5. MoseKapitel 23

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No man shall take his father's wife, nor uncover his father's skirt.

No man whose testicles are crushed or whose organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

No one born of a forbidden union shall enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of them shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD,

because they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your journey when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Mesopotamia to curse you.

But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead, the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

You shall never seek their welfare or their good, as long as you live.

Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.

The children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the LORD.

When you march out to camp against your enemies, keep yourself from everything evil.

If any man among you becomes unclean from an emission in the night, he shall go outside the camp; he must not come back inside it.

Toward evening he shall wash himself with water, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

You shall have a place outside the camp where you may go to relieve yourself.

And you shall keep a spade among your equipment; when you squat outside, dig a hole with it, and afterward cover up your excrement.

For the LORD your God walks about in your camp to keep you safe and to deliver your enemies to you. Therefore your camp must be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

You shall not hand a slave back to his master when he has escaped to you from that master.

He shall live with you, among you, in whatever place he chooses in one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not mistreat him.

No daughter of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and no son of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.

You shall not bring the wages of a prostitute or the earnings of a dog into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, for both are detestable to the LORD your God.

You shall not charge your brother interest—interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that may be lent at interest.

You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you set your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to fulfill it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you would be guilty of sin.

But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.

Be careful to do what your lips have promised: the freewill offering you vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.

When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you shall not put any into your basket.

When you walk into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's grain.

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Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 23

Main Theme: Laws concerning marriage, who may belong to the assembly of the Lord, purity in the camp, and ethical obligations in daily life.

Content: The chapter begins with a prohibition against marrying one's father's wife. It then defines those excluded from the assembly of the Lord: men with damaged genitalia, those born of forbidden unions (mamzer), as well as Ammonites and Moabites—while Edomites and Egyptians are treated more leniently. Rules for purity in the war camp follow, where God's presence requires holiness. The chapter also gives laws concerning protection for runaway slaves, a prohibition against temple prostitution, a ban on charging interest to fellow countrymen, the importance of keeping vows, and the right to eat from a neighbor's crop without taking any away.

Key Words/Images:

Assembly of the Lord (קְהַל יְהוָה): The cultic and social community that requires certain qualifications for membership.
Holiness of the Camp: God's presence among the people demands physical and ritual purity, even in times of war.
Vows to the Lord: What one promises God must be kept without delay—it is better not to vow than to break a vow.
Ban on Interest (נֶשֶׁךְ): Israelites are not to charge interest from one another, as an expression of brotherhood and solidarity.
Protection for Slaves: A runaway slave must not be handed over but allowed to live freely in Israel—an expression of human dignity.

Historischer Kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Deuteronomy 23

People

Balaam, son of Beor is mentioned in verses 5–6 as the prophet hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel. Balaam came from Pethor in Aram-Naharaim (Mesopotamia), an area known for its diviners and interpreters of omens. The account of Balaam is found in Numbers 22–24, and his name is also confirmed by an extra-biblical inscription from Tell Deir 'Alla in Jordan (circa 840–800 BCE), which refers to "Balaam, son of Beor, seer of the gods". This shows that Balaam was a historically known figure in the region.

Places

Ammon and Moab were two peoples and kingdoms east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. According to Genesis 19, both descended from Lot's daughters. Moab lay east of the Dead Sea, while Ammon was located further north, with its capital in what is now Amman. Archaeological findings indicate that both kingdoms had developed state structures by the end of the second millennium BCE. Edom lay south of the Dead Sea and was regarded as a "brother" because the Edomites descended from Esau, Jacob's brother. Egypt is mentioned with the reminder that the Israelites were "foreigners" there—an experience that should shape their attitude toward outsiders.

Events and Customs

Qehal YHWH ("the assembly of the Lord") refers to the cultic and social community in Israel. Exclusion from this assembly meant restrictions on participation in worship and marriage rights, not necessarily total exclusion from society. Similar boundaries between "inside" and "outside" are found in other ancient cultures.

Cultic purity in the military camp (vv. 10–15) had parallels in other ancient cultures where warfare was viewed as a sacred activity. Hittite and Assyrian texts contain similar rules regarding purity during campaigns. In Israel, the rationale was that God himself "walks in the midst of the camp"—God's holy presence required physical and ritual purity.

Cultic prostitution (vv. 18–19)—the terms qedeshah (קְדֵשָׁה, female) and qadesh (קָדֵשׁ, male) are debated among scholars. Traditionally understood as cultic prostitution linked to Canaanite fertility worship, but recent research questions whether this was as widespread as once assumed. The prohibition against bringing "the wages of a prostitute" (אֶתְנַן זוֹנָה) and "the price of a dog" (מְחִיר כֶּלֶב) to the temple—the latter possibly referring to a male prostitute—clearly marked distance from such practices.

Key Terms

Mamzer (מַמְזֵר, v. 3) is a debated term. Traditionally translated as "illegitimate child" or "child of forbidden union", but its precise meaning remains uncertain. Some scholars suggest it may refer to children from mixed marriages with certain ethnic groups.

Neshekh (נֶשֶׁךְ, vv. 20–21) literally means "bite" and is used for interest. The word's etymology suggests how interest "bites" into the borrower's economy. The prohibition against taking interest from "brothers" (fellow Israelites) was intended to protect the poor from debt slavery, while foreigners engaged in trade did not have the same protection.

Ervat davar (עֶרְוַת דָּבָר, v. 15) is often translated as "something indecent" or "shameful thing". The expression links physical nakedness to moral impurity and explains why God would "turn away" from an unclean camp.

Personen2

Beor1 Balaam2

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Schlüsselwörter7

Circumcision — A surgical procedure in which the foreskin of the penis is removed, usually as part of religious rituals in Judaism.
Reproduction — The process by which living organisms produce offspring, often linked to sexual reproduction.
Uncleanness — A state of spiritual or ritual impurity according to religious laws, which may require cleansing before one can take part in certain religious acts.
Foreigner — A person who is not part of the Israelite community and comes from another country or culture.
Prostitution house — A place where prostitution is practiced, considered unacceptable under the religious laws in Deuteronomy.
Tithe — A tax or offering, usually 10% of crops or income, given to the temple or priesthood to support religious activities and help those in need.
Vow — A sacred commitment or oath, often made to God, that binds a person to fulfill a promise or action.