At that time I charged your judges: "Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. At that time I charged your judgesThis phrase marks a significant moment in the leadership structure of the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "charged" is "tsavah," which implies a command or commission. Moses, acting under divine authority, is delegating responsibility to the judges. This reflects a pivotal shift from a singular leadership model to a more distributed system, which is essential for managing a growing nation. Historically, this decentralization was necessary as the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, ensuring justice and order among the people. Hear the disputes between your brothers
The Hebrew word for "hear" is "shama," which means to listen with attention and understanding. This is not merely about auditory reception but involves discernment and empathy. The term "brothers" underscores the familial relationship among the Israelites, emphasizing that disputes are not just legal matters but involve maintaining harmony within the community. This reflects the biblical principle of loving one's neighbor and the importance of community cohesion. and judge fairly
The call to "judge fairly" is rooted in the Hebrew word "shaphat," which means to govern or to render a verdict. This command highlights the divine expectation of justice, which is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures. Fair judgment is a reflection of God's character, who is just and righteous. The historical context here is crucial, as the Israelites were to be a distinct people, set apart by their adherence to God's laws, including the fair treatment of all individuals. between a man and his brother or a foreign resident
This phrase expands the scope of justice beyond the immediate community to include "foreign residents" or "ger," which refers to non-Israelites living among them. This inclusion is significant, as it demonstrates the universality of God's justice and the call for Israel to be a light to the nations. It reflects the biblical mandate to treat the foreigner with the same fairness and compassion as one's kin, a radical concept in the ancient Near Eastern context where tribalism often dictated social interactions. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, who is recounting the instructions given to the judges. 2. JudgesAppointed leaders among the Israelites tasked with hearing disputes and making fair judgments. 3. IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who are receiving these instructions as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. 4. Foreign ResidentNon-Israelites living among the Israelites, who are also to be judged fairly. 5. WildernessThe setting where Moses is delivering these instructions, as the Israelites are on the brink of entering Canaan. Teaching Points Impartiality in JudgmentGod calls for fairness and impartiality in all judgments, reflecting His just nature. We are to emulate this in our interactions and decisions. Equality Before the LawThe instruction to judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident underscores the equality of all people before God's law. This principle should guide our treatment of others, regardless of their background. Responsibility of LeadershipLeaders are entrusted with the responsibility to judge fairly. This is a call to integrity and accountability in all positions of authority. Community HarmonyFair judgment is essential for maintaining peace and harmony within a community. As believers, we are called to be peacemakers and advocates for justice. God's Concern for JusticeGod's instructions to the judges reflect His deep concern for justice and righteousness. We are to seek justice in our personal lives and communities, aligning with God's heart. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the role of judges in Deuteronomy 1:16 reflect God's character and His expectations for justice? 2. In what ways can we apply the principle of impartiality in our daily interactions and decision-making processes? 3. How does the inclusion of the "foreign resident" in this verse challenge us to consider our attitudes towards outsiders or those different from us? 4. What are some modern-day examples of leadership that reflect the responsibility and integrity described in this passage? 5. How can we, as a community of believers, work towards ensuring fairness and justice in our local contexts, drawing from the principles in Deuteronomy 1:16? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 18:13-26This passage describes the appointment of judges at the advice of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, emphasizing the need for shared leadership and fair judgment. Leviticus 19:15This verse reinforces the principle of impartial judgment, instructing judges not to show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great. James 2:1-9In the New Testament, James warns against showing favoritism, echoing the call for fairness and impartiality in judgment. Matthew 7:1-2Jesus teaches about judging others, highlighting the importance of fairness and the measure by which we judge being used against us. People Amorites, Anakites, Caleb, Canaanites, Eshcol, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jephunneh, Joshua, Laban, Moses, Nun, Og, Seir, SihonPlaces Arabah, Ashtaroth, Bashan, Dizahab, Edrei, Egypt, Euphrates River, Hazeroth, Heshbon, Horeb, Hormah, Jordan River, Kadesh-barnea, Laban, Lebanon, Moab, Mount Seir, Negeb, Paran, Seir, Suph, Tophel, Valley of EshcolTopics Alien, Brethren, Brother, Brothers, Case, Cases, Causes, Charged, Command, Commanded, Countryman, Countrymen, Decisions, Disputes, Fairly, Fellow, Foreigner, Hearing, Hearkening, Israelites, Judge, Judged, Judges, Nation, Orders, Questions, Righteously, Righteousness, Saying, Sojourner, Sojourneth, Stranger, Uprightly, WhetherDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 1:16 5358 judges
5361 justice, human
5661 brothers
7530 foreigners Deuteronomy 1:13-17 8471 respect, for human beings Deuteronomy 1:15-17 5270 court
6126 condemnation, human Deuteronomy 1:15-18 5383 lawsuits Deuteronomy 1:16-17 5897 judging others Library Foretastes of the Heavenly Life
Early in the year 1857. NOTE: This edition of this sermon is taken from an earlier published edition of Spurgeon's 1857 message. The sermon that appears in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 45, was edited and abbreviated somewhat. For edition we have restored the fuller text of the earlier published edition, while retaining a few of the editorial refinements of the Met Tab edition. "And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 45: 1899Preventive against Backsliding.
