http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Answers to Questions on Deuteronomy 21:1-23 1. What is meant by the expression case law? Case law states a circumstance and then the penalty. Sometimes illustrated as if-then law. If... such and such occurs. Then... the penalty is. 2. According to Hall, of what five paragraphs does Deuteronomy 21:1-23 consist? 1) Deuteronomy 21:1-9, 2) Deuteronomy 21:10-14, 3) Deuteronomy 21:15-17, 4) Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 5) Deuteronomy 21:22-23.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 3. Under what headings does The Pulpit Commentary list the contents of Deuteronomy 21:1-23? 1) Explanation of uncertain murder, 2) Treatment of a captive taken to wife, 3) Rights of the firstborn, 4) Rebellious son to be judged and punished, 5) Male factors who had been hanged on a tree to be buried before nightfall. 4. The Pulpit Commentary states, One general idea; viz., the sacredness of human life and of personal rights, connects the laws of this chapter together, as well as connects them with the laws in the two preceding chapters. 5. How did Coffman quoting Keil group the material in Deuteronomy 21:1-23? a) Explanation of a murder by an unknown person (verses 1-9), b) Rights of a wife who was taken from among prisoners of war (verses 10-14), c) The rights of the firstborn (verses 15-17), d) Punishment of a rebellious son (verses 18-21), e) Prompt burial for those executed (verses 22-23)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 6. In what ways was the authority of heads of households limited by what is said in Deuteronomy 21:1-23? a) Treatment of captive wives (verses 10-11), b) Changing the rights of the firstborn son of a less loved wife (verses 15-17), c) Execution of a rebellious son (verses 18-21) 7. What appears to be the focus of Deuteronomy 21:1-9? The focus in verses 21:1-9 appears to be keeping Israel form being blamed for the death of the victim. 8. When the murderer could not be identified, what important tasks were to be performed? The important tasks were to honor the dead and vindicate the living.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 9. Why/how did murder and unsolved murder in particular bring guilt on the whole land? Blood spilled in anger defiles the land. If the person who spilled the blood is unknown, the guilt rests with the community where the crime occurred. This made the assumption that the assailant lives in that city and to remove guilt from the inhabitants, it was necessary to perform a purification ceremony. 10. Do you agree with Coffman that, Every community is responsible for crimes committed within its boundaries? Why or why not? Yes, to a degree. We are responsible for electing officials who are honest and upright, who will uphold the laws of God and man. Electing corrupt people to positions of power will eventually contaminate the whole body of people. 11. Why was it necessary to identify the town which was nearest to the place the murdered victim was found? This was to establish who had jurisdiction over the crime.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 12. What duty did the elders and judges of the nearest town have? The elders and judges of the nearest town had the duty of ceremonially expiating the murder. 13. Why was a heifer needed? What qualifications did this heifer have to meet? The heifer was used to atone for the sin of the murder. The heifer had to be one that had not been placed under the yoke and worked. 14. What did the death of this heifer symbolize? The heifer s death symbolizes the murder and the removal of guilt from the community similar to the atonement of sin and guilt through the ritual of the scapegoat.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 15. What is a wadi? Would any wadi do? If not, what characteristics was this wadi to have? A wadi is a creek or stream that is dry except in the rainy season when it can flood. The wadi had to have flowing water. 16. The wadi was to be in a valley. What were the characteristics of this valley? The other requirements for the valley were that the land had not been contaminated by plowing or sowing of seed. 17. Why were these particular traits for the heifer, wadi and valley necessary? The common traits of these three (3) is that they each were in an unsullied, pure state the heifer was young and had never been worked. The wadi was flowing with fresh water and the valley was virgin land. Everything presented to God was to be pure and spotless, without blemish to be acceptable to Him.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 18. Was the heifer sacrificed? Give reasons for your answer. How and why was the heifer to be killed? The heifer was not sacrificed on an altar. No blood was shed; instead her neck was broken. This was possibly a re-enactment of the murder. 19. What tasks did Levitical priests perform in this matter? (See verse 5.) The Levitical priests witnessed the proceedings to assure that everything complied with the Mosaic Law. 20. What duties did the elders of the nearest city perform? What were the significance of these actions? They washed their hands over the heifer whose neck had been broken and proclaimed their innocence.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 21. The elders by washing their hands repudiated the charge of blood guiltiness on the part of the town which they represented. 22. During the ceremony, what were the city s elders to say? They were to proclaim Our hands have not spilled this blood, nor have we witnessed the crime. 23. The elders washed their hands over the heifer that had been killed? What purpose did this serve? This act repudiated the charge of blood-guiltiness for the town they represented. 