Read Deuteronomy 24:1-25:19 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph divisions:
Deu 24:1-4 {s} Divorce and remarriage
Deu 24:5-6 {s} Do not steal the happiness of your wife + the life of the family
Deu 24:7 {s} Theft of persons a capital offense punishable by death
Deu 24:8-9 {s} Tzaraas, or the evil tongue
Deu 24:10-13 {s} Do not covet the pledge
Deu 24:14-15 {s} Do not covet the wages of your hired men
Deu 24:16 {s} Do not covet revenge so that you put to death the innocent for the guilty
Deu 24:17-18 {s} Do not covet the pledge that belongs to the poor
Deu 24:19 {s} Do not covet the grain that is for the poor
Deu 24:20-22 {s} Do not covet the fruit that is for the poor
Deu 25:1-4 {s} Do not withhold what is justly due the wicked or the ox
Deu 25:5-10 {s} Do not withhold seed that is justly due the dead brother
Deu 25:11-12 {s} Do not withhold just punishment
Deu 25:13-16 {p} Do not covet gain from unjust weights or measures
Deu 25:17-19 {p} Do not withhold what is justly due to Amalek
chiastic structure:
1a) Deu 24:1-13 {sx5} Do not steal the next generation/ Miriam/ do not covet;
1) Deu 24:1-7 {sx3} The case of the divorced + new wife/ kidnapping a capital offense;
a) Deu 24:1-6 {s+s} The case of the divorced wife + new wife;
b) Deu 24:7 {s} Theft of persons a capital offense punishable by death;
2) Deu 24:8-13 {s+s} Remember Miriam/ do not covet the pledge;
a) Deu 24:8-9 {s} Tzaraas, or the evil tongue;
b) Deu 24:10-13 {s} Do not covet the pledge;
1b) Deu 24:14-15 {s} Do not withhold the wages of your hired men;
1c) Deu 24:16 {s} Do not covet revenge so that you put to death the innocent for the guilty;
central axis) Deu 24:17-22 {sx3} Do not covet the pledge + grain + fruit that belongs to the needy;
2c) Deu 25:1-3, Do not withhold punishment justly due the wicked;
2b) Deu 25:4 {s} Do not withhold what is justly due the ox;
2a) Deu 25:5-19 {s+s+p+p} Do not withhold + destroy the next generation/ do not covet/ Amalek;
1) Deu 25:5-12 {s+s} The case of the widowed wife/ destroying seed a crime;
a) Deu 25:5-10 {s} The case of the widowed wife;
b) Deu 25:11-12 {s} Do not withhold just punishment (your eye shall not pity);
2) Deu 25:13-19 {p+p} Do not covet unjust gain / remember Amalek;
b) Deu 25:13-16 {p} Do not covet gain from unjust weights or measures;
a) Deu 25:17-19 {p} Do not withhold what is justly due to Amalek.
This torah portion begins with commandments explaining what it means to keep “Do not steal,” and crosses into commandments teaching “Do not bear false witness” and “Do not covet.” The central portion teaches us that there are two sides to the coin of Do not covet: first, the side we always think of, not coveting something that belongs to another. The flip side, is not withholding or keeping what we currently have, that however is justly due to another. The central portion then is pretty self- explanatory. Once again it is the A pairs that are amazing.
1A.1)
1) Deu 24:1-7 {sx3} The case of the divorced + new wife/ kidnapping a capital offense;
a) Deu 24:1-6 {s+s} The case of the divorced wife + new wife;
b) Deu 24:7 {s} Theft of persons a capital offense punishable by death;
2A.1)
1) Deu 25:5-12 {s+s} The case of the widowed wife/ destroying seed a crime;
a) Deu 25:5-10 {s} The case of the widowed wife;
b) Deu 25:11-12 {s} Do not withhold just punishment (your eye shall not pity);
The law concerning divorce and remarriage (Deu 24:1-4) is in the middle of the section explaining Do not steal. We think there must be some mistake, because laws concerning marriage have to do with not committing adultery, right? No mistake: divorce, remarriage, more divorce, more remarriage violates God’s perfect plan from the beginning: one man plus one woman for life. God’s perfect plan preserves the stability, security, and purity of the next generation, for the fruit of marriage is always the next generation. So what is being stolen that is the abomination, is the dignity of the woman, the security of the next generation, thus ultimately, the purity of the Land.
