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Deuteronomy 25 Commentary

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Deuteronomy 25:1–3

Moses instructs the Israelites on how to administer legal justice in the land. This law limits the number of lashes to be given to a criminal to forty.

Deuteronomy 25:4

Moses’s concern for compassion moves to the treatment of domestic animals. He now commands Israel not to muzzle the ox while he is threshing.

Beginning a section that focuses on the principle of the tenth commandment which restricts envy, Moses described the principles relating to levirate marriage. They involve a situation where one of two brothers dwelling together dies without having a son. Though the surviving brother was required to marry his brother’s wife so his family line could continue, this law dictated what to do if the surviving brother refuses to do what was required of him.

Deuteronomy 25:11-12

This law prescribed to cut off the hand of a wife who sought to deliver her husband in a fight by seizing the genitals of his opponent.

Deuteronomy 25:13-16

Moses commands the Israelites to use accurate weights and measures when they engage in commerce with other people.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Moses urged the Israelites to remember to wipe out the Amalekites when they are settled in the Promised Land. This was in response to the brutality the Amalekites showed when they attacked the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt.

Additional Resources

Book Theme

The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth and last book of the Torah (“law”). It continues the story of the first 4 books and picks up exactly where the book of Numbers ends (with the people on the plain of Moab). Therefore, as we set the context for the book of Deuteronomy, it is important that we briefly summarize the theme of the previous books to see how the story of God unfolds.

Genesis describes God’s plan to bless the Israelites and the world through one man named Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). Exodus focuses on God’s loving act by which He rescued the Israelites from Egypt in order to have a covenant relationship with them. Once the children of Israel are redeemed, Leviticus instructs them to live a holy life that reflects the life of their covenant redeemer (cf. Lev. 19). Since the first generation of the Israelites failed to obey God wholeheartedly, the book of Numbers displays a strong contrast between God’s faithfulness and the nation’s failure. That is why the book of Deuteronomy reiterates and expands on the covenant to a new generation of Israelites poised to enter and conquer the Promised Land. The message of the book is centered around two key terms: love and loyalty (Deut. 6:4-5).

Outline of Deuteronomy:

I. Introduction: Moses will explain the law (1:1 – 5)
II. Moses’ First Sermon – a Recounting of the LORD’s Faithfulness (1:6 – 4:43)
III. Introduction to Second Sermon on expositing the Law (4:43 – 49)
IV. Moses’ Second Sermon – an Exposition of the Law Given at Mt. Sinai (5:1 – 26:19)
V. Script for Covenant Renewal Ceremony Once they enter the land (27:1 – 29:1)
VI. Moses’ Third Sermon – a Call to Obedience (29:2 – 30:20)
VII. The Last Acts of Moses (31:1 – 34:12)

Chapter Context

Deuteronomy 25 continues Moses’ exposition of the Ten Commandments. It concludes the discussion generally flavored by the ninth commandment (“Don’t bear false witness”) and then moves to examples of how to obey the principle behind the tenth commandment (“Do not envy”). Moses wants to make sure the Israelites behave in a way that pleases the Suzerain God who has rescued them from Egypt and plans to continue His ongoing care and protection for them in the future.

To obey God’s ways is to gain blessing, as God knows what is for our best. God set up Israel as a self-governing society based on the principles of rule of law (the first five commandments) and loving one’s neighbor (the last five commandments). But God left it up to Israel to choose who to follow, whether to follow the idolatrous pagan ways of the strong exploiting the weak, or His ways of loving and serving one another.

Deuteronomy 25 can be outlined as follows:

Ninth Commandment Laws (Deuteronomy 25:1 – 4)
- Regarding the Treatment of the Guilty (Deuteronomy 25:1 – 3)
- Regarding the Treatment of Animals (Deuteronomy 25:4)
Tenth Commandment Laws (Deuteronomy 25:5 – 19)
- Regarding Levirate Marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5 – 10)
- Regarding a Wife’s Rescue Attempt (Deuteronomy 25:11 – 12)
- Regarding Unjust Weights and Measures (Deuteronomy 25:13 – 16)
- Regarding the Amalekites (Deuteronomy 25:17 – 19)