Deuteronomy 22

Deuteronomy 22:1-4

The laws of this chapter do provide, 1. For the care of stray or follen cattle, ver. 1—4. 2. That men and women should not where one another’s clothes, ver. 5. and that other needless mixtures should be avoided, ver. 9—11. 3. For the preservation of birds, ver. 6, 7. 4. Of life, ver. 8. 5. Of the commandments, ver. 12. 6. Of the expulsion of a wife abused, of the wives innocent, ver. 13—19. for punishment if guilty, ver. 20—21. 7. For the preservation of the chiefity of wives, ver. 22. Prayers heterethes, ver. 23—27. or not heterethes, ver. 28, 29. And lastly against in. 9, ver. 30. 1. ¶ THOU shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep: 1. ¶ go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. 2. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. 3. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass, and to shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all soft things of thy bonther’s,

there’s, which he hath lost and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise; thou mayst not hide thyself. 4. ¶ Thou shalt not see thy brother’s as or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

Natural equity dictates these instances of brotherly kindness. Whatever was frayed or lost, of cattle or goods, were to be secured for the owner, and diligent enquiry made for him, whether he were an Israelite or a stranger. And the same regard must be shown to his as; or ox, if fallen under his burden, to lift him up, and to help him on his way. God would herein teach us, 1. To be ready for every friendly office to our neighbour. 2. To be strictly honest and upright, in retaining nothing of his that came however secretly into our possession. 3. If such care is enjoined toward a lost sheep, how much more need it be shown toward a lost soul.

5. ¶ The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. 6. ¶ If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young. 7. But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst prolong thy days. 8. ¶ When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. 9. ¶ Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers lords: lest the ye fruit of thy seed which thou hast fown, and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled. 10. ¶ Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an as together. 11. ¶ Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. 12. ¶ Thou shalt make thee: fringes upon the four + quarters of thy welfare, wherewith thou covereth thyself.

Deuteronomy 22:5-12

Sundry laws are here enjoined. 1. To maintain distinction of sex in the apparel. Probably to prevent the idolatrous customs of the Gentiles among them; or to preserve them from the impurities for which such confusion of dress would give opportunity, and either of these would render them abominable to God. Now, it should be our care, even in our cloaths, to please God. Indecency in our dress, however fashionable, is not the less sinful. 2. The dam must not be taken in her nest, with her eggs or her young ones. It was for their advantage she should be left to breed again; and there would have been some cruelty in taking occasion from her parental tenderness to seize or destroy her. God will have us a void every appearance of inhumanity, would teach us his own providential care of the least of his creatures; and by the promise he adds to the commandment, shews, that in keeping the least of them, there is great reward. As there is no sin so little as to be overlooked, there is no obedience to misuse, as to be unnecessary or unnoticed. 3. Their houses must have a battlement round them, that as the roof was flat, and they often went up thither, they might be in no danger of falling from the top. God is careful of our lives, and will have us to remove every thing which might endanger them. 4. Mixtures of bed in their fields are forbidden; ploughing with different kinds of cattle, and wearing cloaths of woollen and linen wove together. Thus must we abstain from being unequally yoked; our professions of religion must be uniform, and we must allow no mixture of any thing defining in our concentration. 5. Their fringes are again enjoined. They were a peculiar people, and they must not be ashamed to appear so, but carry the badge of their religion always about them. We must seek to walk so that all who see us, may take knowledge of us, that we belong to Jesus.

13. ¶ If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14. And give occasion of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and lay, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid. 15. Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the takers of the damsel’s virginity, unto the elders of the city in the gate. 16. And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he haunts her. 17. And so, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid: and yet these are the takers of my daughter’s virginity: and they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the

city. 18. And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him. 19. And they shall amerce him in an hundred shals of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and the shall be his wife, he may not put her away all his days. 20. But if this thing be true, and the takers of virginity be not found for the damsel: 21. Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house; so shall thou put evil away from among you.

Deuteronomy 22:13-21

To preserve the reputation and chastity of the daughters of Israel, we have here the vindication of the virgin, whom after marriage her husband disliked, and would be rid of, on presence she was before desired. The takers of virginity which were preferred from the marriage-bed, on his complaint, were produced before the judges, by the father and mother of the damsel, and he was condemned to make farsification for the slander, by foisting, corporal punishment, besides a fine, and obligation never to divorce her. But if the fact was proved, that she was really defiled after being betrothed, she was brought to the door of her father’s house, and found to death, to make his disgrace great as her ნიშნrences. Nov. (1.) Chastity is a precious jewel that must be kept with jealous care, and parents are called to objectal with hisdness, that neither by their own examples, nor by permitting their children to keep bad company, they may lead them into so criminal a conduct. (2.) Chastity is a tender plant, and can lead of any thing, but the blasts of malveolence; we should be very jealous how we entertain, and still more cautious how we spread a suspicion to our neighbour’s prejudice, the consequences of which are irreparable. (3.) The loss of chastity is justly reckoned in women, infamous, nor is it less sinful in men: but though it may now be so secretly concealed, that no suspicion wounds, the folly and shame of forsizance will shortly be manifest to all, when whoremongers and adulterers God will judge, and work that this ignominious death be the sentence.

22. ¶ If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shall thou put away evil from Israel. 23. ¶ If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her: 24. Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, bring in the city: and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: 25. ¶ But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man + force her and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die. 26. But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing, there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man rideth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter. 27. For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. 28. ¶ If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found: 29. Then the man that lay with her, shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shals of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. 30. ¶ A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.

Deuteronomy 22:22-30

1. To lie with a married woman, or one betrothed, was death to both the offenders, if this was done in the city, because it was presumed assistance might be had, if they cried out and refiled: but if in a lonely place violence was offered to a damsel, in spite of cries and resistance, then only the ravisher must die. Nov. (1.) They who are not the proper means to be delivered from temptation, are justly charged with wilful sin. (2.) It were highly desirable that adultery were still punished with death, as many crimes are, though unfeasantly inferior in guilt. (3.) That is not our sin which is done by force, not choice. (4.) It is but just that men should be a capital crime, since to be robbed of chastity, is next to being robbed of life. (5.) In every temptation we must cry to Jesus, and then we shall be delivered from the power of evil. 2. Seduction of an unmarried woman was punished with a fine to the father, and with an obligation to marry the woman, without power to divorce her. He who robs a woman of her honour, can never make her reparation but by taking her for his wife. 3. Incest is forbidden; the

Before Christ 1851. 8 Chap. xiii. 5. 1 Lev. xvi. 10. John xvii. 5. 1 Chap. xiii. 10. 1 Ver. xii. 22. 1 Heb. Take strong hold of love 1 Exod. xviii. 18. 1 Lev. xviii. 8. & xv. 17. 1 Cor. v. 2. 8 See Ruth 10. 9. Lords, 11. 2. groffet Gross Chord 1441.

grosses instance with a father’s wife is only mentioned here, but every degree of it is abominable. Note, If once we give the reins to our lulls, we know not whither they may hurry us. If we would keep from deeds shocking to humanity, we must resist the first craving of conspicuous.