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Deuteronomy 24-27

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Deuteronomy 24

1When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's [wife] .

3And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;

4her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Jehovah: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

5When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go out in the host, neither shall he be charged with any business: he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.

6No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh [a man's] life to pledge.

7If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

8Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

9Remember what Jehovah thy God did unto Miriam, by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt.

10When thou dost lend thy neighbor any manner of loan, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

11Thou shalt stand without, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring forth the pledge without unto thee.

12And if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge;

13thou shalt surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before Jehovah thy God.

14Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy sojourners that are in thy land within thy gates:

15in his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be sin unto thee.

16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

17Thou shalt not wrest the justice [due] to the sojourner, [or] to the fatherless, nor take the widow's raiment to pledge;

18but thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

19When thou reapest thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.

20When thou beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21When thou gatherest [the grapes of] thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it after thee: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Deuteronomy 25

1If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and [the judges] judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked;

2and it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his wickedness, by number.

3Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

4Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out [the grain] .

5If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her.

6And it shall be, that the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel.

7And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.

8Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand, and say, I like not to take her;

9then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house.

10And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

11When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets;

12then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.

13Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small.

14Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small.

15A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

16For all that do such things, [even] all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.

17Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt;

18how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

19Therefore it shall be, when Jehovah thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget.

Deuteronomy 26

1And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein,

2that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.

3And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us.

4And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God.

5And thou shalt answer and say before Jehovah thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

6And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

7and we cried unto Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression;

8and Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders;

9and he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

10And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Jehovah, hast given me. And thou shalt set it down before Jehovah thy God, and worship before Jehovah thy God:

11and thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the sojourner that is in the midst of thee.

12When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then thou shalt give it unto the Levite, to the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled.

13And thou shalt say before Jehovah thy God, I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandment which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed any of thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

14I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I put away thereof, being unclean, nor given thereof for the dead: I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah my God; I have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

15Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the ground which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.

16This day Jehovah thy God commandeth thee to do these statutes and ordinances: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.

17Thou hast avouched Jehovah this day to be thy God, and that thou wouldest walk in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and hearken unto his voice:

18and Jehovah hath avouched thee this day to be a people for his own possession, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

19and to make thee high above all nations that he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto Jehovah thy God, as he hath spoken.

Deuteronomy 27

1And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandment which I command you this day.

2And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster:

3and thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over; that thou mayest go in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath promised thee.

4And it shall be, when ye are passed over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster.

5And there shalt thou build an altar unto Jehovah thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt lift up no iron [tool] upon them.

6Thou shalt build the altar of Jehovah thy God of unhewn stones; and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah thy God:

7and thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God.

8And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

9And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Keep silence, and hearken, O Israel: this day thou art become the people of Jehovah thy God.

10Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of Jehovah thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.

11And Moses charged the people the same day, saying,

12These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin.

13And these shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

14And the Levites shall answer, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,

15Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

16Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

17Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

18Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.

19Cursed be he that wresteth the justice [due] to the sojourner, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

20Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife, because he hath uncovered his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

21Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

22Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

23Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

24Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say, Amen.

25Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

26Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

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Matthew Henry Concise Commentary

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Deuteronomy 24:1-4 Verses 1-4

Where the providence of God, or his own wrong choice in marriage, has allotted to a Christian a trial instead of a help meet; he will from his heart prefer bearing the cross, to such relief as tends to sin, confusion, and misery. Divine grace will sanctify this cross, support under it, and teach so to behave, as will gradually render it more tolerable.

Deuteronomy 24:5-13 Verses 5-13

It is of great consequence that love be kept up between husband and wife; that they carefully avoid every thing which might make them strange one to another. Man-stealing was a capital crime, which could not be settled, as other thefts, by restitution. The laws concerning leprosy must be carefully observed. Thus all who feel their consciences under guilt and wrath, must not cover it, or endeavour to shake off their convictions; but by repentance, and prayer, and humble confession, take the way to peace and pardon. Some orders are given about pledges for money lent. This teaches us to consult the comfort and subsistence of others, as much as our own advantage. Let the poor debtor sleep in his own raiment, and praise God for thy kindness to him. Poor debtors ought to feel more than commonly they do, the goodness of creditors who do not take all the advantage of the law against them, nor should this ever be looked upon as weakness.

