Глава 23

Laws: on acceptance into the Israeli community; about the cleanliness of the camp; about fugitive slaves; about professional fornicators and harlots; about interest; about vows; about using someone else's garden and harvest. Deut.23:1. Whoever has his yatra crushed or his reproductive member cut off cannot enter the company of the Lord. Deut.23:2. The son of a harlot cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord, and his tenth generation cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord. Deut.23:3. The Ammonite and the Moabite cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord, and the tenth generation of them cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord forever. Deut.23:4. because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired Balaam the son of Beor from Pephor of Mesopotamia against you to curse you; Deut.23:5. but the Lord your God did not want to listen to Balaam, and the Lord your God turned his curse into a blessing for you, for the Lord your God loves you. Deut.23:6. Do not wish them peace and prosperity all your days, forever. Deut.23:7. Do not disdain the Edomite, for he is your brother; Do not disdain the Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land; Deut.23:8. the children who are born to them may enter into the congregation of the Lord in the third generation. The following could not be accepted into the “society of the Lord,” i.e., the Israeli community: 1) castrati, since the law is alien to any unnaturalness (see Deut. 22.5, with note), which is why “it is forbidden to make (deliberately) prisoners not only people, but also cattle” (Blessed Theod., Commentary on Book Deut., question 15); 2) sons of professional harlots not recognized by their father; 3) Ammonites and Moabites: “firstly, because their root is lawless: they were born from a lawless combination (Gen. 19.36–38); and then because of wickedness, in which the Israelites were also made participants, having adorned their wives, and through them the people of God were caught in the service of idols (Num. 25.1)” (Bl. Theod., T. on the book of Deut., v. 16). The grandchildren of the Edomites and Egyptians who settled among the Jews could be accepted into the Israelite community, probably because of the comparative purity of their morals and religious views. Regarding the religion of Egypt, some scholars are of the opinion that the latter was nothing more than a hidden monotheism, inaccessible to the consciousness of the masses, but comprehended and jealously guarded by the priests. The reference to the idolatry of the Edomites (2 Chronicles 25.14) refers to a relatively recent time, and it is still unknown whether the idolatry of the Edomites was complete idolatry or only a manifestation of immoderate sensationalism in the field of religion, like the Israelis’ honoring of Jehovah in the form of the golden calf poured out by Aaron (Ex. 32.1–6). Deut.23:9. When you go on a campaign against your enemies, beware of everything bad. Deut.23:10. If anyone among you is unclean because of what happened to [him] at night, then he must go out of the camp and not enter the camp. Deut.23:11. and when evening comes he must wash [his body] with water, and after the sun has set he can enter the camp. Deut.23:12. You must have a place outside the camp where you can go out; Deut.23:13. besides your weapon you must have a spatula; and when you sit outside the camp, dig [a hole] with it and again cover [it] with your excrement; Deut.23:14. For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and deliver your enemies [into your hands], and therefore your camp must be holy, so that He does not see anything shameful in you and turn away from you. Hygiene rules, which are of particular importance in view of God's chosen people. Deut.23:15. Do not hand over a slave to his master when he comes running to you from his master; Deut.23:16. let him live with you, among you [let him live] in the place that he chooses in any of your dwellings, where he likes it; don't oppress him. This refers to slaves who fled from beyond the Palestinian border. Deut.23:17. There shall be no harlot among the daughters of Israel, and there shall be no fornicator among the sons of Israel. Deut.23:18. You shall not bring the wages of a harlot or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord your God by any vow, for both are an abomination to the Lord your God. This refers to professional fornicators and harlots who devoted themselves to vile service in honor of pagan deities (cf. 1 Kings 14:23–24, 15:12). The amount of the monetary vow in the tabernacle should not be identical with the payment that is given to the harlot and the fornicator (“to the dog”, v. 18). Deut.23:19. Do not lend your brother silver, bread, or anything else that can be lended at interest; Deut.23:20. Give it to a foreigner at interest, but do not give it to your brother at interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything that is done with your hands in the land that you are going to take possession of it. Wed. Ref. 22:25 ; Lev.25:35–37. The law prohibits a Jew from enjoying interest on capital lent to his “brother,” that is, to a Jew. It was allowed to collect interest only from a foreigner who was outside the sphere of relations of the theocratic community. Deut.23:21. If you make a vow to the Lord your God, fulfill it immediately, for the Lord your God will exact it from you, and sin will be upon you; Deut.23:22. if you have not made a vow, then there will be no sin on you. Deut.23:23. Whatever has come out of your mouth, you shall observe and do, just as you promised the Lord your God the freewill offering that you spoke with your mouth. Wed. Lev.27:1; Number 30:1 (rules of vows). Deut.23:24. 1 When you come into your neighbor's harvest, pluck the ears of corn with your hands, but do not bring a sickle into your neighbor's harvest. Deut.23:25. 2 When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you can eat as much of the berries as your soul desires, but do not put them in your vessel. Eat grapes, pluck ears of corn (Matthew 12.1) from your neighbor’s garden and field: “let your belly be filled to satiety because of hunger,” says St. Ephraim the Syrian, but do not put berries in your vessel and do not bring a sickle into your neighbor’s harvest, “because by doing this you will already show greed” (Interpretation of the book Deut., Chapter XXIII). You might be interested in: