Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 23:10
If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
Of which uncleanness see Lev 15:4,16,17; or by uncleanness of any like kind; one kind being here, as oft, put for all.
He shall go out of the camp.
Quest. Why doth this uncleanness oblige a man to go out of the camp, when it did not oblige him to such a removal, Le 15?
Answ. 1. It is not unreasonable if they were obliged to greater strictness and purity when they were undertaking so difficult and dangerous a work.
2. There is a manifest reason of the difference, because in their houses they had private chambers, where they could in such cases keep themselves from converse with others; whereas in the camp their conveniencies were so small, and their occasions of action so many, that it was very hard for his fellow soldiers that continued with him in the same tent, or part of the camp, to avoid the touching of him, which yet was infectious, Lev 15:7,22.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
If there be among you any man that is not clean,…. Any unclean person in the army, that was even ceremonially unclean in any of the instances the law makes so, one of which put for the rest is mentioned:
by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night; through pollution by a nocturnal flux, as the Septuagint version, or a gonorrhoea, an involuntary one, occasioned by impure thoughts and imaginations in dreams; the same case as in Le 15:16
then shall he go abroad out of the camp; out of the army, lest others should be defiled by such; they not having houses to retire to, and chambers to keep themselves in separate from others, as when at home:
he shall not come within the camp; that is, not till he has done what is prescribed him in the next verse. Jarchi says, he might not come into the camp of the Levites, and much less into the camp of God.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verses 10, 11:
When going forth to war, Israel must be cleansed from ceremonial pollution.
Compare this text with Lev 15:16-17, q.v.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10. If there be among you. He enumerates two kinds of pollution, whereby the Israelites may know what is meant by their keeping from the “wicked thing.” First, He pronounces to be unclean, and casts out of the camp those who may have had a filthy dream, until they shall have washed themselves in the evening. Secondly, He forbids them to defile the camp with what passes from the bowels; and not only this, but, even when they have gone outside the camp, He commands them to bury their excrement beneath the earth, lest any filthiness should appear. Yet it is probable that, by synecdoche, everything is referred to which rendered men unclean and polluted. But Moses, speaking as to soldiers, considered it sufficient to tell them briefly, that although they might be occupied with war, cleanliness must still be attended to. By “what chanceth at night, ” all are agreed in understanding a flow of semen; from whence we infer how greatly impurity defiles a man, since uncleanness is contracted even from foul dreams. As to the second part, some desire to appear quick and clever by attacking Moses, because he has introduced among the precepts of holiness, that none should relieve his bowels in the camp. Forsooth, they say, the smell might offend the nostrils of God! But their silly petulance is easily rebutted; for God would by such rudiments keep His ancient people in the way of duty, lest liberty even in the most trifling things should lead them onwards to audacity. If they had been permitted to defile every part of the camp, the people would presently have been hardened against filthiness of every sort. Thus they were held back by this rein, that they might more earnestly apply their minds to spiritual integrity. They also are mistaken who suppose that this was a sanitary precaution, lest the smell should produce diseases, and be injurious to their bodily health. For Moses plainly declares that he not only had regard to what was wholesome, or even to what was decent in the eyes of men; but rather that he would accustom the people to abhor uncleanness, and to keep themselves pure and unpolluted — for he adds, that God presided in the camp, to protect them from the power and assaults of their enemies; and that they should fear, lest, if they should contaminate the camp, He would be offended with their filthiness and forsake them. The sum is, that when they have need of God’s assistance, and are engaged in war against their enemies, the pursuit of holiness must not be omitted or neglected even in the midst of arms.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
The precept becomes more particular. But it hath a reference to uncleanness of every kind. The sanctity of the camp evidently arose from the divine presence. The apostle makes a very beautiful observation upon it, when describing the absolute necessity of our LORD’S sanctifying the people, when he says, that he suffered without the gate. Heb 13:11-13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 23:10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
Ver. 10. Then shall he go abroad. ] Go voluntarily, though he be not excluded, as lepers and the like were, Arcta nimis obedientia est, ad legem solummodo iustum esse, saith one: God likes a freewill offering.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Deu 23:10-11
10If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he must go outside the camp; he may not reenter the camp. 11But it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at sundown he may reenter the camp.
Deu 23:10 a nocturnal emission The Hebrew is a happening or event at night (BDB 899 CONSTRUCT 538). It could include other types of bodily fluids such as urination and diarrhea, etc. Any leakage of bodily fluids makes one ceremonially unclean (cf. Leviticus 15). Remember, this has to do with ceremonial cleanliness, not sin.
Deu 23:11 sundown Israel starts a new day at sundown, following the pattern in Genesis 1.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Lev 15:16, Num 5:2, Num 5:3, 1Co 5:11-13