(9) When the host goeth forth against thine enemies . . . keep thee.--"Because Satan maketh his accusations in the hour of danger" (Rashi).
(10) Uncleanness that chanceth him by night. As in Leviticus 15:16.
(11) When the sun is down.--"No man is clean (after ceremonial uncleanness) except at the going down of the sun" (Rashi).
(12) Without the camp.--It must not be forgotten that this is the camp of the army, not the whole encampment of Israel in the wilderness. The entire passage is continuous from Deuteronomy 23:9. Hence the whole discussion raised, after the appearance of Dr. Colenso's work, on the size of the camp of Israel and the possibility of obeying this rule, was simply waste of words, and arose out of a misunderstanding of the matter under consideration. The sanitary value of the rule has been abundantly demonstrated in our own day.
(13) A paddle--rather, a pin, or spike, like that with which Jael slew Sisera. The word for "weapon" does not occur elsewhere. The LXX. translates it "a pin or tent-peg at thy girdle;" the Hebrew word (azen) being like the Greek (????). But both Targums interpret the word as "weapon," connecting it with the Hebrew zayin, which has that meaning. The hinder end of the spear in Abner's hand was sharp enough to strike Asahel a fatal blow when he followed him (2 Samuel 2:23). Saul's spear also was "stuck in the ground at his bolster" (1 Samuel 26:7), probably with its point upwards, by the same spike.
(14) For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of . . . thee.--A most beautiful argument for purity in every sense. It was evidently present to St. Paul's mind in 2 Corinthians 6:16 to 2 Corinthians 7:1, "God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. . . . Having therefore these promises . . . let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
23:9-14 The camp of the Lord must have nothing offensive in it. If there must be this care taken to preserve the body clean, much more should we be careful to keep the mind pure.
When the host goeth forth against thine enemies,.... An army of soldiers march in order to meet the enemy and fight him:
then keep thee from every wicked thing; the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation,"from strange worship, uncovering of nakedness, and from shedding innocent blood;''that is, from idolatry, uncleanness of every sort, and murder; and all other wickednesses ought to be abstained from at all times by all persons, but especially by soldiers in such a circumstance, just going to battle; since sin committed weakens natural courage, as it loads the conscience with guilt; and since victory and success, which depend upon the blessing of God on arms, cannot be reasonably expected, where vices of all sorts are indulged and abound; and especially seeing such are about to expose their lives to the utmost danger, and know not but that in a few hours they must exchange this life for another, and appear before God, the Judge of all, against whom they sin; and yet how little are these things thought of by such in common! it was the wisdom of the Jewish legislature, which was of God, to inculcate such things into the minds of their soldiers.
(9) When the host goeth forth against thine enemies . . . keep thee.--"Because Satan maketh his accusations in the hour of danger" (Rashi).
(10) Uncleanness that chanceth him by night. As in Leviticus 15:16.
(11) When the sun is down.--"No man is clean (after ceremonial uncleanness) except at the going down of the sun" (Rashi).
(12) Without the camp.--It must not be forgotten that this is the camp of the army, not the whole encampment of Israel in the wilderness. The entire passage is continuous from Deuteronomy 23:9. Hence the whole discussion raised, after the appearance of Dr. Colenso's work, on the size of the camp of Israel and the possibility of obeying this rule, was simply waste of words, and arose out of a misunderstanding of the matter under consideration. The sanitary value of the rule has been abundantly demonstrated in our own day.
(13) A paddle--rather, a pin, or spike, like that with which Jael slew Sisera. The word for "weapon" does not occur elsewhere. The LXX. translates it "a pin or tent-peg at thy girdle;" the Hebrew word (azen) being like the Greek (????). But both Targums interpret the word as "weapon," connecting it with the Hebrew zayin, which has that meaning. The hinder end of the spear in Abner's hand was sharp enough to strike Asahel a fatal blow when he followed him (2 Samuel 2:23). Saul's spear also was "stuck in the ground at his bolster" (1 Samuel 26:7), probably with its point upwards, by the same spike.
(14) For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of . . . thee.--A most beautiful argument for purity in every sense. It was evidently present to St. Paul's mind in 2 Corinthians 6:16 to 2 Corinthians 7:1, "God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. . . . Having therefore these promises . . . let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
then keep thee from every wicked thing; the Targum of Jonathan adds, by way of explanation,"from strange worship, uncovering of nakedness, and from shedding innocent blood;''that is, from idolatry, uncleanness of every sort, and murder; and all other wickednesses ought to be abstained from at all times by all persons, but especially by soldiers in such a circumstance, just going to battle; since sin committed weakens natural courage, as it loads the conscience with guilt; and since victory and success, which depend upon the blessing of God on arms, cannot be reasonably expected, where vices of all sorts are indulged and abound; and especially seeing such are about to expose their lives to the utmost danger, and know not but that in a few hours they must exchange this life for another, and appear before God, the Judge of all, against whom they sin; and yet how little are these things thought of by such in common! it was the wisdom of the Jewish legislature, which was of God, to inculcate such things into the minds of their soldiers.