Deuteronomy 1 2 3a 3b 4 5 6 7a 7b 8 9 10 11a 11b 12 13 14 15 16a 16b 17 18 19 20 21a 21b 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29a 29b 30 31 32 33 34
As noted at the end of the last chapter, the King James version of chapter 22 has 30 verses, where most others have only 29, verse 1 here being verse 30 there, and chapter 23 in the KJ having therefore only 25 verses. I have numbered the KJ verses to reflect this.
23:1 LO YIKACH ISH ET ESHET AVIV VE LO YEGALEH KENAPH AVIV
לֹא יִקַּח אִישׁ אֶת אֵשֶׁת אָבִיו וְלֹא יְגַלֶּה כְּנַף אָבִיו
KJ (King James translation, 22:30): A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt.
BN (BibleNet translation): A man may not take his father's wife, and may not uncover his father's skirt.
Was the latter of these what Cham ben No'ach did to his father in Genesis 9:19-29? Or is this only about what Re'u-Ven did with Bilhah (Genesis 35:22), and Av-Shalom with David's harem (2 Samuel 16:22)...
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23:2 LO YAVO PHETSU'A DAKA U CHERUT SHAPH'CHA BI KEHAL YHVH
לֹא יָבֹא פְצוּעַ דַּכָּא וּכְרוּת שָׁפְכָה בִּקְהַל יְהוָה
KJ (King James translation, 23:1): He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
BN (BibleNet translation): He who is crushed or maimed in his private parts may not enter the assembly of YHVH.
This endless obsession with blemishes and imperfections; and again, this cult is all about fertility, so the private parts matter, far more than hearts, say, or brains. But what precise medical conditions apply? Does a hernia for example?
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23:3 LO YAVO MAMZER BI KEHAL YHVH GAM DOR ASIRI LO YAVO LO BI KEHAL YHVH
לֹא יָבֹא מַמְזֵר בִּקְהַל יְהוָה גַּם דּוֹר עֲשִׂירִי לֹא יָבֹא לוֹ בִּקְהַל יְהוָה
BN: A bastard may not enter the assembly of YHVH; even to the tenth generation, none of his [offspring] may enter the assembly of YHVH.
How is a mamzer being defined? Rather differently from our definition is the answer to that question - click here.
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23:4 LO YAVO AMONI U MO-AVI BI KEHAL YHVH GAM DOR ASIRI LO YAVO LAHEM BI KEHAL YHVH AD OLAM
לֹא יָבֹא עַמּוֹנִי וּמוֹאָבִי בִּקְהַל יְהוָה גַּם דּוֹר עֲשִׂירִי לֹא יָבֹא לָהֶם בִּקְהַל יְהוָה עַד עוֹלָם
BN: An Amoni or a Mo-Avi may not enter the assembly of YHVH; even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of YHVH, for ever...
The ten generations here are a meaningless statement, because each generation restarts the count; unless some form of religious conversion exists to enable the Amoni or Mo-Avi to enter the tribe; but with ten generations before your posterity can make that conversion meaningful - which is about 250 years - why would anyone bother? The reason for this prohibition is given in the next verse.
And as to why this seeming bizarre law gets passed here - take a look at Nehemiah 13, starting at verse 1, and it will very quickly become clear that this has nothing to do with Mosheh, and everything to do with re-establishing Yehudah as a semi-autonomous Persian sub-domain at the time of Persian-Greek wars, which is precisely the moment when the Torah was bing written down in the form that we now have it
23:5 AL DEVAR ASHER LO KIDMU ET'CHEM BA LECHEM U VA MAYIM BA DERECH BE TSET'CHEM MI MITSRAYIM VA ASHER SACHAR ALEYCHA ET BIL'AM BEN BE'OR MIPHTOR ARAM NAHARAYIM LEKALELECHA
KJ (23:4): Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
BN: Because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road, when you were coming out of Mitsrayim; and because they hired Bil'am ben Be'or from Petor of Aram Naharayim to curse you.
O god of Spite and Petty Vengeance, how we do praise you!
The references are to Numbers 21:22 for the first part, and to Numbers 22 through 24 for Bil'am (Balaam).
23:6 VE LO AVAH YHVH ELOHEYCHA LISHMO'A EL BIL'AM VA YAHAPHOCH YHVH ELOHEYCHA LECHA ET HA KELALAH LI VERACHAH KI AHEV'CHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA
KJ (23:5): Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
BN: Nevertheless YHVH your god would not hearken to Bil'am; but YHVH your god turned the curse into a blessing on you, because YHVH your god loves you.
