What is behind Biblical commandments?

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don't know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it "really" means.. Let's see where this takes us! 

Deuteronomy 22

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Verses 1-4: Further examples of what you'd want to be done if you lose something. Those who see it will take care of it. This is akin to "love your neighbor as yourself" or "do unto others as you'd have done unto you."

Verse 5: In my view, the "Lord your God" is your own highest level of consciousness. The command against wearing opposite-sex clothing is a metaphor: do not do what goes against your own nature.

Verses 6-7: Do not destroy the very thing that provides abundance for you. 

Verse 8: Use common sense in consideration of your own safety and of others.

Verses 9-11: These verses suggest that we should let the nature of things just be. There's no need to experiment or improve things.

Verse 12: Do not chase after the latest fashion. It scatters your attention away from what you value most.

Verses 13:19: You must pay the consequences of slander for a lifetime.

Verses 20-21: "Prostituting yourself" (NRSV) or "go a-whoring in her father's house" is to subject one's will to that of another. Like others calls for stoning in previous chapters, the point is to eliminate undisciplined thoughts and behaviors.

Verses 23:27: The difference between consensual sex (or, "a-whoring") and rape seems to be the opportunity to cry for help.

Verses 28-29: This can be read to mean that a woman must marry her rapist; I see it that the rapist is responsible for the care of the woman for the rest of her life.

Verse 30: Very strange variations between the two translations I'm using.

YLT:  A man doth not take his father's wife, nor uncover his father's skirt.

NRSV:  A man shall not marry his father’s wife, thereby violating his father’s rights.

I think the NRSV (and several other translations) try to impart more meaning than what it's obvious. Men wore skirts or skirt-like clothing. In general, men should not humiliate their fathers.

All in all, these commands underscore the need to take responsibility for oneself and one's actions.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)