Deuteronomy 25:1-19

Deuteronomy 25:1. Another of Dt.'s humanitarian laws. Punishment by the bastinado among the ancient Hebrews and Egyptians was common (see Wilkinson- Birch, Ancient Egyptians, i. pp. 305, 308). The present writer saw it in Egypt in 1888; see Exodus 21:20 (showing that a slave was sometimes beaten to death), Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 19:29.

Deuteronomy 25:3. The forty stripes became thirty- nine (2 Corinthians 11:24) in later times to prevent the proper number from being exceeded.

Deuteronomy 25:4. God cares even for oxen (1 Corinthians 9:9 f.* misapplies this verse) and other dumb animals (Deuteronomy 15:12, cf. Jonah 4:11). Oxen should be allowed to partake of the corn on which in threshing they tread.

Deuteronomy 25:5. Levirate (Lat. levir, husband's brother) marriage (p. 109) prevailed widely in ancient times; McLennan traces it to polyandry. Here the motives are to secure succession on the male side and to prevent the family estate from being alienated (Deuteronomy 25:9).

Deuteronomy 25:9. loose his shoe: a sign of transference (Ruth 4:7 *), here of the man's honour. spit: Numbers 12:14; Job 30:10; Isaiah 50:6.

Deuteronomy 25:10. His family shares his disgrace (Deuteronomy 21:1 *).

Deuteronomy 25:11 f. Cf. CH, § 195: If a man has struck his father his hands shall be cut off (often wrongly translated and then compared with Deuteronomy 25:11 f.).

Deuteronomy 25:13. Leviticus 19:35 f.* (H). That this prohibition was needed is shown by Amos 8:5; Micah 6:10 f.; cf. Ezekiel 45:10. The great weight was used for buying, the small for selling.

Deuteronomy 25:17. Repeats Exodus 17:8 * (H). Since the Amalekites had been exterminated under Saul (1 Samuel 14:48; 1 Samuel 14:15; 1 Samuel 27:8) and by David (1 Samuel 30:17; 2 Samuel 8:12; cf. Numbers 20) how could a command go forth in the seventh century B.C. to destroy them? D writes from the point of view of Moses-' time.