Read Deuteronomy 21 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew Paragraphs:
21:1-9 {s} Atonement for unsolved murder
21:10-14 {s} Treatment of the captive woman
21:15-17 {s} Do not reject the legitimate firstborn
21:18-21 {s} Treatment of the rebellious son
21:22-23 {s} Treatment of the executed criminal
I believe there has been a shift in topic at Deu 21:10, from Do not commit murder (Deu 19:1-21:9) to Do not commit adultery (Deu 21:10-23:14).
“… and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your wife, …” Deu 21:11
We are no longer dealing with the slain or justice for the slain. We are now dealing with intimacy and marriage.
Deu 19:1-21:9, explaining Do not commit murder, forms its own Chiastic Structure.
Since we are transitioning to a new commandment, what can the rest of the paragraphs have to do with adultery?
21:10-14 {s} Treatment of the captive woman
This paragraph provides for the sanctity of marital intimacy.
21:15-17 {s} Do not reject the legitimate firstborn
This paragraph provides for the sanctity of the next generation. The source of the next generation is the man and woman who are vowed together for life in a marriage covenant.
21:18-21 {s} Treatment of the rebellious son
This paragraph provides for the sanctity of the next generation. The rebellious son who persists in dishonor and rebellion, even though the end result of his action is well-known to him, reveals that the depth of the depravity of his heart is as the depth of the depravity of the Canaanites’ hearts, whom Israel is to eradicate to the last man.
21:22-23 {s} Treatment of the executed criminal
This paragraph provides for the sanctity of the land. We are learning that keeping the 7th Commandment, Do not commit adultery, impacts more people than just the spouse. Keeping marital intimacy sacred preserves the next generation, and the land in which the next generation will dwell.
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
Deuteronomy 21:10-23:19 7th Commandment Summary: Do not commit adultery – Christine Miller
Leave a Reply