Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 23:9-14

"When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing. If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of that which chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: but it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he shall come within the camp. Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: and thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: for Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that he may not see an unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee." — Deuteronomy 23:9-14 (ASV)

Deuteronomy 23:9–14. PURITY OF THE CAMP.

When the host goeth forth against thine enemies ... keep thee. —“Because Satan makes his accusations in the hour of danger” (Rashi).

Uncleanness that chanceth him by night. As in Leviticus 15:16.

When the sun is down. —“No man is clean (after ceremonial uncleanness) except at the going down of the sun” (Rashi).

Without the camp. —It must not be forgotten that this is the camp of the army, not the whole encampment of Israel in the wilderness. The entire passage is continuous from Deuteronomy 23:9. Hence the whole discussion raised, after the appearance of Dr. Colenso’s work, on the size of the camp of Israel and the possibility of obeying this rule, was simply waste of words, and arose out of a misunderstanding of the matter under consideration. The sanitary value of the rule has been abundantly demonstrated in our own day.

A paddle —rather, a pin, or spike, like that with which Jael slew Sisera. The word for “weapon” does not occur elsewhere.

The Septuagint translates it "a pin or tent-peg at thy girdle;" the Hebrew word (âzên) being like the Greek (ζώνη). But both Targums interpret the word as “weapon,” connecting it with the Hebrew zayin, which has that meaning.

The hinder end of the spear in Abner’s hand was sharp enough to strike Asahel a fatal blow when he followed him (2 Samuel 2:23). Saul’s spear also was stuck in the ground at his bolster (1 Samuel 26:7), probably with its point upwards, by the same spike.

For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of ... thee. —A most beautiful argument for purity in every sense. It was evidently present to St. Paul's mind in 2 Corinthians 6:16 – 7:1, “God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them... . Having therefore these promises ... let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”