Read Deuteronomy 22:8-23:25 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph divisions:
Deu 22:8-9 {s} Preventing bloodguilt and defilement
Deu 22:10-11 {s} Prohibition of unlike mixtures
Deu 22:12 {s} You shall wear tzitzit on the four corners of your clothing
Deu 22:13-19 {s} Justice for the pure bride
Deu 22:20-21 {s} Justice for the impure bride
Deu 22:22 {s} Justice for the adulterous wife
Deu 22:23-24 {s} Justice for the betrothed virgin in the city
Deu 22:25-27 {s} Justice for the betrothed virgin in the country
Deu 22:28-29 {s} Justice for the unbetrothed virgin
Deu 22:30 {s} Unlawful unions prohibited
Deu 23:1 {s} Assembly membership prohibited (inability to produce seed)
Deu 23:2 {s} Assembly membership prohibited to 10th generation (seed of unlawful unions)
Deu 23:3-6 {s} Assembly membership prohibited to 10th generation (Ammon + Moab)
Deu 23:7-8 {s} Assembly membership allowed in 3rd generation (Edom + Egypt)
Deu 23:9-14 {s} Holiness in the army camp
Deu 23:15-16 {s} An escaped slave shall not be returned to his master
Deu 23:17-18 {s} Wages of a harlot + price of a dog shall not be offered to YHVH
Deu 23:19-20 {s} Do not steal by means of interest on loans
Deu 23:21-23 {s} Pay vows to YHVH
Deu 23:24 {s} Do not harvest your neighbor’s vineyard
Deu 23:25 {s} Do not harvest your neighbor’s standing grain
reverse parallelism:
1a) Deu 22:8-12 {sx3} Preserve the strength of the next generation, therefore keep yourself from falling away;
1a) Deu 22:8, You shall fence your roof to prevent falling away and incurring bloodguilt;
1b) Deu 22:9a, Prohibition against unlike mixtures;
central axis) Deu 22:9b {s} Lest the strength of the next generation be weakened;
2b) Deu 22:10-11 {s} Prohibition against unequal yokes;
2a) Deu 22:12 {s} You shall wear tzitzit on the four corners of your clothing to remember the Lord your God;
1b) Deu 22:13-19 {s} Justice for the virgin bride when her husband attempts to rid himself of her;
1) Deu 22:13-17, If a man bears false witness to rid himself of his virgin bride;
2) Deu 22:18-19a, The elders shall punish him + he shall give one hundred shekels of silver to her father;
3) Deu 22:19b {s} He has humbled her (given her a bad name) + he shall not divorce her all his days;
1c) Deu 22:20-21 {s} The betrothed woman who is not forced (dishonored marital intimacy) shall die + put away evil among you;
1d) Deu 22:22 {s} Both the man and the married woman who is not forced shall die + put away evil from Israel;
2d) Deu 22:23-24 {s} Both the man and the betrothed woman who is not forced shall die + put away evil among you;
2c) Deu 22:25-27 {s} A man who forces a betrothed woman (dishonored marital intimacy) shall die + crime as murder;
2b) Deu 22:28-29 {s} Justice for the virgin when her seducer does not take responsibility for her;
1) Deu 22:28, If a man seduces an unbetrothed virgin and attempts to hide it;
2) Deu 22:29a, He shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver;
3) Deu 22:29b {s} He has humbled her + he shall not divorce her all his days;
2a) Deu 22:30-23:25 {sx12} YHVH desires to bless you, therefore keep yourself from evil;
1a) Deu 22:30-23:8 {sx5} YHVH desires to bless you because He loves you;
1a) Deu 22:30-23:2 {sx3} Unlawful unions prohibited/ seed of unlawful unions shall not enter YHVH’s congregation;
1b) Deu 23:3, Ammon + Moab shall not enter YHVH’s congregation for ever;
1c) Deu 23:4a, Because they did not meet you with bread + water when you came out of Egypt;
1d) Deu 23:4b, They hired Balaam against you, to curse you;
central axis) Deu 23:5a, Nevertheless YHVH your God would not hearken unto Balaam;
2d) Deu 23:5b, But YHVH turned the curse into a blessing for you;
2c) Deu 23:5c, Because YHVH your God loves you;
2b) Deu 23:6 {s} You shall not seek their peace + prosperity all your days for ever;
2a) Deu 23:7-8 {s} The seed of Edom + Egypt shall enter YHVH’s congregation in the 3rd generation;
1b) Deu 23:9, When you go against your enemies, keep yourself from every evil thing;
1c) Deu 23:10, You shall go outside the camp if you are unclean by nocturnal discharge;
central axis) Deu 23:11, When evening comes, you shall wash with water + come into the camp again;
2c) Deu 23:12-13, You shall go outside the camp to relieve yourself, and cover over your refuse;
2b) Deu 23:14 {s} For YHVH walks among you, therefore your camp shall be holy;
2a) Deu 23:15-25 {sx6} YHVH desires to bless you;
1a) Deu 23:15-16 {s} Do not return your neighbor’s slave;
1b) Deu 23:17-18 {s} You shall not pay your vow to YHVH with abominable profit;
central axis) Deu 23:19-20 {s} You shall not lend to your brother with interest due, that YHVH may bless you;
2b) Deu 23:21-23 {s} You shall not be slack to pay the vow you have vowed to YHVH;
2a) Deu 23:24-25 {s+s} Do not steal your neighbor’s harvest.
