Why must Israel keep its war camp holy and cover its bodily waste?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord walks in the camp to deliver Israel and give its enemies into its hand. The camp must be holy, with no uncleanness appearing in it, lest he leave. Challoner separately says the warning about filth teaches people to avoid sin, which drives God from the soul.

Chapter breakdown

A eunuch whose testicles are broken or cut away, or whose penis is cut off, must not enter the church of the Lord. Challoner’s separate note interprets the eunuch spiritually as one barren in good works. It explains entering the church here as entering Israel’s assembly or congregation with an Israelite’s privileges or eligibility for a place or office among God’s people. A mamzer, defined in the verse as one born of a prostitute, must not enter until the tenth generation. An Ammonite or Moabite must never enter, even after the tenth generation. The reasons given are their refusal to meet Israel with bread and water on the journey out of Egypt and their hiring Balaam, son of Beor, from Mesopotamia in Syria, to curse Israel. The Lord would not hear Balaam and turned the curse into a blessing because he loved Israel. Israel must not make peace with these peoples or seek their prosperity throughout its life, forever. It must not abhor the Edomite, because he is its brother, or the Egyptian, because Israel was a stranger in his land. Their descendants may enter in the third generation.

When going to war against enemies, Israel must keep from every evil thing. A man defiled in a dream by night must leave the camp. He must not return before washing with water in the evening; after sunset he may return. There must be a place outside the camp for bodily needs. A person must carry a digging paddle at his belt, dig around when sitting down, and cover his waste with the earth dug up. The Lord walks in the camp to deliver Israel and give its enemies into its hand. The camp must be holy, with no uncleanness appearing in it, lest he go away. Challoner’s separate note says the caution against filth in camp teaches people to flee the filth of sin, which drives God away from the soul.

Israel must not deliver to his master a servant who has fled to it. He must dwell with Israel in the place he likes, rest in one of its cities, and be given no trouble. There must be no whore among Israel’s daughters or whoremonger among its sons. The hire of a strumpet—a prostitute—or the price of a dog must not be offered in the Lord’s house, whatever the vow, because both are an abomination to him.

Israel must not lend its brother money, corn, or anything else at usury, meaning lending for interest. The stranger is the stated exception. The brother must receive what he needs without usury, so the Lord may bless Israel in all its works in the land it will possess. Challoner’s separate note calls the stranger exception a permission granted by God, who, as Lord of all things, can give one person a right and title over another’s goods. It says Scripture otherwise condemns usury everywhere as contrary to God’s law and a crying sin. The note cites Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36–37; 2 Esdras 5:7; Psalm 14:5; and Ezechiel 18:8,13, among others.

A vow made to the Lord must be paid without delay, because he will require it and delay will count as sin. Choosing not to promise carries no sin. Once words have left the lips, however, the person must keep and do what he willingly promised to the Lord with his own mouth. A person entering his neighbor’s vineyard may eat as many grapes as he likes but carry none away. In his friend’s corn, he may break off the ears and rub them in his hand but must not reap them with a sickle.

The story inside

The camp directions connect concrete actions with the Lord’s presence. The man defiled in a night dream leaves, washes in the evening, and returns after sunset. Bodily needs belong outside the camp, and the paddle and dug earth are used to cover waste. The passage then gives its reason: the Lord walks among Israel to deliver it, and the camp must be holy lest he depart. Challoner’s note offers a spiritual reading about avoiding sin; it is distinct from the verse directions. Elsewhere the chapter gives stated reasons for different admission rules, a servant’s refuge, lending, vows, and taking produce. These commands are not a narrated camp inspection or evidence that a particular army followed them.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The assembly rules distinguish their conditions. The mamzer rule says until the tenth generation; the Ammonite and Moabite rule says forever, even after the tenth; the Edomite and Egyptian descendants may enter in the third. Challoner separately explains the assembly privileges in view.
2
The camp directions include a sequence and reason. Leaving, evening washing, and return after sunset accompany the outside place and covered waste. The passage ties holiness to the Lord’s presence, while Challoner gives a separate spiritual explanation.
3
A spoken vow changes the duty. No sin is attached to choosing not to promise, but a freely spoken promise must be kept without delay because the Lord requires it. The produce directions also give precise limits: grapes may be eaten but not carried away; corn may be broken and rubbed by hand, but not reaped with a sickle.

