Temple Beth-El Torah Study February 27, 2016 Deuteronomy 27:17-19

JPS

17 Cursed be he who moves his fellow countryman's landmark.--And all the people shall say, Amen. 18 Cursed be he who misdirects a blind person on his way. -- And all the people shall say, Amen. 19 Cursed be he who subverts the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.--And all the people shall say, Amen.

Alter

17 'Cursed be he who moves his fellow man's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' 18 'Cursed be he who leads a blind man astray on the road.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' 19 'Cursed be he who skews the case of a sojourner, orphan, or widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Jewish Study Bible

Deuteronomy 27:15-26: In context, the twelve curses correspond to the twelve tribes, although this section makes no reference to the tribal division, and the people function as a single entity (v. 14). The resulting incongruence points to the many editorial revisions that this chapter has undergone.

17. This curse is based on the prohibition against moving landmarks, 19:14. Since this crime is committed in secret, and fear of detection is not as effective a deterrent as in the case of other crimes, ancient literature is replete with curses and warnings of divine punishment against those who commit it. Babylonian boundary stones were inscribed with curses directed against those who would move them or alter their inscriptions. The crime was a direct affront to God because property was assigned by lot, which was believed to be directed by God and expressive of His will. This curse is followed by those against harming the blind and strangers, orphans, and widows. This combination of subjects is found in Proverbs 23:10 and Egyptian wisdom literature, which warn against encroaching on the property of widows and orphans. This association reflects the fact that the disadvantaged were especially vulnerable to boundary tampering because they lacked the means to defend their rights.

18. The same principle is expressed in Leviticus 19:14: "Do not place a stumbling block [an obstacle] before the blind." Similarly, Egyptian wisdom literature teaches: "Do not laugh at a blind man or tease a dwarf, nor injure the affairs of the lame." Postbiblical authorities interpreted this principle more broadly. Combining this injunction with that in Leviticus, Josephus paraphrases: "One must point out the road to those who are ignorant of it, and not, for the pleasure of laughing oneself, impede another's business by misleading him." Halakhic exegesis took the prohibition to include misleading uninformed people with incorrect information or bad advice, or abetting sinners and criminals, who are blinded by their desires.

19. subverts the rights of the strangers Rather, "judges the stranger...unfairly." (Taken from note on 24:17: "Although the fatherless and resident aliens are covered by the universal principle expressed there, the need to assure that they are treated fairly in court is often reiterated because their situation, like that of widows and the poor, exposes them to exploitation. In court the alien is at a disadvantage because he is neither a fully integrated member of society nor a peer of the judges or of his adversary, and the fatherless may have no adult male with the experience and eloquence to represent them capably.") Since these do not have power to prosecute and defend their rights, the Bible often points our that God is their protector, as in 10:18.