24. In the entire history of the world, what is the most infamous example of washing of hands? The most infamous example was when the Roman governor Pilate publically washed his hands to tell the crowd that he was innocent of shedding the blood of Jesus. Matthew 27:24.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 25. Societies must do all they can to keep their borders crime free. To fail to do so was sinful bringing guilt on all that community. 26. The elders were to call upon the Lord to accept the death of the heifer as atonement for the land so that the people would not be held guilty of shedding innocent blood. 27. In this manner you will purge out the guilt of innocent blood from among you. The ceremony would restore the people and land to a rich relationship with God. 28. Could a right relationship with God have been restored without the ceremony being performed in the prescribed manner? The Mosaic code by which they lived instructed them to perform this ceremony, so they were doing what was right and required by the Lord. 29. The purity of the whole community had to be maintained in order for individuals to be holy before God. 30. Was the war referenced in verse 10 with a Canaanite nation or a nation far from Canaan? Give reasons for your answer. This was the code of conduct when dealing with distant
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 nations that the Israelites had conquered. God did not allow the women, children and cattle of the neighboring Canaanite nations to be taken as plunder. 31. Israel won the war. A soldier saw among the captives an attractive woman he wanted to marry. How important is appearance to marital happiness? What other qualities are just as or more important to marital happiness long term? Outward appearances are no guarantee of marital bliss. Beauty is only skin deep and is a fleeting charm. A person s inner qualities such as religious beliefs and temperament are much more important. 33. In that ancient world, what would usually have happened to an attractive woman taken as a captive by a heathen nation? In that time captive women were subject to rape and slavery.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 34. It is assumed that both the Israelite man and the captured woman were eligible for marriage. Under these conditions he was permitted to take her back to his house. 35. A period of thirty (30) days was to pass between the time she entered the man s house before he could marry her. What was she to do during these thirty days? Why were these things done? She was to shave her head, trim her nails, discard her old clothing and lament her father and mother. This gave the captive woman a period of mourning for her lost family and symbolized the putting away of the old life in preparation for the new. 36. How much say did the woman have in making decisions regarding what was happening to her? The captive woman had no say in what was done to her. She was at the mercy of her captor. 37. What opportunity did the thirty (30) days afford the man? The thirty (30) day waiting period gave the man the
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 opportunity to make up his mind as to whether he would marry or release her. 38. If after their marriage the man was not pleased with her, what could he do? What was he not allowed to do? He could release her to go where she pleased. He was not allowed to make her a slave or sell her to others as a slave. 39. This teaches thoughtful forbearance and consideration. This was unique in the ancient world. 40. If after their marriage the woman was not pleased with him, what could she do? What was she not allowed to do? She could act in a manner that was not pleasing to the man so that he would divorce her.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 41. Whether verses 15-17 envision polygamous marriage or the taking of a second wife after the divorce or death of the first wife is not clear, Smith wrote. What is said here would apply in either case. This law protects the rights of a firstborn son from a father s possible unfairness. 42. It was not unusual in cases of polygamy for a man to love one of his wives more than the other(s) and this tended to produce many problems and tensions in the family. 43. Define primogeniture. What were the rights of primogeniture? In what ways were the rights of primogeniture and the rights of the firstborn alike? How were they different? Primogeniture was the state of being the firstborn or eldest son of the same parents. Primogeniture gave the oldest son the right to inherit the future estate of one or both parents. This differs from the rights of the firstborn son, who inherits a double portion of the inheritance with half then going to the remaining sons. 44. The firstborn son became the next head of the family and received a double portion of the father s estate. 45. On what problem do verses 15-17 focus? These verses address the problems related to the proper distribution of a father s estate, to insure that the firstborn son receives his rightful inheritance.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 46. The fact that this law was needed is evidence that favoritism in regard to the choice of the firstborn son was a problem at that time in Israel. 47. Give examples of well known cases in the Bible of a younger son s being given the rights of the firstborn which normally would have been given to the oldest son. (See Hall.) a) Isaac over Ishmael, b) Jacob over Esau, c) Joseph over his brothers, d) Ephraim over Manasseh. 48. Why would a father give a right to a younger son that belonged to the oldest son? He may love the mother of the younger son more than the first, or, he may have a greater love for the second son.