This torah portion begins with commandments explaining what it means to keep “You shall not commit adultery;” and crosses into commandments explaining what it means to keep “You shall not steal.” The central portion of the structure is pretty self- explanatory. The A pair, however, is fascinating:
1A:
1a) Deu 22:8-12 {sx3} Preserve the strength of the next generation, therefore keep yourself from falling away;
1a) Deu 22:8, You shall fence your roof to prevent falling away and incurring bloodguilt;
1b) Deu 22:9a, Prohibition against unlike mixtures;
central axis) Deu 22:9b {s} Lest the strength of the next generation be weakened;
2b) Deu 22:10-11 {s} Prohibition against unequal yokes;
2a) Deu 22:12 {s} You shall wear tzitzit on the four corners of your clothing to remember YHVH your God;
Fencing your roof to prevent falling and incurring bloodguilt is a matching pair to wearing tzitzit on the four corners of your clothing, to remember the commandments of the YHVH your God, to do them. At first glance they seem to have nothing to do with each other. But go back to Deu 22:8:
When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it.
A man building a new house is often symbolic for a man building a new family. The Hebrew letter bet, in the ancient Hebrew pictographs, can mean both house and family (household). A man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife, and they shall become one flesh, Amen? Cleaving unto his wife is what the commandment “You shall not commit adultery” is teaching us. So the man leaves his old house/ family, and builds a new house/ family with his wife. That they become one flesh means that before you know it, there will be little ones underfoot LOL. So fence your new house (set the boundaries for your household in the commandments of YHVH God and teach them to your children), men, that no one (i.e. your little ones) may fall away from YHVH God, and you incur their bloodguilt. This is the same reason tzitzit are to be worn: remember the commandments of YHVH God, and do them.
2A:
2a) Deu 22:30-23:25 {sx12} YHVH desires to bless you, therefore keep yourself from evil;
1a) Deu 22:30-23:8 {sx5} YHVH desires to bless you because He loves you;
1a) Deu 22:30-23:2 {sx3} Unlawful unions prohibited/ seed of unlawful unions shall not enter YHVH’s congregation;
1b) Deu 23:3, Ammon + Moab shall not enter YHVH’s congregation for ever;
1c) Deu 23:4a, Because they did not meet you with bread + water when you came out of Egypt;
1d) Deu 23:4b, They hired Balaam against you, to curse you;
central axis) Deu 23:5a, Nevertheless YHVH your God would not hearken unto Balaam;
2d) Deu 23:5b, But YHVH turned the curse into a blessing for you;
2c) Deu 23:5c, Because YHVH your God loves you;
2b) Deu 23:6 {s} You shall not seek their peace + prosperity all your days for ever;
2a) Deu 23:7-8 {s} The seed of Edom + Egypt shall enter YHVH’s congregation in the 3rd generation;
1b) Deu 23:9, When you go against your enemies, keep yourself from every evil thing;
1c) Deu 23:10, You shall go outside the camp if you are unclean by nocturnal discharge;
central axis) Deu 23:11, When evening comes, you shall wash with water + come into the camp again;
2c) Deu 23:12-13, You shall go outside the camp to relieve yourself, and cover over your refuse;
2b) Deu 23:14 {s} For YHVH walks among you, therefore your camp shall be holy;
2a) Deu 23:15-25 {sx6} YHVH desires to bless you;
1a) Deu 23:15-16 {s} Do not return your neighbor’s slave;
1b) Deu 23:17-18 {s} You shall not pay your vow to YHVH with abominable profit;
central axis) Deu 23:19-20 {s} You shall not lend to your brother with interest due, that YHVH may bless you;
2b) Deu 23:21-23 {s} You shall not be slack to pay the vow you have vowed to YHVH;
2a) Deu 23:24-25 {s+s} Do not steal your neighbor’s harvest.
The 2A pair forms its own chiastic structure. Of that structure, the 1A pair has to do with who may or may not enter into the congregation of believers; that Ammon and Moab shall not enter the congregation of believers forever, because they did not show love to Israel when he came out of Egypt. Not like YHVH, who showed how much He loved Israel. Because YHVH loves Israel, He turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing for them (central portion).
The central portion of the structure likewise has to do with being inside or outside the camp where YHVH walks among you, just as 1A had to do with who was inside or outside the congregation of believers. The admonition is to keep yourself from evil, and keep your camp holy, i.e., clean, so that YHVH does not turn away from you because of evil and uncleanness.
The 1A pair: this section crosses over into commandments having to do with “You shall not steal.” Not returning your neighbor’s slave is not stealing, because persons are not property and cannot be owned by a man, like a harvest can be owned. (Understanding the commandments concerning slavery in Torah does away with arguments that the Neanderthal Torah teaches inhumane practices such as slavery. No, it actually teaches the opposite: individual liberty.) The central axis reveals that lending with interest due is a form of slavery as well (Pro 27:2). Believers shall not require interest when lending to others who are within the congregation of YHVH, only to those outside. They shall follow this practice if they want YHVH’s blessing over their lives.
So we see that the chiastic structure of the greater 2A pair teaches that to be within the congregation of YHVH, where He dwells, is to be blessed. He Himself is the blessing (not only what He gives). This is why foreigners are trying to join themselves to YHVH’s congregation in the first place: they see the distinction. And this is why He has given us His commandments, because walking in His ways promotes His blessing, while falling away from His ways promotes the opposite rule over your life.
That the greater 1A -2A pair are matching elements: We remain within the boundaries of His commandments, for this preserves the strength of the next generation, and promotes the blessing of YHVH over our lives.
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