Should "loved you" in the KJ not be in the present rather than the past tense?
23:5 AL DEVAR ASHER LO KIDMU ET'CHEM BA LECHEM U VA MAYIM BA DERECH BE TSET'CHEM MI MITSRAYIM VA ASHER SACHAR ALEYCHA ET BIL'AM BEN BE'OR MIPHTOR ARAM NAHARAYIM LEKALELECHA
עַל דְּבַר אֲשֶׁר לֹא קִדְּמוּ אֶתְכֶם בַּלֶּחֶם וּבַמַּיִם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם וַאֲשֶׁר שָׂכַר עָלֶיךָ אֶת בִּלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר מִפְּתוֹר אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם לְקַלְלֶךָּ
BN: Because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road, when you were coming out of Mitsrayim; and because they hired Bil'am ben Be'or from Petor of Aram Naharayim to curse you.
O god of Spite and Petty Vengeance, how we do praise you!
The references are to Numbers 21:22 for the first part, and to Numbers 22 through 24 for Bil'am (Balaam).
23:6 VE LO AVAH YHVH ELOHEYCHA LISHMO'A EL BIL'AM VA YAHAPHOCH YHVH ELOHEYCHA LECHA ET HA KELALAH LI VERACHAH KI AHEV'CHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA
וְלֹא אָבָה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל בִּלְעָם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְּךָ אֶת הַקְּלָלָה לִבְרָכָה כִּי אֲהֵבְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
KJ (23:5): Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
BN: Nevertheless YHVH your god would not hearken to Bil'am; but YHVH your god turned the curse into a blessing on you, because YHVH your god loves you.
Should "loved you" in the KJ not be in the present rather than the past tense?
23:7 LO TIDROSH SHELOMAM VE TOVATAM KOL YAMEYCHA LE OLAM
לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ שְׁלֹמָם וְטֹבָתָם כָּל יָמֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם
KJ (23:6): Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
BN: You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days, for ever.
Thereby condemning neighbouring countries to a state of eternal war, or at the very least enmity, hostility and the constant threat of war - just as it is today in modern Israel.
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23:8 LO TETA'EV ADOMI KI ACHICHA HU LO TETA'EV MITSRI KI GER HAYITAH VE ARTSO
KJ (23:8): The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
BN: The children of the third generation that are born to them may enter the assembly of YHVH.
לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ שְׁלֹמָם וְטֹבָתָם כָּל יָמֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם
BN: You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days, for ever.
Thereby condemning neighbouring countries to a state of eternal war, or at the very least enmity, hostility and the constant threat of war - just as it is today in modern Israel.
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לֹא תְתַעֵב אֲדֹמִי כִּי אָחִיךָ הוּא לֹא תְתַעֵב מִצְרִי כִּי גֵר הָיִיתָ בְאַרְצוֹ
KJ (23:7): Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
BN: You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not abhor a Mitsri, because you were a stranger in his land.
ADOMI: Why Adomi and not Edomi, though actually Adomi would make much more sense throughout?
So you have to hate the Beney Mo-Av forever, because they rightly didn't trust you when you said you wanted to pass through their land peacefully; but Egyptians, who enslaved you for 400 years...
23:9 BANIM ASHER YIVALDU LAHEM DOR SHLISHI YAVO LAHEM BI KEHAL YHVH
BN: You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not abhor a Mitsri, because you were a stranger in his land.
ADOMI: Why Adomi and not Edomi, though actually Adomi would make much more sense throughout?
So you have to hate the Beney Mo-Av forever, because they rightly didn't trust you when you said you wanted to pass through their land peacefully; but Egyptians, who enslaved you for 400 years...
23:9 BANIM ASHER YIVALDU LAHEM DOR SHLISHI YAVO LAHEM BI KEHAL YHVH
בָּנִים אֲשֶׁר יִוָּלְדוּ לָהֶם דּוֹר שְׁלִישִׁי יָבֹא לָהֶם בִּקְהַל יְהוָה
BN: The children of the third generation that are born to them may enter the assembly of YHVH.
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23:10 KI TETSE MACHANEH AL OYEVEYCHA VE NISHMARTA MI KOL DAVAR RA
KJ (23:9): When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
BN: When you go forth in camp against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.
