Deuteronomy 24:5
If a man is newly married, he must not be sent to war or be pressed into any duty. For one year he is free to stay at home and bring joy to the wife he has married.
If a man is newly married,

Marriage established a new household within Israel and required the husband’s full attention during its first year. The law recognized the importance of allowing a couple to begin their life together without the disruption of public obligations.

Deu 20:7 Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her?…
Gen 24:67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah…
Pro 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing…

he must not be sent to war

A newly married man was exempt from military service, where absence or death could leave his wife without support and prevent the new household from being established.

Deu 20:8 Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying,…
Jdg 7:3 Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the men:…
1Sa 8:11 He said, “This will be the manner of the king…”…

or be pressed into any duty.

The exemption extended beyond combat to other state-required service. No public demand was to take precedence over his responsibility to his wife during this period.

Luk 14:20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife…
1Co 7:33 But the married man is concerned about the affairs…
1Co 7:34 and his interests are divided.…

For one year he is free to stay at home

The full year gave the husband and wife time to settle their household, strengthen their union, and begin family life.

Deu 20:5 Furthermore, the officers are to address the army,…
Deu 20:6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy…
Psa 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine, flourishing…

and bring joy to the wife he has married.

The husband was to devote himself to his wife’s welfare and happiness, treating marriage as a serious covenant responsibility rather than a secondary concern.

Ecc 9:9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days…
Pro 5:18-19 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice…
Sng 3:11 Come out, O daughters of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Newly Married Man
The primary subject of this verse, representing a man who has recently entered into the covenant of marriage.

2. Wife
The newly married man's partner, who is to be the recipient of his attention and joy during the first year of marriage.

3. Army
Represents the military obligations that the man is exempt from during the first year of marriage.

4. Israelite Society
The cultural and religious context in which these laws were given, emphasizing the importance of family and community stability.

5. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, who conveyed God's laws to the Israelites.
Teaching Points
The Sanctity of Marriage
Marriage is a sacred covenant that requires dedication and nurturing, especially in its formative first year.

Prioritizing Relationships
The exemption from military duty highlights the importance of prioritizing one's spouse and family over other obligations.

Joy in Marriage
Bringing joy to one's spouse is a divine mandate, emphasizing the role of love, care, and companionship in marriage.

Community and Family Stability
Strong marriages contribute to the stability and health of the broader community, reflecting God's design for society.

God's Provision for Rest and Bonding
The law provides a period of rest and bonding, recognizing the need for couples to establish a strong foundation for their future together.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the principle of prioritizing one's spouse in Deuteronomy 24:5 apply to modern-day marriages?

2. In what ways can newly married couples today "bring joy" to each other, as instructed in this verse?

3. How does the concept of taking time to nurture a marriage relate to the broader biblical theme of rest and sabbath?

4. What are some practical ways that churches and communities can support newly married couples in their first year of marriage?

5. How can the principles found in Deuteronomy 24:5 be applied to strengthen family and community relationships today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 2:24
This verse establishes the foundational principle of marriage, where a man leaves his parents and unites with his wife, becoming one flesh. It underscores the importance of the marital bond.

Ecclesiastes 9:9
This verse encourages enjoying life with one's spouse, highlighting the joy and companionship found in marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:33-34
Paul discusses the concerns of married life, emphasizing the need for a husband to care for his wife, which aligns with the principle of prioritizing the marriage relationship.

Proverbs 5:18-19
These verses celebrate the joy and satisfaction found in a loving marital relationship, encouraging husbands to rejoice in their wives.
HomeBp. S. S. Harris.Deuteronomy 24:5
Nuptial JoyD. Davies Deuteronomy 24:5
The Man Newly MarriedJ. Orr Deuteronomy 24:5
The Rights of WomenR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 24:1-6
People
Israelites, Levites, Miriam, Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Anything, Army, Assigned, Bring, Business, Charged, Cheer, Comfort, Duty, Free, Gladden, Happiness, Happy, Home, Host, Imposed, Kind, Laid, Married, Newly, Pass, Recently, Rejoiced, Stay, Takes, Taketh, Undertake, War, Wife
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 24:5

     5339   home
     5659   bride
     5660   bridegroom
     5702   husband
     5710   marriage, customs
     5874   happiness
     8242   ethics, personal
     8299   love, in relationships
     8438   giving, of time

Library
The vineyard Labourers.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place, and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

But I Marvel, If, as it is Allowed to Put Away a Wife Who...
7. But I marvel, if, as it is allowed to put away a wife who is an adulteress, so it be allowed, having put her away, to marry another. For holy Scripture causes a hard knot in this matter, in that the Apostle says, that, by commandment of the Lord, the wife ought not to depart from her husband, but, in case she shall have departed, to remain unmarried, or to be reconciled to her husband; [1950] whereas surely she ought not to depart and remain unmarried, save from an husband that is an adulterer,
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Annunciation to Joseph of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^A Matt. I. 18-25. ^a 18 Now the birth [The birth of Jesus is to handled with reverential awe. We are not to probe into its mysteries with presumptuous curiosity. The birth of common persons is mysterious enough (Eccl. ix. 5; Ps. cxxxix. 13-16), and we do not well, therefore, if we seek to be wise above what is written as to the birth of the Son of God] of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed [The Jews were usually betrothed ten or twelve months
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

On the Journey to Jerusalem - Departure from Ephraim by Way of Samaria and Galilee - Healing of Ten Lepers - Prophetic Discourse of the Coming
The brief time of rest and quiet converse with His disciples in the retirement of Ephraim was past, and the Saviour of men prepared for His last journey to Jerusalem. All the three Synoptic Gospels mark this, although with varying details. [4875] From the mention of Galilee by St. Matthew, and by St. Luke of Samaria and Galilee - or more correctly, between (along the frontiers of) Samaria and Galilee,' we may conjecture that, on leaving Ephraim, Christ made a very brief detour along the northern
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

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

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