Test your recall

Why must the camp remain holy, with no uncleanness appearing in it?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 20963–20998
Deuteronomy Chapter 23 Who may and who may not enter into the church: uncleanness to be avoided: other precepts concerning fugitives, fornication, usury, vows, and eating other men’s grapes and corn. 23:1. An eunuch, whose testicles are broken or cut away, or yard cut off, shall not enter into the church of the Lord. Eunuch.... By these are meant, in the spiritual sense, such as are barren in good works. Ibid. Into the church.... That is, into the assembly or congregation of Israel, so as to have the privilege of an Israelite, or to be capable of any place or office among the people of God. 23:2. A mamzer, that is to say, one born of a prostitute, shall not enter into the church of the Lord, until the tenth generation. 23:3. The Ammonite and the Moabite, even after the tenth generation shall not enter into the church of the Lord for ever: 23:4. Because they would not meet you with bread and water in the way, when you came out of Egypt: and because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor, from Mesopotamia in Syria, to curse thee. 23:5. And the Lord thy God would not hear Balaam, and he turned his cursing into thy blessing, because he loved thee. 23:6. Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither shalt thou seek their prosperity all the days of thy life for ever. 23:7. Thou shalt not abhor the Edomite, because he is thy brother: nor the Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land. 23:8. They that are born of them, in the third generation shall enter into the church of the Lord.
Lines 21000–21023
23:9. When thou goest out to war against thy enemies, thou shalt keep thyself from every evil thing. 23:10. If there be among you any man, that is defiled in a dream by night, he shall go forth out of the camp, 23:11. And shall not return, before he be washed with water in the evening: and after sunset he shall return into the camp. 23:12. Thou shalt have a place without the camp, to which thou mayst go for the necessities of nature, 23:13. Carrying a paddle at thy girdle. And when thou sittest down, thou shalt dig round about, and with the earth that is dug up thou shalt cover 23:14. That which thou art eased of: (for the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies to thee:) and let thy camp be holy, and let no uncleanness appear therein, lest he go away from thee. No uncleanness.... This caution against suffering any filth in the camp, was to teach them to fly the filth of sin, which driveth God away from the soul.
Lines 21025–21036
23:15. Thou shalt not deliver to his master the servant that is fled to thee. 23:16. He shall dwell with thee in the place that shall please him, and shall rest in one of thy cities: give him no trouble. 23:17. There shall be no whore among the daughters of Israel, nor whoremonger among the sons of Israel. 23:18. Thou shalt not offer the hire of a strumpet, nor the price of a dog, in the house of the Lord thy God, whatsoever it be that thou hast vowed: because both these are an abomination to the Lord thy God.
Lines 21038–21049
23:19. Thou shalt not lend to thy brother money to usury, nor corn, nor any other thing: 23:20. But to the stranger. To thy brother thou shalt lend that which he wanteth, without usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all thy works in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess. To the stranger.... This was a dispensation granted by God to his people, who being the Lord of all things, can give a right and title to one upon the goods of another. Otherwise the scripture everywhere condemns usury, as contrary to the law of God, and a crying sin. See Ex. 22.25; Lev. 25.36, 37; 2 Esd. 5.7; Ps. 14.5; Ezech. 18.8, 13, etc.
Lines 21051–21067
23:21. When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God will require it. And if thou delay, it shall be imputed to thee for a sin. 23:22. If thou wilt not promise, thou shalt be without sin. 23:23. But that which is once gone out of thy lips, thou shalt observe, and shalt do as thou hast promised to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken with thy own will and with thy own mouth. 23:24. Going into thy neighbour’s vineyard, thou mayst eat as many grapes as thou pleasest: but must carry none out with thee: 23:25. If thou go into thy friend’s corn, thou mayst break the ears, and rub them in thy hand: but not reap them with a sickle.