What exactly does this verse mean? I can translate the merely nine words, but explaining them as a whole is rather more challenging. "When you set out from your camp to fight your enemies..."? "When you leave your military camp at last to dwell as civilians among those who were your enemies..."?; and that's just the first half, though I think the evidence of previous text is enough to explain the second half: "you shall only do those forms of evil for which I have granted permission or laid out expectation, such as raping the women, burning down the 'pagan' shrines, murdering the men, annihilating specifically named nations... but you shall not commit any of the other prohibited sexual acts, nor keep any of the booty that has been designated for the Kohanim, or, worst of all, show disrespect to your parents."
23:11 KI YIHEYEH VECHA ISH ASHER LO YIHEYEH TAHOR MIKREH LAILAH VE YATSA EL MI CHUTS LA MACHANEH LO YAVO EL TOCH HA MACHANEH
KJ (23:10): If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
BN: If there be among you any man, who is not clean by reason of that which chances him by night, then he shall go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp.
Meaning what? A case of syphillis picked up from a camp whore, a self-induced emission, a malarial mosquito bite, a wound that turns gangrenous?
23:12 VE HAYAH LIPNOT-EREV YIRCHATS BA MAYIM U CHE VO HA SHEMESH YAVO EL TOCH HA MACHANEH
KJ (23:11): But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
BN: But it shall be, when evening comes on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he may come into the camp.
23:10 KI TETSE MACHANEH AL OYEVEYCHA VE NISHMARTA MI KOL DAVAR RA
כִּי תֵצֵא מַחֲנֶה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ וְנִשְׁמַרְתָּ מִכֹּל דָּבָר רָע
BN: When you go forth in camp against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.
What exactly does this verse mean? I can translate the merely nine words, but explaining them as a whole is rather more challenging. "When you set out from your camp to fight your enemies..."? "When you leave your military camp at last to dwell as civilians among those who were your enemies..."?; and that's just the first half, though I think the evidence of previous text is enough to explain the second half: "you shall only do those forms of evil for which I have granted permission or laid out expectation, such as raping the women, burning down the 'pagan' shrines, murdering the men, annihilating specifically named nations... but you shall not commit any of the other prohibited sexual acts, nor keep any of the booty that has been designated for the Kohanim, or, worst of all, show disrespect to your parents."
23:11 KI YIHEYEH VECHA ISH ASHER LO YIHEYEH TAHOR MIKREH LAILAH VE YATSA EL MI CHUTS LA MACHANEH LO YAVO EL TOCH HA MACHANEH
כִּי יִהְיֶה בְךָ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִהְיֶה טָהוֹר מִקְּרֵה לָיְלָה וְיָצָא אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה לֹא יָבֹא אֶל תּוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה
BN: If there be among you any man, who is not clean by reason of that which chances him by night, then he shall go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp.
Meaning what? A case of syphillis picked up from a camp whore, a self-induced emission, a malarial mosquito bite, a wound that turns gangrenous?
23:12 VE HAYAH LIPNOT-EREV YIRCHATS BA MAYIM U CHE VO HA SHEMESH YAVO EL TOCH HA MACHANEH
וְהָיָה לִפְנוֹת עֶרֶב יִרְחַץ בַּמָּיִם וּכְבֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָבֹא אֶל תּוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה
KJ (23:11): But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
BN: But it shall be, when evening comes on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he may come into the camp.
Citation needed to confirm this, but it appears that it was the self-induced emission. You can rape captive women, but you can't masturbate.
23:13 VE YAD TIHEYEH LECHA MI CHUTS LA MACHANEH VE YATSATA SHAMAH CHUTS
וְיָד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְיָצָאתָ שָּׁמָּה חוּץ
KJ (23:12): Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
BN: You shall also have a place outside the camp, to which you shall go forth abroad.
Wonderful! At every military base, in the midst of war, special post-masturbation rooms outside the camp boundaries, where men can go to be impure for a day, while their comrades are dying for the cause of wiping out Amelekites or Amonites or Beney Mo-Av. What was it Louis Armstrong sang about this "wonderful world"?
Of course, that reading depends on the application of Rabbi Yishmael's 13 rules, which require us to understand a verse in the context of the one that preceded it and not the one that follows it. If we do not apply that rule, the probability is that the place outside the camp and the going abroad are about the provision of latrines. And please don't tell Rabbi Yishmael, but it is the verse that follows which confirms this.