It is most instructive to note how exceedingly anxious the early Christians were, that, as soon as a man was converted, he should be "filled with the Holy Ghost." They knew no reason why weary wastes of disappointing years should stretch between Bethel and Peniel, between the Cross and Pentecost. They knew it was not God's will that forty years of wilderness wanderings should lie between Egypt and the Promised Land (Deut. i. 2). When Peter and John came to the Samaritans, and found that they were …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life Afraid of Giants
'And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain; 18. And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Philo of Alexandria, the Rabbis, and the Gospels - the Final Development of Hellenism in Its Relation to Rabbinism and the Gospel According to St. John.
It is strange how little we know of the personal history of the greatest of uninspired Jewish writers of old, though he occupied so prominent a position in his time. [173] Philo was born in Alexandria, about the year 20 before Christ. He was a descendant of Aaron, and belonged to one of the wealthiest and most influential families among the Jewish merchant-princes of Egypt. His brother was the political head of that community in Alexandria, and he himself on one occasion represented his co-religionists, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah A Plain Description of the Essence and Attributes of God, Out of the Holy Scripture, So Far as Every Christian must Competently Know, and Necessarily Believe, that Will be Saves.
Although no creature can define what God is, because he is incomprehensible (Psal. cxliii. 3) and dwelling in inaccessible light (1 Tim. vi. 16); yet it has pleased his majesty to reveal himself to us in his word, so far as our weak capacity can best conceive him. Thus: God is that one spiritual and infinitely perfect essence, whose being is of himself eternally (Deut. i. 4; iv. 35; xxxii. 39; vi. 4; Isa. xlv. 5-8; 1 Cor. viii. 4; Eph. iv. 5, 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5; John iv. 24; 2 Cor. iii. 17; 1 Kings …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the Doubling it in the Maps is Well Done.
The readers of the eastern interpreters will observe, that Kadesh is rendered by all Rekam, or in a sound very near it. In the Chaldee, it is 'Rekam': in the Syriac, 'Rekem': in the Arabic, 'Rakim'... There are two places noted by the name Rekam in the very bounds of the land,--to wit, the southern and eastern: that is, a double Kadesh. I. Of Kadesh, or Rekam, in the south part, there is no doubt. II. Of it, in the eastern part, there is this mention: "From Rekam to the east, and Rekam is as the …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Barren Fig-Tree. Temple Cleansed.
(Road from Bethany and Jerusalem. Monday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 18, 19, 12, 13; ^B Mark XI. 12-18; ^C Luke XIX. 45-48. ^b 12 And ^a 18 Now ^b on the morrow [on the Monday following the triumphal entry], ^a in the morning ^b when they were come out from Bethany, ^a as he returned to the city [Jerusalem], he hungered. [Breakfast with the Jews came late in the forenoon, and these closing days of our Lord's ministry were full of activity that did not have time to tarry at Bethany for it. Our …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel In the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles.
(October, a.d. 29.) ^D John VII. 11-52. ^d 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? [It was now eighteen months since Jesus had visited Jerusalem, at which time he had healed the impotent man at Bethesda. His fame and prolonged obscurity made his enemies anxious for him to again expose himself in their midst. John here used the word "Jews" as a designation for the Jerusalemites, who, as enemies of Christ, were to be distinguished from the multitudes who were in doubt …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 1:16 NIVDeuteronomy 1:16 NLTDeuteronomy 1:16 ESVDeuteronomy 1:16 NASBDeuteronomy 1:16 KJV
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