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 49. Then and now in all situations we are required to do what is right before the Lord. 50. The authority of the head of the household did not include the right to choose which son would be his firstborn. 51. The honor of primogeniture inalienability belonged to the son who was born first. (See Coffman.) 52. The father must acknowledge the son of the less loved wife as firstborn and give him the double portion of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his father s procreative power to him should go the right of the firstborn. 53. These verses speak eloquently to the corruption of humanity. Mankind is subject to selfishness and greed. Mankind all too often has to be forced by law and penalties, punishment to do the right thing. 54. List problems attributable to polygamy. 1) One wife will surely be preferred over another, 2) Issues of rightful inheritance of the father s estate may arise between sons born of different wives, 3) A castle (i.e., home) can only have one queen. Two will bicker and fight. With three, two will despise the thrd and go against her.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 55. In verse 18 attention turns to the dilemma faced by parents who have a stubborn and rebellious son who pays no attention to his father or mother. 56. The parents had over the years done their best to rear their son in the way of righteousness, but without success. (See Hall.) 57. In the Bible and in this lesson commentary, words that describe this son include stubborn, rebellious, a prodigal, incorrigible, profligate, glutton, a derelict and a drunkard who paid no attention to the parents instructions. 58. The son s parents discipline was to no avail. 59. What dangers would a son like this pose to his parents? The parents could face the danger of physical violence, even death from an out of control drunken belligerent son. 60. What would you do if you had a son like that? Today we have options available to us that the ancient civilizations did not. We can get professional help from counsellors and from support groups such as Alcoholic Anonymous who are trained to work with these problems.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 61. In a situation like that, what did the law say the parents must, not should, do? They must take their son to the elders of the city and declare that he is an incorrigible drunk. 62. Both the father and mother were to be agreed that they had no alternative other than to bring their son to court, to the elders at the gates of the city. 63. What penalty would the court pronounce on such a rebellious son who was found to be guilty as charged? The penalty was to be death by stoning. 64. Who would and who would not administer the court ordered punishment? The witnesses were to cast the first stones, followed by the rest of the city s people. The parents were exempt from stoning their own son.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 65. Dysfunction in the family endangered the society as a whole. An incorrigible son was not just a family problem. 66. How old do you think this son was when he was brought to court? The son would have reached the age of adulthood. 67. In addition to the testimony of the parents, a more thorough investigation would surely have been conducted. The conduct of this wayward son would surely have been known by the people of his community, village. 68. Rebellion, whether of Israel against God or of a wayward son against parents, was a serious crime, wickedness and had to be purged from society, lest it spread and corrupt the entire nation. (See Hall.) 69. Why would the body of an executed criminal be impaled on a tree? How long could the body be left hanging there? Why was burial scheduled within this time period? The corpse was left in full view to dishonor the person. The body was to be removed the same day. To leave it longer would bring a curse to the land.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 70. All unrepentant sinners who continue not in all things that are written in the book of the law are accursed of God. 71. You must not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 72. How can we defile our land, the land in which we live? (List at least two ways.) We defile our land by committing the sin of abortion, the act of taking the life of an unborn child. All life is precious to God, the one who bestows life and to rip life from the womb is an atrocity. Sexual immorality is a plague that also defiles our land. 73. List at least five (5) principles which both ancient Israel and the church were/are to observe. 1) Do not be sexually immoral, 2) Do not associate with the greedy or idolators, 3) Do not create dissension in your church or family, 4) Treat all others with fairness, respect and kindness, i.e., practice the Golden Rule, 5) Parents must teach their children to walk in the way of the Lord, 6) We must do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, 7) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and the
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-40. 74. How can we help see the day when God s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven? To help this come about we must follow Jesus last commandment as recorded in Acts 1:8 that we will be his witnesses... to the farthest parts of the earth. We must also witness right at home in our own neighborhood by inviting those around us to attend church, or join a group for Bible study. Opportunities will present themselves to you if you prepare yourself. 75. Christians are to live by the teachings of Christ and lead others to do the same. How can you improve your performance in each of these areas? A good source of help for Christians
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 21 is the Holy Spirit. God intended him to be our advocate and helper. John 14:15-17; 14:26; Romans 15:13.