23:14 VE YATED TIHEYEH LECHA AL AZENECHA VE HAYAH BE SHIVTECHA CHUTS VE CHAPHARTAH VAH VE SHAVTA VE CHISITA ET TSE'ATECHA
וְיָתֵד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ עַל אֲזֵנֶךָ וְהָיָה בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ חוּץ וְחָפַרְתָּה בָהּ וְשַׁבְתָּ וְכִסִּיתָ אֶת צֵאָתֶךָ
KJ (23:13): And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
BN: And you shall have a shovel among your weapons; and it shall be, when you are away from home and need to shit, that you shall dig with it, and shall turn around and cover whatever you have excreted.
YATED: Isn't the KJ beautifully phrased (better than my crude and vulgar version)! The ultimate euphemism. But the meaning is the same: soldiers are to be provided with shovels so they can dig personal latrines. I am only surprised that Mosheh doesn't remind them to say the blessing as well, which can be found at the beginning of every daily prayer book:
23:13 VE YAD TIHEYEH LECHA MI CHUTS LA MACHANEH VE YATSATA SHAMAH CHUTS
וְיָד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְיָצָאתָ שָּׁמָּה חוּץ
BN: You shall also have a place outside the camp, to which you shall go forth abroad.
Wonderful! At every military base, in the midst of war, special post-masturbation rooms outside the camp boundaries, where men can go to be impure for a day, while their comrades are dying for the cause of wiping out Amelekites or Amonites or Beney Mo-Av. What was it Louis Armstrong sang about this "wonderful world"?
Of course, that reading depends on the application of Rabbi Yishmael's 13 rules, which require us to understand a verse in the context of the one that preceded it and not the one that follows it. If we do not apply that rule, the probability is that the place outside the camp and the going abroad are about the provision of latrines. And please don't tell Rabbi Yishmael, but it is the verse that follows which confirms this.
23:14 VE YATED TIHEYEH LECHA AL AZENECHA VE HAYAH BE SHIVTECHA CHUTS VE CHAPHARTAH VAH VE SHAVTA VE CHISITA ET TSE'ATECHA
וְיָתֵד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ עַל אֲזֵנֶךָ וְהָיָה בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ חוּץ וְחָפַרְתָּה בָהּ וְשַׁבְתָּ וְכִסִּיתָ אֶת צֵאָתֶךָ
BN: And you shall have a shovel among your weapons; and it shall be, when you are away from home and need to shit, that you shall dig with it, and shall turn around and cover whatever you have excreted.
YATED: Isn't the KJ beautifully phrased (better than my crude and vulgar version)! The ultimate euphemism. But the meaning is the same: soldiers are to be provided with shovels so they can dig personal latrines. I am only surprised that Mosheh doesn't remind them to say the blessing as well, which can be found at the beginning of every daily prayer book:
“Baruch atah Adonay eloheynu melech ha-olam asher yatsar et ha-adam be-chachma u-vara vo nekavim nekavim chalulim chalulim. Galu’i ve-yadu’a liphney chiseh chevodecha she-im yipateyach echad me-hem o-yisater echad me-hem, i-ephshar lehitkayam ve-la’amod lephaneycha. Baruch atah Adonay rophe chol bassar u-maphli la’asot.”
“Blessed are you O Lord Our God, King of the Universe, who fashioned Man in his wisdom and created in him many openings and orifices. It is obvious and known before Your Throne of Glory that if but one of them were to be ruptured or blocked up, then it would be impossible to survive and stand before You. Blessed are You, O Lord, who heals all flesh and does such wondrous deeds.”
23:15 KI YHVH ELOHEYCHA MIT'HALECH BE KEREV MACHANECHA LEHATSIL'CHA VE LATET OYEVEYCHA LEPHANEYCHA VE HAYAH MACHANEYCHA KDOSH VE LO YIREH VECHA ERVAT DAVAR VE SHAV MEY ACHAREYCHA
כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהָיָה מַחֲנֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ וְלֹא יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְשָׁב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ
So YHVH has a toilet-phobia along with all his other neuroses! Many virtues, many vices, are described in these texts - but did he really need to share this one with Humankind (which I guess is an expression of my "toilet-phobia-confession" phobia, and I didn't need to share that with Humanity either!)? I wonder if YHVH, sitting up there in the heavenly library on a rainy Thursday afternoon, wanting something more interesting to read than the Book of Life, has ever seen a copy of Jonathan Swift's poem to his beloved Celia in her dressing-room? Probably banned from that library.
