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Deuteronomy 22

Life Application Study BibleDeuteronomyChapter 22

Deuteronomy 22

New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 291, 292, 293

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22Deuteronomy 22

1“If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility.* Take it back to its owner. If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it. 3Do the same if you find your neighbor’s donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don’t ignore your responsibility. 21:22 Or impaled on a pole; similarly in 21:23. 21:23 Greek version reads for everyone who is hung on a tree. Compare Gal 3:13. 22:4 Hebrew don't hide yourself, similarly in 22:3. 4"Tf you see that your neighbor's donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet! 5A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the LORD your God. 6“If you happen to find a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the mother sitting in the nest, do not take the mother with the young. 7You may take the young, but let the mother go, so that you may prosper and enjoy a long life. 8“When you build a new house, you must build a railing around the edge of its flat roof. That way you will not be considered guilty of murder if someone falls from the roof. 9“ You must not plant any other crop between the rows of your vineyard. If you do, you are forbidden to use either the grapes from the vineyard or the other crop. 10”You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together. 11”You must not wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together. 12“You must put four tassels on the hem of the cloak with which you cover yourself— on the front, back, and sides.

Regulations for Sexual Purity

1313“Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her 14and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.’ 15Then the woman’s father and mother must bring the proof of her virginity to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. 16Her father must say to them, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, and now he has turned against her. 17He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, “I discovered that your daughter was nota virgin.” But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity.’ Then they must spread her bed sheet before the elders. 18The elders must then take the man and punish him. 19They must also fine him 100 pieces of silver,* which he must pay to the woman’s father because he publicly accused a virgin of Israel of shameful conduct. The woman will then remain the man’s wife, and he may never divorce her. 20“But suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin. 21The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you. 22"If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil. 23"Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, 24you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you. 25"But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die. 26Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim.?’Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her. 28"Suppose a man has intercourse witha young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, 29he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver.* Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives. 30*“A man must not marry his father’s former wife, for this would violate his father. Regulations concerning Worship

Textual footnotes

  1. 22:19 Hebrew 100 shekels of silver, about 2.5 pounds or 1.1 kilograms in weight.
  2. 22:29 Hebrew 50 shekeis of silver, about 1.25 pounds or 570 grams in weight.
  3. 22:30 Verse 22:30 is numbered 23:1

Life Application Notes 4 notes

22:1-4The Hebrews were to care for and return lost animals or possessions to their rightful owners. The way of the world, by contrast, is “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” To go beyond the finders-keepers rule by protecting and returning the property of others keeps us from being envious and greedy.

22:5This verse commands men and women not to reverse their sexual roles. (tis not a statement about clothing styles. Today role rejections are common—there are men who want to become women and women who want to become men. It’s not the clothing style that offends God, but using the style to act out a different sex role. God had a purpose in making us uniquely male and female.

22:8-11These are practical laws, helpful for establishing good habits for everyday living. Verse 8: Since people used their flat roofs as porches, a railing was a wise safety precaution. Verse 9: If you plant two different crops side by side, one of them will Not survive, since the stronger, taller one will block the sunlight and take most of the vital nutrients from the soil. Verse 10: A donkey and an ox, due to differences in strength and size. cannot pull a plow evenly. Verse 11: Two different kinds of thread wear unevenly and wash differently. Combining them reduces the life of the garment. Don’t think of God's laws as arbitrary restrictions. Look for the reasons behind the laws. They are made not just to teach or restrict but also to protect and help us.

22:13-30Why did God include all these laws about sexual sins? Instructions about sexual behavior would have been vital for three million people on a 40-year camping trip. But they would be equally important when they entered the Promised Land and settled down as a nation. Paul, in Colossians 3:5-8, recognizes the importance of strong rules about sex for believers because sexual sins have the power to disrupt and destroy the church. Sins involving sex are not innocent dabblings in forbidden pleasures, as is so often portrayed, but powerful destroyers of relationships. They confuse and tear down the climate of respect, trust, and credibility that is so essential for solid marriages and secure children.