Deuteronomy 24:14-22 Verses 14-22

It is not hard to prove that purity, piety, justice, mercy, fair conduct, kindness to the poor and destitute, consideration for them, and generosity of spirit, are pleasing to God, and becoming in his redeemed people. The difficulty is to attend to them in our daily walk and conversation.

Deuteronomy 25:1-3 Verses 1-3

Every punishment should be with solemnity, that those who see it may be filled with dread, and be warned not to offend in like manner. And though the criminals must be shamed as well as put to pain, for their warning and disgrace, yet care should be taken that they do not appear totally vile. Happy those who are chastened of the Lord to humble them, that they should not be condemned with the world to destruction.

Deuteronomy 25:4 Verse 4

This is a charge to husbandmen. It teaches us to make much of the animals that serve us. But we must learn, not only to be just, but kind to all who are employed for the good of our better part, our souls, 1Co 9:9.

Deuteronomy 25:5-12 Verses 5-12

The custom here regulated seems to have been in the Jewish law in order to keep inheritances distinct; now it is unlawful.

Deuteronomy 25:13-16 Verses 13-16

Dishonest gain always brings a curse on men's property, families, and souls. Happy those who judge themselves, repent of and forsake their sins, and put away evil things, that they may not be condemned of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Verses 17-19

Let every persecutor and injurer of God's people take warning from the case of the Amalekites. The longer it is before judgement comes, the more dreadful will it be at last. Amalek may remind us of the foes of our souls. May we be enabled to slay all our lusts, all the corruptions both within and without, all the powers of darkness and of the world, which oppose our way to the blessed Saviour.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Verses 1-11

When God has made good his promises to us, he expects we should own it to the honour of his faithfulness. And our creature comforts are doubly sweet, when we see them flowing from the fountain of the promise. The person who offered his first-fruits, must remember and own the mean origin of that nation, of which he was a member. A Syrian ready to perish was my father. Jacob is here called a Syrian. Their nation in its infancy sojourned in Egypt as strangers, they served there as slaves. They were a poor, despised, oppressed people in Egypt; and though become rich and great, had no reason to be proud, secure, or forgetful of God. He must thankfully acknowledge God's great goodness to Israel. The comfort we have in our own enjoyments, should lead us to be thankful for our share in public peace and plenty; and with present mercies we should bless the Lord for the former mercies we remember, and the further mercies we expect and hope for. He must offer his basket of first-fruits. Whatever good thing God gives us, it is his will that we make the most comfortable use we can of it, tracing the streams to the Fountain of all consolation.

Deuteronomy 26:12-15 Verses 12-15

How should the earth yield its increase, or, if it does, what comfort can we take in it, unless therewith our God gives us his blessing? All this represented the covenant relation between a reconciled God and every true believer, and the privileges and duties belonging to it. We must be watchful, and show that according to the covenant of grace in Christ Jesus, the Lord is our God, and we are his people, waiting in his appointed way for the performance of his gracious promises.

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 Verses 16-19

Moses here enforces the precepts. They are God's laws, therefore thou shalt do them, to that end were they given thee; do them, and dispute them not; do them, and draw not back; do them, not carelessly and hypocritically, but with thy heart and soul, thy whole heart and thy whole soul. We forswear ourselves, and break the most sacred engagement, if, when we have taken the Lord to be our God, we do not make conscience of obeying his commands. We are elected to obedience, 1Pe 1:2; chosen that we should be holy, Eph 1:4; purified a peculiar people, that we might not only do good works, but be zealous in them, Tit 2:14. Holiness is true honour, and the only way to everlasting honour.

Deuteronomy 27:1-10 Verses 1-10

As soon as they were come into Canaan, they must set up a monument, on which they must write the words of this law. They must set up an altar. The word and prayer must go together. Though they might not, of their own heads, set up any altar besides that at the tabernacle; yet, by the appointment of God, they might, upon special occasion. This altar must be made of unhewn stones, such as they found upon the field. Christ, our Altar, is a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, refused by the builders, as having no form or comeliness, but accepted of God the Father, and made the Head of the corner. In the Old Testament the words of the law are written, with the curse annexed; which would overcome us with horror, if we had not, in the New Testament, an altar erected close by, which gives consolation. Blessed be God, the printed copies of the Scriptures among us, do away the necessity of such methods as were presented to Israel. The end of the gospel ministry is, and the end of preachers ought to be, to make the word of God as plain as possible. Yet, unless the Spirit of God prosper such labours with Divine power, we shall not, even by these means, be made wise unto salvation: for this blessing we should therefore daily and earnestly pray.