23:16 LO TASGIR EVED EL ADONAV ASHER YINATSEL ELEYCHA MEY IM ADONAV
KJ (23:15): Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:
BN: You shall not deliver back to his master a bondman who has escaped from his master to you.
Because you too were once a runaway slave, fleeing from Egypt, along Desert Highway 61, all the way to the Canadianite border! It doesn't state this, but from elsewhere in the text we can understand it this way.
KJ (23:14): For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
BN: For YHVH your god walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore your camp shall be holy; that he see no unseemly thing in you, and turn away from you.
BN: For YHVH your god walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore your camp shall be holy; that he see no unseemly thing in you, and turn away from you.
So YHVH has a toilet-phobia along with all his other neuroses! Many virtues, many vices, are described in these texts - but did he really need to share this one with Humankind (which I guess is an expression of my "toilet-phobia-confession" phobia, and I didn't need to share that with Humanity either!)? I wonder if YHVH, sitting up there in the heavenly library on a rainy Thursday afternoon, wanting something more interesting to read than the Book of Life, has ever seen a copy of Jonathan Swift's poem to his beloved Celia in her dressing-room? Probably banned from that library.
23:16 LO TASGIR EVED EL ADONAV ASHER YINATSEL ELEYCHA MEY IM ADONAV
לֹא תַסְגִּיר עֶבֶד אֶל אֲדֹנָיו אֲשֶׁר יִנָּצֵל אֵלֶיךָ מֵעִם אֲדֹנָיו
KJ (23:15): Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:
BN: You shall not deliver back to his master a bondman who has escaped from his master to you.
Because you too were once a runaway slave, fleeing from Egypt, along Desert Highway 61, all the way to the Canadianite border! It doesn't state this, but from elsewhere in the text we can understand it this way.
And I wonder if, based on the last few chapters, this only applies if it's a male slave, but not if she's female.
EVED: I have to point it out yet again - how KJ wobbles back and forth between "slave" and "servant" and "bondmen", depending on how it wishes a particular verse to be regarded.
23:17 IM'CHA YESHEV BE KIRBECHA BA MAKOM ASHER YIVCHAR BE ACHAD SHE'AREYCHA BA TOV LO LO TONENU
עִמְּךָ יֵשֵׁב בְּקִרְבְּךָ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ בַּטּוֹב לוֹ לֹא תּוֹנֶנּוּ
KJ (23:16): He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.BN: He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place which he shall choose within one of your gates, where it pleases him; you shall not wrong him.
I hate to be awkward, but what if he turns out to be a Beney Amon or Beney Mo-Av, captured in a recent war (see verse 4)?
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23:18 LO TIHEYEH KEDESHAH MI BENOT YISRA-EL VE LO YIHEYEH KADESH MI BENEY YISRA-EL
KJ (23:17): There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
BN: No woman of the Banot Yisra-El shall perform the Obligation of Asherah as a hierodule, nor shall any man of the Beney Yisra-El perform the Obligation as a hierophant.
לֹא תִהְיֶה קְדֵשָׁה מִבְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא יִהְיֶה קָדֵשׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ (23:17): There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
BN: No woman of the Banot Yisra-El shall perform the Obligation of Asherah as a hierodule, nor shall any man of the Beney Yisra-El perform the Obligation as a hierophant.
I have slightly over-translated this, inorder to be as precise as possible about its meaning. This is another of the hugely important sociological verses; because you don't need a prohibition against something that isn't taking place. The words KADESH and KEDESHAH are very specific, and very specifically different from a ZONAH, as in the very next verse; we have written before about them and don't need to repeat here.
I need to point out a problem in the KJ, for which I also note in advance that children under the age of sixteen should not read this comment, and adults should only read it after the 9pm watershed has passed: sodomy is anal sex peformed by a man on a woman, but what the hierophants performed was buggery, which is anal sex by a man upon another man. In Yehudit, however, as in modern Ivrit, the probably incorrect term MA'ASEY SEDOM ("the deeds of Sodom") is used for both.
I also need to point out that, in the religion of Asherah, a KADESH was a holy priest and a KADESHAH a holy priestess, and both were subjects of respect and even veneration among their co-religionists.
