“When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts,
Two men fight, and one man's wife steps in to save him — in a way that shames his opponent as much as anything could. Why does God make a law for such an ugly, split-second scene, and why is the sentence so harsh?
Where the law sits
This rule comes near the end of a long list of practical laws. Commentators read the chapter as one connected whole, not a pile of unrelated rules:
J. N. DarbyDeuteronomy 25 adds rules that continue what we have already read. They take care that no brother becomes despised in their eyes, and that no family dies out from among the people. At the same time, they keep up purity and honesty.
So the verse sits next to the limit on beating a guilty man, the rule that keeps a family name alive, and the demand for honest dealing.
What the law guards
The woman is not attacking a stranger for fun. She is trying to save her own husband. That is what makes the ruling so searching:
William KellyWe are also sure that the details in the middle of the chapter were written under the same far-seeing eye: the rule for keeping each family name alive in Israel; the guarding, under severe penalty, of purity and decency of feeling, even when those closest to us are threatened or suffering; and the keeping of complete honesty in every dealing, small or great, in the sight and blessing of the Lord.
Loyalty to the person closest to you is not a free pass. Decency still holds in an emergency.
Why the sentence is so heavy
The act itself is what draws the penalty, and the penalty is meant to be remembered. One writer gathers the two verses under a single blunt heading:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinConcerning a sinful freedom (25:11-12)
Others feel the weight of the ruling and say so plainly, while still explaining why it fits the deed:
Leslie M. GrantThe judgment for the woman in verses 11 and 12 is very severe, but it was for an action completely unfitting for a woman. In fact, even a man would hesitate to act in this way. But to have a hand cut off would be a traumatic reminder of her guilty action for the rest of her life.
The writer holds two things together. He does not soften the penalty, and he does not excuse the act. The hand that reached out is the hand that pays, and the loss reminds her for life.
God's interest in ordinary life
A rule this specific can look small and unimportant. Commentators see the opposite. God cares about the smallest details of daily life:
William KellyIn the rest of Deuteronomy 24 and in Deuteronomy 25 we again find many rules of mercy and goodness toward the people, even in the most ordinary matters of household life — not the wife only, but one's neighbours, servants too, strangers, harvests and vineyards, down to the care of the cattle. The poor man who was in the wrong and got beaten was not forgotten either. No one was to go past the set limit, and nothing was to make one's brother look worthless. A beating may be deserved and needed; but nothing must destroy respect. The Lord takes an interest in everything that belongs to His people, and He would bring them up with His own training and correction — an important point for us to weigh early.
The same care runs through the chapter. The law allows a beating, but it will not let anyone shame the man. Punishment never gives permission to destroy a person's dignity.
How to use a law like this
The New Testament quotes this chapter. That sets a pattern for reading the rest of it, with one warning attached:
F. B. HoleNotice how Deuteronomy 25 is quoted here. It leads us to expect that the law keeps and illustrates many a principle of conduct that the New Testament asks of us as well pleasing to God. This is no surprise, for God Himself is always the Same. We shall however find new principles of conduct in the New Testament which are not found in the Old. Just one word of caution. Keep a tight rein on your imagination when you search the law this way. A dreamy mind can produce apparent parallels which, though sincerely meant, are nothing but fancy running wild!
Take the principle; do not invent a symbol.
Summary
- Setting — The verse sits among laws that guard a brother's honour, a family's name, and honest dealing.
- Guard — The law guards purity and decency of feeling, even when someone we love is under threat.
- Severity — The penalty is harsh. The lost hand reminds her for life of what that hand did.
- Reach — God's care reaches into household life, servants, harvests and cattle. Even punishment must not destroy respect.
- Use — Read such laws for the lasting principle behind them, and keep your imagination on a short rein.