Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] Deut 23 [was: Historical memory]

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>
  • To: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Deut 23 [was: Historical memory]
  • Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:05:02 -0600

Bill,
HH: If you look at the passage carefully, you will see that it is not
talking about the whole camp of Israel, women and children and the aged
included, but it is talking about a military expedition that is camped
against an enemy. That is clear from verses 9 and 14:

I disagree that this is clear. This chapter, understanding that the chapter
divisions are not original, seems to be an eclectic collection of laws. The
way I read it, the connection between verse 9 and 10 is anything but clear.
I think its possible to read verse 9 as a law on its own. One thing which is
against reading it as a set of instructions for military action is verse 10.
Putting a man outside the camp all day during a military campaign makes him
a sitting duck for the enemies.


HH: Also, the camp is a place for sleeping. During the day the soldiers would not necessarily need to be there. A camp was a place deemed to be relatively safe from the enemy. If the enemy would be a few feet outside the camp, it was probably not a good place to be encamped. Scouts would have a fairly good idea where the enemy was, and camping plans would be based, if the enemy was an issue, on where the enemy was. So even when the camp was fairly close to the enemy, the plan would be to find a fairly safe spot, and soldiers needing to leave the camp could leave it in the direction away from the enemy. If the enemy surrounded you, perhaps it would not be a good night to be sleeping anyway.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page