23:19 LO TAVI ETNAN ZONAH U MECHIR KELEV BEIT YHVH ELOHEYCHA LE CHOL NEDER KI TO'AVAT YHVH ELOHEYCHA GAM SHENEYHEM
KJ (23:18): Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these areabomination unto the LORD thy God.
BN: You shall not bring the payment of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of YHVH your god for any vow; for both these are an abomination to YHVH your god.
23:19 LO TAVI ETNAN ZONAH U MECHIR KELEV BEIT YHVH ELOHEYCHA LE CHOL NEDER KI TO'AVAT YHVH ELOHEYCHA GAM SHENEYHEM
לֹא תָבִיא אֶתְנַן זוֹנָה וּמְחִיר כֶּלֶב בֵּית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְכָל נֶדֶר כִּי תוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ גַּם שְׁנֵיהֶם
KJ (23:18): Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these areabomination unto the LORD thy God.
BN: You shall not bring the payment of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of YHVH your god for any vow; for both these are an abomination to YHVH your god.
Is "the price of a dog" intended literally or idiomatically? Even using "the payment of a whore" as a simile makes clear that a Kedeshah is not the same thing as a Zonah.
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23:20 LO TASHICH LE ACHICHA NESHECH KESEPH NESHECH OCHEL NESHECH KOL DAVAR ASHER YISHACH
KJ (23:19): Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
BN: You shall not lend at interest to your brother: interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest.
And again we jump, like someone thinking up items for a shopping list, oh yes, must include money-lending, and don't forget runaway slaves, and find a place to squeeze in prostitution and the need to go to the toilet. Do law-codes not generally get white-papered in a rather more organised and ordered and prioritised manner?
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23:20 LO TASHICH LE ACHICHA NESHECH KESEPH NESHECH OCHEL NESHECH KOL DAVAR ASHER YISHACH
לֹא תַשִּׁיךְ לְאָחִיךָ נֶשֶׁךְ כֶּסֶף נֶשֶׁךְ אֹכֶל נֶשֶׁךְ כָּל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁךְ
BN: You shall not lend at interest to your brother: interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest.
And again we jump, like someone thinking up items for a shopping list, oh yes, must include money-lending, and don't forget runaway slaves, and find a place to squeeze in prostitution and the need to go to the toilet. Do law-codes not generally get white-papered in a rather more organised and ordered and prioritised manner?
Having said which, this law about money-lending will come back to the bite the Jews for many centuries yet to come. Adopted by Christianity in about the 4th century CE, it is essentially the history of the Christian world, economically even more than politically, and globally after the 15th century, and remains the case today.
23:21 LA NACHRI TASHICH U LE ACHICHA LO TASHICH LEMA'AN YEVARECHECHA YHVH ELOHEYCHA BE CHOL MISHLACH YADECHA AL HA ARETS ASHER ATAH VA SHAMAH LE RISHTAH
לַנָּכְרִי תַשִּׁיךְ וּלְאָחִיךָ לֹא תַשִּׁיךְ לְמַעַן יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכֹל מִשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ
BN: To a foreigner you may lend at interest; but to your kinsman you may not lend at interest; so that YHVH your god may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land to which you are going, to take possession of it.
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23:22 KI TIDOR NEDER LA YHVH ELOHEYCHA LO TE'ACHER LESHALMO KI DAROSH YIDRESHENU YHVH ELOHEYCHA MEY IMACH VE HAYAH VECHA CHET
KJ (23:21): When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
BN: When you make a pledge to YHVH your god, you shall not be slack in fulfilling it; for YHVH your god will surely require it of you; and it will be a sin in you.
Why is this not inscribed on a plaque in the entrance to every Jewish institutional building?
23:23 VE CHI TECHDAL LINDOR LO YIHEYEH VECHA CHET
KJ (23:22): But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
BN: But if you decide not to vow a pledge, it shall be no sin in you.
At last, something in this chapter that a modern human being can actually agree with and support - if you pledge a charitable donation, pay up; but you are entirely at liberty not to pledge, and not to wish to donate. The "sin" is not the lack of generosity, but the insincerity. (Nor is this exclusively about donation-pledges; but donation-pledges provide a good template).
