21:15 Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other, 8 and they both 9 bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less loved wife.
22:5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, 10 nor should a man dress up in women’s clothing, for anyone who does this is offensive 11 to the Lord your God.
24:1 If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found something offensive 12 in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to her, and evict her from his house.
24:5 When a man is newly married, he need not go into 13 the army nor be obligated in any way; he must be free to stay at home for a full year and bring joy to 14 the wife he has married.
24:7 If a man is found kidnapping a person from among his fellow Israelites, 15 and regards him as mere property 16 and sells him, that kidnapper 17 must die. In this way you will purge 18 evil from among you.
1 tn Heb “the
2 tn The Hebrew verb used here (חָמַד, khamad) is different from the one translated “crave” (אָוַה, ’avah) in the next line. The former has sexual overtones (“lust” or the like; cf. Song of Sol 2:3) whereas the latter has more the idea of a desire or craving for material things.
3 tn Heb “your neighbor’s.” See note on the term “fellow man” in v. 19.
4 tn Heb “your neighbor’s.” The pronoun is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
6 tn Heb “gates.”
7 tn Heb “does the evil in the eyes of the
8 tn Heb “one whom he loves and one whom he hates.” For the idea of שָׂנֵא (sane’, “hate”) meaning to be rejected or loved less (cf. NRSV “disliked”), see Gen 29:31, 33; Mal 1:2-3. Cf. A. Konkel, NIDOTTE 3:1256-60.
9 tn Heb “both the one whom he loves and the one whom he hates.” On the meaning of the phrase “one whom he loves and one whom he hates” see the note on the word “other” earlier in this verse. The translation has been simplified for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
10 tn Heb “a man’s clothing.”
11 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “offense”) speaks of anything that runs counter to ritual or moral order, especially (in the OT) to divine standards. Cross-dressing in this covenant context may suggest homosexuality, fertility cult ritual, or some other forbidden practice.
12 tn Heb “nakedness of a thing.” The Hebrew phrase עֶרְוַת דָּבָר (’ervat davar) refers here to some gross sexual impropriety (see note on “indecent” in Deut 23:14). Though the term usually has to do only with indecent exposure of the genitals, it can also include such behavior as adultery (cf. Lev 18:6-18; 20:11, 17, 20-21; Ezek 22:10; 23:29; Hos 2:10).
13 tn Heb “go out with.”
14 tc For the MT’s reading Piel שִׂמַּח (simmakh, “bring joy to”), the Syriac and others read שָׂמַח (samakh, “enjoy”).
15 tn Heb “from his brothers, from the sons of Israel.” The terms “brothers” and “sons of Israel” are in apposition; the second defines the first more specifically.
16 tn Or “and enslaves him.”
17 tn Heb “that thief.”
18 tn Heb “burn.” See note on the word “purge” in Deut 19:19.
19 tc For MT reading שָׁגַל (shagal, “ravish; violate”), the Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate presume the less violent שָׁכַב (shakhav, “lie with”). The unexpected counterpart to betrothal here favors the originality of the MT.
20 tn Heb “the wrath of the
21 tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”
22 tn Heb “the entire oath.”
23 tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”
24 tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”