Deuteronomy 23:14
in Deuteronomy 23For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
KJV
For the Lord 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 see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 23
Commentary
6 notes on this verseI WILL scarcely allude to the context, which you ought to notice at home, but I must say as much as this—the Lord cared for the cleanliness of His people while they were in the wilderness, literally so—and this text is connected with a sanitary regulation of the wisest possible kind. What I admire in it is that God the Glorious, the All-Holy, should stoop to legislate about such things.
This site's exposition
When you are encamped against your enemies
on Deuteronomy 23:9-14
Verse 9 puts the army in the field under the law it keeps at home. Verse 14 gives the reason, “the LORD your God walks throughout your camp”.
This site's exposition
walks throughout your camp to
The camp was kept holy for the LORD who walks through it. Spurgeon, preaching on this verse in Camp Law and Camp Life, marvelled that the holy God would stoop to make laws for such things.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the L ORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:96%@v22-23
For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
I WILL scarcely allude to the context, which you ought to notice at home, but I must say as much as this—the Lord cared for the cleanliness of His people while they were in the wilderness, literally so—and this text is connected with a sanitary regulation of the wisest possible kind. What I admire in it is that God the Glorious, the All-Holy, should stoop to legislate about such things. Such attention was very necessary for health and even for life, and the Lord, in condescending to it, conveys a severe rebuke to Christian people who have been careless in matters respecting health and cleanliness. Saintly souls should not be lodged in filthy bodies. God takes note of matters which persons who are falsely spiritual speak of as beneath their observation. If the Lord cares for such things, we must not neglect them. But oh, what condescension on His part that His Spirit should dictate to Moses concerning these grosser concerns! I bow before the majesty of a condescension to which nothing is too low. Observe, also, how it shows us the all-reaching character of the Law of Moses. It overshadowed everything! It guided, arranged, restrained or suggested all the acts of the people under its tutorship. Wherever they were, in their most public or private acts, the people were always under the supervision of the Law. By reason of their sinfulness, this holy code of regulations became a yoke which they were not able to bear. Still, it was a very necessary and salutary Law, for which they should have been grateful at all times, since it was for their good in every respect and tended to bless them both spiritually and physically, socially and religiously. Dear Friends, the great thing that I would bring out at this time is the spiritual lesson of the text—how the Lord would have His people clean in all things. The God of Holiness commands and loves purity—purity of all kinds.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּי֩ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יְהוָ֨ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ׀ | mithalekh | [is] walking back and forth | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בְּקֶ֣רֶב | bekerev | in [the] midst of | H7130 → | 227 times |
| מַחֲנֶ֗ךָ | machanekha | camp your | H4264 → | 215 times |
| לְהַצִּֽילְךָ֙ | lehatzilekha | to deliver you | H5337 → | 212 times |
| וְלָתֵ֤ת | velatet | and to deliver up | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾoyeveikha | enemies your | H341 → | 282 times |
| לְפָנֶ֔יךָ | lefaneikha | <to> before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וְהָיָ֥ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מַחֲנֶ֖יךָ | machaneikha | camps your | H4264 → | 215 times |
| קָד֑וֹשׁ | kadoosh | holy | H6918 → | 116 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִרְאֶ֤ה | yireh | he will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| בְךָ֙ | vekha | among <the> you | ||
| עֶרְוַ֣ת | ʾervat | [the] nakedness of | H6172 → | |
| דָּבָ֔ר | davar | a thing | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| וְשָׁ֖ב | veshav | and he will turn away | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| מֵאַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ ס | meachareikha | from after you | H310 → | 715 times |
כִּי֩for
kiH3588 →4482 times
יְהוָ֨הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ׀[is] walking back and forth
mithalekhH1980 →1546 times
בְּקֶ֣רֶבin [the] midst of
bekerevH7130 →227 times
מַחֲנֶ֗ךָcamp your
machanekhaH4264 →215 times
לְהַצִּֽילְךָ֙to deliver you
lehatzilekhaH5337 →212 times
וְלָתֵ֤תand to deliver up
velatetH5414 →2011 times
אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙enemies your
ʾoyeveikhaH341 →282 times
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ<to> before you
lefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
וְהָיָ֥הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
מַחֲנֶ֖יךָcamps your
machaneikhaH4264 →215 times
קָד֑וֹשׁholy
kadooshH6918 →116 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִרְאֶ֤הhe will see
yirehH7200 →1300 times
בְךָ֙among <the> you
vekha
עֶרְוַ֣ת[the] nakedness of
ʾervatH6172 →
דָּבָ֔רa thing
davarH1697 →1440 times
וְשָׁ֖בand he will turn away
veshavH7725 →1056 times
מֵאַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ סfrom after you
meachareikhaH310 →715 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Corinthians 6:16What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and…
it leads to
- Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will…
- Exodus 29:45
Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
- Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And…
- Leviticus 26:12
I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.
- Jeremiah 32:38
They will be My people, and I will be their God.
- Revelation 21:3
Through
Genesis 17:1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.
it leads to
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
- Luke 1:6
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
- Philippians 4:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
On this verse
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2177: “Camp Law and Camp Life” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.