# Deuteronomy 23 đź“–: Who May Enter the Assembly
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[[-Deuteronomy Overview]] | [[Deuteronomy 22]] | [[Deuteronomy 24]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Purity in Public Worship
[[#Verse 01.]] A man with crushed or severed genitals may not enter the assembly of the Lord.Â
[[#Verse 02.]] A person of illegitimate birth may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation no one related to him may do so.
[[#Verse 03.]] No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever do so,
[[#Verse 04.]] for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you
[[#Verse 05.]] 5 But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed the curse to a blessing, for the Lord your God loves you.Â
[[#Verse 06.]]Â You must not seek peace and prosperity for them through all the ages to come.
[[#Verse 07.]] You must not hate an Edomite, for he is your relative; you must not hate an Egyptian, for you lived as a foreigner in his land.
[[#Verse 08.]] Children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.
### Purity in Personal Hygiene
[[#Verse 09.]] When you go out as an army against your enemies, guard yourselves against anything impure.Â
[[#Verse 10.]] If there is someone among you who is impure because of some nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp; he may not reenter it immediately.Â
[[#Verse 11.]]Â When evening arrives he must wash himself with water, and then at sunset he may reenter the camp.
[[#Verse 12.]]Â You are to have a place outside the camp to serve as a latrine.Â
[[#Verse 13.]] You must have a spade among your other equipment, and when you relieve yourself outside you must dig a hole with the spade and then turn and cover your excrement.
[[#Verse 14.]] For the Lord your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you and defeat your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.
### Purity in the Treatment of the Unprivileged
[[#Verse 15.]]Â You must not return an escaped slave to his master when he has run away to you.Â
[[#Verse 16.]] Indeed, he may live among you in any place he chooses, in whichever of your villages he prefers; you must not oppress him.
### Cultic Prostitution Banned
[[#Verse 17.]] There must never be a sacred prostitute among the young women of Israel nor a sacred male prostitute among the young men of Israel.Â
[[#Verse 18.]] You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute or the wage of a male prostitute into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God.
### Respect for Others’ Property
[[#Verse 19.]] You must not charge interest on a loan to your fellow Israelite, whether on money, food, or anything else that has been loaned with interest.
[[#Verse 20.]] You may lend with interest to a foreigner, but not to your fellow Israelite; if you keep this command the Lord your God will bless you in all you undertake in the land you are about to enter to possess.Â
[[#Verse 21.]] When you make a vow to the Lord your God you must not delay in fulfilling it, for otherwise he will surely hold you accountable as a sinner.Â
[[#Verse 22.]]Â If you refrain from making a vow, it will not be sinful.Â
[[#Verse 23.]] Whatever you vow, you must be careful to do what you have promised, such as what you have vowed to the Lord your God as a freewill offering.Â
[[#Verse 24.]] When you enter the vineyard of your neighbor you may eat as many grapes as you please, but you must not take away any in a container.Â
[[#Verse 25.]] When you go into the ripe grain fields of your neighbor you may pluck off the kernels with your hand, but you must not use a sickle on your neighbor’s ripe grain.
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
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###### Verse 25.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The Moabites hired Balaam to curse Israel (23:4; Numbers 22-24).
2. Edomites could enter the assembly in the third generation because Edom was Israel's brother, descended from Esau (23:7-8).
3. Israel was not to despise Egyptians because they had lived as foreigners in Egypt (23:7).
4. Nehemiah read this law to the returned exiles and acted on it (Nehemiah 13:1-3).
5. Ruth the Moabite is listed in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).
6. Soldiers carried a digging tool to bury waste outside the camp (23:12-13).
7. Charging interest was forbidden on loans to fellow Israelites but allowed with foreigners (23:19-20).
8. A traveler could eat grapes in a neighbor's vineyard but could not carry any away in a container (23:24).
9. Jesus' disciples were following 23:25 when they picked heads of grain as they walked through a field (Matthew 12:1).
10. The Code of Hammurabi punished people who harbored runaway slaves. Israel's law protected the escaped slave instead (23:15-16).
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who brings outsiders in. Moabites were barred from the assembly (23:3), yet Ruth the Moabite became an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5), and in Him those who were far away have been brought near (Ephesians 2:13).
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. The Lord moves about in the middle of the camp, so it was to be kept holy (23:14). How does God's presence shape the way we live?
2. Israel was to give refuge to an escaped slave (23:15-16). What does that reveal about God's heart for the oppressed?
3. Why does God care so much that we keep our vows (23:21-23)?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 5: The Lord turned Balaam's curse into a blessing because He loved Israel.
- đź“– verse 14: The Lord moves about in the camp, so the camp must be holy.
- đź“– verses 21-23: Do not delay in paying what you vow to the Lord.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[Ruth 01#Verse 16.|Ruth 1:16]] - Ruth the Moabite chooses Israel's God.
- đź”— [[Nehemiah 13#Verse 01.|Nehemiah 13:1-3]] - The law is read to the returned exiles.
- đź”— [[Ecclesiastes 05#Verse 04.|Ecclesiastes 5:4-5]] - Do not delay to fulfill your vow.
- đź”— [[Matthew 12#Verse 01.|Matthew 12:1]] - The disciples pick grain on the Sabbath.
- đź”— [[Ephesians 02#Verse 13.|Ephesians 2:13]] - Those far away are brought near by Christ's blood.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź“‚ Internal Notes