What does Deuteronomy 23:1 mean?
Buy my book, Is God Moral? A biblical analysis here
Join our Patreon membership
here
Or you can buy me a coffee through paypal Much appreciated
Deuteronomy 23:1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
Many people ask what does this verse mean? Does it mean that if a man has an injury to his testicles that he will not be allowed into heaven? This is actually a relatively easy and quick verse to explain.
As with all verses we need to put the verse into context
Deuteronomy 23-1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. 6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. 8 The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
This verse has absolutely NOTHING to do with who can obtain “heaven”. It is instructions regarding the Israelites, and who could and could not become part of the Lords congregation, his people, the people of Israel. The whole passage is dealing with foreigners “outsiders” joining, converting to the faith of the Israelites and becoming part of Israel.
The verse in question Deuteronomy 23-1 is talking about Eunuchs who have deliberately emasculated themselves not about those that have lost a testicle through testicular cancer or through injury.
The words translated as wounded in the stones are פְצֽוּעַ־ p̄ə-ṣū-a‘- and דַּכָּ֛א dak-kā BOTH these words mean emasculated. The wounding is inflicted on the testicles by those who wish to emasculate themselves. Not those that have suffered an accidental injury or cancer.
The privy member is the male penis and is again referring to those that deliberately remove this in order to emasculate themselves.
This is emasculation and was actually practiced by many religions in the ANE and even today where men emasculate themselves to their god.
We have to remember this was restrictions on those wishing to become an Israelite. Those who had deliberately emasculated themselves were not allowed to become part of Israel.
Nothing at all to do with heaven and nothing to do with cancer.
This is ONLY dealing with those that were allowed to JOIN, become part of Israel.