Do not commit adultery and the sanctity of the next generation
Do not steal your wife’s happiness, which is the life of the family
The case of the widowed wife, the divorced wife’s matching pair, is in the section of Torah explaining Do not covet. The man, by refusing to marry his brother’s widow, is withholding his seed that is justly due to his dead brother. At issue again is the next generation (I am not commenting on men taking their brother’s widows and our modern sensibilities. I am just explaining the principle of the commandment).
So also, kidnapping – theft of persons – ends the life previously known, and steals that person’s future, and thus, ultimately, steals the next generation. The command prohibiting the wife from getting involved in a fight her husband has with another man, is in the same manner. To our modern sensibility it seems like a severe punishment, that her hand is cut off. But the principle of the commandment is this: going for a man’s genitals has the potential of destroying his ability to produce seed. So just as the kidnapper merits the death penalty for stealing the next generation, so the wife merits an equally severe punishment for also (potentially) destroying the next generation from that man.
1A.2)
2) Deu 24:8-13 {s+s} Remember Miriam/ do not covet the pledge;
a) Deu 24:8-9 {s} Tzaraas, or the evil tongue;
b) Deu 24:10-13 {s} Do not covet the pledge;
2A.2)
2) Deu 25:13-19 {p+p} Do not covet unjust gain / remember Amalek;
b) Deu 25:13-16 {p} Do not covet gain from unjust weights or measures;
a) Deu 25:17-19 {p} Do not withhold what is justly due to Amalek.
Remember Miriam when you came out of Egypt, is the matching element for remember Amalek when you came out of Egypt. The two verses on the evil tongue are the sole explanation in Deuteronomy for Do not bear false witness.
do not bear false witness
tzaraas, or the evil tongue
Miriam started speaking against Moses, but not to his face: she told other people. This evil tongue is matched with the crime of Amalek in coming against Israel when they came out of Egypt. Amalek did not confront the fighting men of Israel openly, but laid in wait, hidden, and ambushed the stragglers, the weak and vulnerable, at the rear. And that is what the evil tongue does. It does not attack openly, but lies in wait to ambush. Amalek is a type of antichrist in Scripture, and accusations – the evil tongue – are the primary tool of Satan as well.
After studying this portion, I came to the understanding that “cut off her hand” wasn’t literally cutting off her hand, it more likely means that her “power ” is to be cut off, as in, she has no say in the matter or she’s not a credible witness in the matter. I came to that conclusion because of the two different Hebrew words used for hand within the text. Does Yehovah command His people to use mutilation as a form of punishment?
Hi Mindy, thank you for stopping and for noting the results of your study. The Hebrew Bible in English translates this verse as:
“When 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; 12 then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity. {S}”
The Tree of Life Bible (Messianic native Hebrew speakers translation) translates this verse as:
“Suppose people fight with one another, a man and his brother, and the wife of the one approaches to rescue her husband from the hand of the one hitting him; and she puts out her hand and grabs him by his genitals. 12 Then you are to cut off her hand—your eye will show no pity.”
The Complete Jewish Bible translates this verse as:
“If men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one comes up to help her husband get away from the man attacking him by grabbing the attacker’s private parts with her hand, you are to cut off her hand; show no pity.”
These three translations by Jewish translators learned in Hebrew agree. I myself do not know Hebrew as they do so I need to trust their translation.
As far as what Yehovah would have us do: my belief is that He would have us obey Him, for His wisdom is greater than my own.
When Messiah returns, He will instruct us perfectly on the meaning of this verse and all of Scripture. Admittedly our understanding may be off and may need correcting by Him when that day comes. I am looking forward to it!