23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite 3 may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever 4 do so, 5
25:1 If controversy arises between people, 6 they should go to court for judgment. When the judges 7 hear the case, they shall exonerate 8 the innocent but condemn 9 the guilty.
1 tn Heb “your brother” (also in v. 4).
2 tn Heb “you must not hide yourself.”
3 sn An Ammonite or Moabite. These descendants of Lot by his two daughters (cf. Gen 19:30-38) were thereby the products of incest and therefore excluded from the worshiping community. However, these two nations also failed to show proper hospitality to Israel on their way to Canaan (v. 4).
4 tn The Hebrew term translated “ever” (עַד־עוֹלָם, ’ad-’olam) suggests that “tenth generation” (vv. 2, 3) also means “forever.” However, in the OT sense “forever” means not “for eternity” but for an indeterminate future time. See A. Tomasino, NIDOTTE 3:346.
5 tn Heb “enter the assembly of the
6 tn Heb “men.”
7 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”
9 tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”