Deuteronomy 申命记 21 — The Laws of the Land 地中的律法

Man is made in the image of God, and human life is precious in His sight. People are not to be treated like animals or things, and the laws in this chapter illustrate this truth.

神照着自己的形象造人,所以神视人命为贵。我们不能以待动物或事物的方式待人,而本章的法律便显明了这真理。

 

Murder 谋杀 (1–9).

The unlawful taking of a life is a tragedy that cannot be erased simply by burying a corpse. The heifer died instead of the culprit (Gen. 9:5–6), but the sacrifice did not atone for the murderer’s sin. Rather, the sacrifice kept the land from being defiled by innocent blood (Deut. 19:10–13), and it reminded the people that life is precious.

非法夺取人命的悲剧,是不能以埋葬尸体如此简单地掩盖。母牛犊能代凶手而死(创9:5-6),但它无法为凶手赎罪。这祭物乃是为了防止这地沾满了无辜人的血(19:10-13),并提醒会众生命是宝贵的。

 

Marriage 婚姻 (10–17).

Jews were forbidden to marry Canaanites (Deut. 7:1–4), so the captured wife mentioned in these verses had to come from another nation. Women in general, and captives in particular, had very little status in those days; but God protected her from abuse. No matter how much authority we have, we must not mistreat others or take advantage of them.

犹太人不得与迦南人通婚(7:1-4),所以这里被掳的女人大可能来自他国。当时的妇女,尤其是被俘的妇女,一般都没有什么身份地位;然而神保护她们免受虐待。无论我们有再大的权力,我们都不可虐待或剥削他人。

 

Rebellion 悖逆 (18–23).

A rebellious son would grieve his parents, bring shame to his village, and be a bad example to other young men. The fear of death might deter some sons, or like the prodigal (Luke 15:11ff.), they might decide to leave home. To us, it seems like a drastic law, but God will not tolerate rebellion.

一个悖逆的儿子能使父母痛心,给村庄带来耻辱,也是其他年轻人的坏榜样。死亡的恐惧或许能阻止这样的行为,又或者像浪子一样(路15:11),有些会选择离家出走。对我们来说,这律法似乎苛刻残酷,但神绝不纵容悖逆之心。

 

See our Lord in this chapter: He died for guilty sinners; He loved and married a foreign bride (Eph. 5:25ff.); He died for rebellious sinners; and He was hanged on a tree (Gal. 3:13).

我们在本章能看见我们的主:祂代罪人而死;祂怜爱并迎娶外族新娘(弗5:25);祂为悖逆的罪人代死;并被挂在木头上(加3:13)。

 

Praying the Scripture 用经文祷告

 

While Jewish men were not allowed to take wives from the Canaanite nations (7:3), they were however permitted to marry women from the conquered cities located at a distance from the Promised Land (20:14–15). Of course, it was expected that these women would accept the faith of Israel and enter into the religious life of the Israelites. On returning home with his bride, the man had to wait a month before consummating the marriage. During that waiting period, the woman could be emotionally prepared for a new beginning; for she had to shave her head, cut her nails, and put on different clothes. Shaving the head was part of the ritual for cleansed lepers (Lev. 14:8–9) and the dedication of Nazirites who had fulfilled their vows (Num. 6:18). While shaving the head would be a humbling experience for the woman (see Deut. 21:14), it could also be the sign of a new beginning, as it was for the leper and the Nazirite. She was renouncing her former religion, the worship of idols, and accepting Jehovah as her God. During this waiting period, she was expected to express her sorrow over leaving her family and her native city. In short, the experiences of this month of waiting, painful as they might be, were designed to help the woman make the transition from the old faith to new faith and old life into the new life.

犹太男子虽然不得迎娶迦南女子为妻(7:3),但他们可以迎娶应许之地以外所被征服之城中的女子(20:14-15)。当然,这些女子必须接受以色列的信仰,并过以色列人的宗教生活。把新娘接回国后,男子必须等上一个月才可圆房。等待期间,女子能为这新开始做思想上的准备;她必须剃头、修指甲,并换上不同的衣服。剃头是洁净麻风患者仪式的一部分(利14:8-9),也是拿细耳人已履行誓言的奉献(民6:18)。剃头对女人来说必是一个令人谦卑的体验(见申21:14),但更是标志了一个新开始,如同麻风患者和拿细耳人一样。她舍弃从前敬拜偶像的生活,并接受耶和华为她的神。在等待期间,她当为离开家人和家乡表达悲伤。总之,尽管这一个月的等待或许是痛苦的,但它能帮助女子从旧信仰过渡到新的信仰,从旧生活过渡到新生活。