23:24 MOTSA SEPHATEYCHA TISHMOR VE ASITA KA ASHER NADARTA LA YHVH ELOHEYCHA NEDAVAH ASHER DIBARTA BE PHICHA
KJ (23:23): That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; evena freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
BN: Whatever comes from your lips you shall observe and do; in the terms that you freely pledged to YHVH your god, exactly as it was uttered from your mouth.
See my piece on Kol Nidre - "all our vows" - in "Day of Atonement".
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23:25 KI TAVO BE CHEREM RE'EYCHA VE ACHALTA ANAVIM KE NAPHSHECHA SAVECHA VE EL KELYECHA LO TITEN
KJ (23:24): When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
BN: When you come to your neighbour's vineyard, you may eat grapes until you have had enough for your own pleasure; but you may not put any in your vessel.
I can't imagine too many vineyard-owners, in the Loire or the Sanoma valleys say, who would accord with this statute of open trespass. PRIVATE PROPERTY, KEEP OUT. CCTV SURVEILLANCE OPERATES is much more likely, and indeed much more reasonable.
כִּי תִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תְאַחֵר לְשַׁלְּמוֹ כִּי דָרֹשׁ יִדְרְשֶׁנּוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵעִמָּךְ וְהָיָה בְךָ חֵטְא
BN: When you make a pledge to YHVH your god, you shall not be slack in fulfilling it; for YHVH your god will surely require it of you; and it will be a sin in you.
Why is this not inscribed on a plaque in the entrance to every Jewish institutional building?
23:23 VE CHI TECHDAL LINDOR LO YIHEYEH VECHA CHET
וְכִי תֶחְדַּל לִנְדֹּר לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ חֵטְא
BN: But if you decide not to vow a pledge, it shall be no sin in you.
At last, something in this chapter that a modern human being can actually agree with and support - if you pledge a charitable donation, pay up; but you are entirely at liberty not to pledge, and not to wish to donate. The "sin" is not the lack of generosity, but the insincerity. (Nor is this exclusively about donation-pledges; but donation-pledges provide a good template).
23:24 MOTSA SEPHATEYCHA TISHMOR VE ASITA KA ASHER NADARTA LA YHVH ELOHEYCHA NEDAVAH ASHER DIBARTA BE PHICHA
מוֹצָא שְׂפָתֶיךָ תִּשְׁמֹר וְעָשִׂיתָ כַּאֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתָּ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נְדָבָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ בְּפִיךָ
BN: Whatever comes from your lips you shall observe and do; in the terms that you freely pledged to YHVH your god, exactly as it was uttered from your mouth.
See my piece on Kol Nidre - "all our vows" - in "Day of Atonement".
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23:25 KI TAVO BE CHEREM RE'EYCHA VE ACHALTA ANAVIM KE NAPHSHECHA SAVECHA VE EL KELYECHA LO TITEN
כִּי תָבֹא בְּכֶרֶם רֵעֶךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ עֲנָבִים כְּנַפְשְׁךָ שָׂבְעֶךָ וְאֶל כֶּלְיְךָ לֹא תִתֵּן
BN: When you come to your neighbour's vineyard, you may eat grapes until you have had enough for your own pleasure; but you may not put any in your vessel.
I can't imagine too many vineyard-owners, in the Loire or the Sanoma valleys say, who would accord with this statute of open trespass. PRIVATE PROPERTY, KEEP OUT. CCTV SURVEILLANCE OPERATES is much more likely, and indeed much more reasonable.
But see also verse 14, which is in danger of applying here.
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23:26 KI TAVO BE KAMAT RE'EYCHA VE KATAPHTA MELILOT BE YADECHA VE CHERMESH LO TANIPH AL KAMAT RE'EYCHA
KJ (23:25): When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
BN: When you come to your neighbour's standing corn, then you may pluck ears with your hand; but you may not take a sickle to your neighbour's standing corn.
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23:26 KI TAVO BE KAMAT RE'EYCHA VE KATAPHTA MELILOT BE YADECHA VE CHERMESH LO TANIPH AL KAMAT RE'EYCHA
כִּי תָבֹא בְּקָמַת רֵעֶךָ וְקָטַפְתָּ מְלִילֹת בְּיָדֶךָ וְחֶרְמֵשׁ לֹא תָנִיףעַל קָמַת רֵעֶךָ
BN: When you come to your neighbour's standing corn, then you may pluck ears with your hand; but you may not take a sickle to your neighbour's standing corn.
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