his brother.... life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Whatever the punishment was to be against the accused is levied against the false accuser. Is this just?
Note in these type of cases there is to be an emotional detachment: “your eye shall not pity” Pity: H2347 - chûs – “to cover”  - We must also assume that anger or vengeance would never be a motive for those judges. How does a person do this, or can they?

3.    Who did not have to go to war (20:1-9)?
The one who:
--built a house but has not dedicated it (lest he dies and another man dedicate it)
--planted a vineyard but has not eaten of its fruit –(lest he dies and another man eats it)
--is betrothed and not yet “taken” her – (lest he die and another man take her)
--is afraid (so others do not become afraid)
These first three were steps taken out of a sense of equity/justice. Considering that a person should enjoy the fruits of their labors.
The final instruction is more of a pragmatic strategy, understanding that a fearful soldier may do more harm than good in battle.

4.    What were the people to do before conquering a city (20:10-20)? What cities did this NOT apply to and why? Before going to war, see if the city is willing to subjugate peacefully. If they do, they will serve the Israelites. If they do not, then all the males are to be executed. Everyone, everything who is left is considered plundered property. This ONLY applies to the cities outside the land God is giving them. Those cities are to be completely destroyed. Is this an extension to the seven cities?
Also – the rule NOT to use fruit trees for building a seige is another pragmatic requirement. Fruit trees provide food, a valuable commodity and one that carries a certain special place in biblical stories.

5.    What was to be done for unsolved murders/slayings (21:1-9)? First, this was not done to “solve” the murder, but rather: “you shall put away the innocent blood from among you.” We must remember God told Cain:  “The voice of the blood of your brother cries to Me from the ground.” (Gen 4) – There were specifics to the HOW it was supposed to happen and by whom. The city nearest to the dead person was to send elders and judges. They were to offer sacrifices for the atonement for the offence. This gives us an insight to God’s world. He cannot/will not ignore an injustice like this. He expects authorities to do acknowledge the incident and its physical/spiritual impact. 

6.    What was to be done with a rebellious son (21:18-21)? What lessons do we learn? In this case the offence is gluttony* and drunkenness. His parents are to report him and have him executed (stoned). Ultimately these rebellions are associated with disobedience towards authority, and idolatry was the pinnacle of disobedience. Disobedience to parents is not unlike idolatry, where someone decides to do what they want outside of God’s paradigm. See also 13:6, 17:1 (execution for idolatry). This strict compliance reveals the level of importance for a unified effort. It is very much in keeping of a goal oriented military force…which is what Israel was at that time nationally.
What do we learn about gluttony*? The word for gluttony used could (in my opinion) be better interpreted as lazy and amoral. The glutton interpretation is an interesting decision (see ADDITIONAL below for the definition). 

7.    What was to be the perception regarding a person who is hanged on a tree (21:22-23)? Turn to Galatians 3:13 and consider how Paul uses this passage regarding Jesus: (see below)
Gal 3:10  For as many as are out of works of Law, these are under a curse. For it has been written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things having been written in the book of the Law, to do them." Deut. 27:26 
Gal 3:11  And that no one is justified by Law before God is clear because, "The just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4 
Gal 3:12  But the Law is not of faith, but, "The man doing these things shall live in them." Lev. 18:5 
Gal 3:13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us; for it has been written, "Cursed is everyone having been hung on a tree;" Deut. 21:23 
The one who is hanged is cursed by God. Leaving that person overnight would defile the land….which God gave them. This action was to be done in respect for God’s gift. It was in respect for Him.
The “cursed” on the tree statement shows the foreshadowing of the Christ. But we must not forget that in the law, this execution happened to sinners. Jesus was not a sinner and by THAT was able to both satisfy the blood requirement of a perfect sacrifice AND still retain a position of authority. It was a brilliant plan by design. The very thing seen as weakness (death) became the source of hope/life.
 

ADDITIONAL:

21:10-20 In these verses God is protecting women. We must remember that (in this case) He is addressing cultural norms and not establishing it. Note that in the case of a captured woman, she is protected should her “husband” not desire her. He is under strict rules concerning her rights.
Similar, if a man has more than one wife and he loves one more: If the “hated” wife bears the first born son, that son will inherit the double portion. That rings justice to the son, and to the wife.

 

Rebellious: maw-raw' A primitive root; to be (causatively make) bitter (or unpleasant);

Gluttony: zaw-lal' A primitive root (compare H2107); to shake (as in the wind), that is, to quake; figuratively to be loose morally, worthless or prodigal:unpleasant);