Deuteronomy 25

How the statutes of the judges between parties must be qualified verse 1 &c. how far they must cause him to be smitten that hath deserved stipes 2 ox 4 of the duty of the next brother or kinsman towards the widow of the deceased brother that hath left no heir males behind 5 the punishment of the impudent woman 11 a just weight and measure 13 a command to destroy the Amalekites, 17.

1. If they shall be controversy between men and they approach unto judgment [when they cannot well agree or bear with one another others then they shall &c.] that they [to wit the judges] may judge them then they [to wit the judges] shall pronounce the righteous, righteous & condemn the unrighteous son [that is in this place declare him that is innocent or that both a righteous cause to be such and declare and adjudge that is guilty or that hath an unjust cause to be such likewise see further Genesis 44 on verse 16 and Numbers 35 on verse 31.]

2. And it shall come to pass if the unrighteous one have deserved stripes [Heb. Be a son or child of beating that is he be worthy to be beaten or that hath deserved bowed and is according sentenced or condemned compare Matthew 23:15 Joshua 17.22 Hezekiah 2.3 2Thessalonians 2.3 see further 2 Samuel 3 on verse 34] that the judge shall cause him to fall down and to cause him to be beaten in his presence [Heb. Before his face] according as shall be sufficient of his iniquity] in number [that is by a certain number of blows or stripes according as his fault or offence shall require but not exceeding above forty as followeth.]

3. He shall cause him to be beaten [that is he may cause him to be beaten] with forty stripes he shall not add thereunto [here grew the custom not to give more then nine and thirty stripes that so they might exceed the number of forty see 2 Corinthians 11:24 although many of the Jews seek to give the nine and thirty stripes from this text perverting the text according to their usual custom]lest peradventure if he should go on to cause him to be beaten above them then with more stripes then thy brother [who according to thou art is of the seed of Abraham] should seem despicable before thine eyes [that it should be esteemed less of the judge of others then the law of love requireth and is meet among the people of God and lest the offender by immoderate beating be abhorred and disfigured in the eyes of his brethren or likewise in danger of loosing his life.]

4. Thou shalt not muzzle an ox when he thresheth [so that he is not able to eat his food while he is under hard and heavy labor the ox is said to thresh when he was made to tread out the corn with for or as the Hebrew say to draw the harrow which below at the bottom of it full of hard knob braches and notches about over it to separate the corn from the straw & to make the corn the chaff for the beasts whereon God hath no further intent in this law as appeareth 1Corinthians 9.9,10 &c.]

5. When brethren dwell together an done of them die [others the first that is the first born or the eldest among the many yea even the next kinsmen among many die compare Genesis 28:6 &c. Matthew 22:24 &c. and Ruth chapter3] and have no son then the wife of the dead shall not become the wife of any stranger without [that she not marry out of the family of her and take her to him to wife [meaning if he unmarried see the law Leviticus 18:18] and perform the duty of the husband brother unto her.

6. And it shall come to pass that the first born she shall bear shall stand in the name of the brother the deceased party[that is shall be called the deceased brothers son and shall succeed in this place as his heir] that is name may not be blotted out of Israel [hence as also from the following verse it appeareth that this marriage intended the multiplying of Abrahams seed or the increase of the Jewish family unto the coming of the Messiah and consequently this law doth not concern Christians at all.]

7. But if this man shall not take his brother wife then his brothers wife shall go up the gate [see Genesis 22 on verse 17] unto the eldest and say my husbands brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel he will not perform the duty of an husbands brother unto me.

8. Then the eldest of his city shall call him and speak unto him if he then perish unto it [compare Ezechiah 44 on verse 24] and say it pleaseth me not to take her.

9. Then shall his brothers wife approach unto him before the eyes of the eldest and pluck off his shoe from the foot [in token that he was not appointed to enter on his brothers inheritance see Ruth 4 on verse 8] and spit in his face [to make him blush of the public affiant and to deter others thereby] and shall protest and say thus shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his fathers house [see Genesis 16 on verse 2.]

10. His name [meaning the name of the house] shall be called in Israel the house of him whose shoe is plucked off.

11. When men strive [that is fight] one with another [Heb. The man and his brother] and the wife of the one that draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smitteth him and putteth forth her hand and taketh hold on his [to wit the adveseries] privy member.

12. Then thou shalt cut off her hand thine eyes shall to spare her [to deliver every one from all modesty and impudence.]

13. Thou shalt not have in thy bag sorts of weighty stones [Heb. Not stones and stone that are two sorts of weights see Leviticus 19 on verse 36 so also below verse 15 and on verse 15 and Proverbs 20:10.] A great and a small.

14. Thou shalt not have in thine a two fold Ephah [Heb. Ephah and Ephah see exodus 16 on verse 36] a great and a small.

15. Thou shalt have perfect and just weight stones [Heb. Stones of justice and so in the following words] thou shalt have a perfect and just Ephah that thy days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.

16. For whosoever doth those things is an abomination unto the Lord thy God [Heb. An abomination of the Lord &c. see above chapter 17 on verse 1] yea whosoever doth wrong.

17. Remember what Amalek [that is the Amalekites who indeed descended from the Amlek Esau’s grandchild but because of the bitter amnity manifested towards Israel were especially banned of God compare above chapter 23.7] did by the way when ye came forth out of Egypt.

18. How he met thee by the way and smote among ye in the tail all the feeble one behind thee when thou wast weary and faint and he feared not God.

19. It shall come to pass when the Lord thy God shall have given the rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee for an inheritance to possess it hereditarily that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven forget it not.