Deuteronomy 27:11-26 Verses 11-26

The six tribes appointed for blessing, were all children of the free women, for to such the promise belongs, Ga 4:31. Levi is here among the rest. Ministers should apply to themselves the blessing and curse they preach to others, and by faith set their own Amen to it. And they must not only allure people to their duty with the promises of a blessing, but awe them with the threatenings of a curse, by declaring that a curse would be upon those who do such things. To each of the curses the people were to say, Amen. It professed their faith, that these, and the like curses, were real declarations of the wrath of God against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, not one jot of which shall fall to the ground. It was acknowledging the equity of these curses. Those who do such things deserve to fall, and lie under the curse. Lest those who were guilty of other sins, not here mentioned, should think themselves safe from the curse, the last reaches all. Not only those who do the evil which the law forbids, but those also who omit the good which the law requires. Without the atoning blood of Christ, sinners can neither have communion with a holy God, nor do any thing acceptable to him; his righteous law condemns every one who, at any time, or in any thing, transgresses it. Under its awful curse we remain as transgressors, until the redemption of Christ is applied to our hearts. Wherever the grace of God brings salvation, it teaches the believer to deny ungodliness and wordly lusts, to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, consenting to, and delighting in the words of God's law, after the inward man. In this holy walk, true peace and solid joy are to be found.

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Key Words and Topics

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Abomination to God: Idolatry Deuteronomy 27:15

‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

Abomination to God: Uncleanness Deuteronomy 24:4

then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Abomination to God: Unjust Weights and Measures Deuteronomy 25:13–16

You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. / You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small. / You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Adoption: Spiritual Deuteronomy 26:18

And today the LORD has proclaimed that you are His people and treasured possession as He promised, that you are to keep all His commandments,

Adultery: Penalties For Deuteronomy 27:20, 22, 23

‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ / ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ / ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

Agriculture: Laws Concerning Deuteronomy 24:19–21

If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. / When you beat the olives from your trees, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. / When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.

Aliens: To be Treated with Justice Deuteronomy 24:14, 17

Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. / Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.

Altar: Built by Joshua Deuteronomy 27:4–7

And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster. / Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. / You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God.

Altar: Mosaic Commandments Prescribing the Construction of Deuteronomy 27:5–7

Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. / You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. / There you are to sacrifice your peace offerings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God.

Altars: To be Made of Earth, or Unhewn Stone Deuteronomy 27:5, 6

Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. / You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God.

Amalekites: Israel Commanded to Destroy Deuteronomy 25:17–19

Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, / how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God. / When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

Amen: A Word Used to Reenforce a Statement Deuteronomy 27:12–26

“When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. / And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. / Then the Levites shall proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:

Animal Cruelty Deuteronomy 25:4

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

Arm: Figurative Use of Deuteronomy 26:8

Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, signs, and wonders.

Basket: General Scriptures Concerning Deuteronomy 26:2

you are to take some of the firstfruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name,

Beating: As a Punishment Deuteronomy 25:3

He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.

Beds of the Poor Covered with Upper Garment Deuteronomy 24:12, 13

If he is a poor man, you must not go to sleep with the security in your possession; / be sure to return it to him by sunset, so that he may sleep in his own cloak and bless you, and this will be credited to you as righteousness before the LORD your God.

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Peace offerings (Heb. shelamim), detailed regulations regarding given in Lev. 3; 7:11-21,… Righteousness See [535]JUSTIFICATION. Abomination This word is used, (1.) To express the idea that… Habitation God is the habitation of his people, who find rest… Foreigner A Gentile. Such as resided among the Hebrews were required… Sacrifice The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as… Wandering Of the Israelites in the wilderness in consequence of their… Benjamin Son of my right hand. (1.) The younger son of… Naphtali My wrestling, the fifth son of Jacob. His mother was… Issachar Hired (Gen. 30:18). "God hath given me," said Leah, "my… Marriage Was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Gen.… Daughter This word, besides its natural and proper sense, is used… Divorce The dissolution of the marriage tie was regulated by the… Zebulun Dwelling, the sixth and youngest son of Jacob and Leah… Husband I.e., the "house-band," connecting and keeping together the whole family.… Journey (1.) A day's journey in the East is from 16… Justice Is rendering to every one that which is his due.… Brother (1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt. 1:2; Luke…