Question about Circumcision and Deuteronomy 23:1?

Question

He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

k I KNOW that there is a general consensus of the OT not applying anymore, so whatever. But I suddenly got curious as to the extent of this verse. Would circumcision count against someone by this verse? Or was there no circumcision back in that time cause of health reasons? Someone please enlighten me :)

Answer 1

The Jews still fully observe the laws in the Tanach (what you call the old testament).

So, as commanded to Avraham we circumcise mbabies at eight days old.

As for the rather bad translation you use (in my Chumash, the Five Books of Moses, that is Chapter 23 verse 2), and is translayed as "2. [A man] with injured testicles or whose member is cut, may not enter the assembly of the Lord."

The member in this case is the actual organ- it has NOTHING to do with the foreskin which is considered to be seperate to the rest of the organ

Answer 2

This is a deep subject.

Circumcision in times of the the OT had nothing to do with hygiene. Every law back then could have had historical, literal and/or spiritual purpose(s).

Take a look at verse 23:3 " An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:"

Basically, the purpose was so that, since polygamy was common practice back then, the women would not procreate w/non-Israelites, to preserve the bloodlines.

After Jesus and Pentecost, our relationship with God is Spiritual, so it doesn't matter today. How can someone be responsible for having been "cut" as a baby? I don't like the idea myself, but oh well, personal preference...

Answer 3

Circumcision is not 'forbidden' in Christianity, but it is strongly discouraged. If you get it done for religious reasons however, that IS indeed forbidden under Christianity - religious circumcision, according to the Apostle Paul, is the same as denying Christ. Circumcision was frowned upon by early Christians because of two main reasons as far as I can tell: 1. It was incredibly dangerous. Many children died from it. Some still die from it today even with modern medicine. 2. It was seen as a barrier to heartfelt conversion. Some Christians were getting circumcised so that they could claim to be both Jews AND Christians.

Answer 4

Circumcision removes only the foreskin, not the entire male member. Also, it does not damage the "stones" (testicles). The point in the old testament was that those who were damaged in this way were not allowed in the "congregation" (gathering) of the Lord. This does not mean that they were not Jewish, nor that they were going to hell. God required, for example, that the lambs which were sacrificed be without blemish, and this is an example of the same thing - keep the imperfect OUT of the temple.

The New Testament application of this is that there ought not be any Christian incapable of passing on the faith (producing spiritual children), but I would not be dogmatic about this since we are not under the law but under grace.

Answer 5

dear Ivy, the practice of cutting off the foreskin of the male sexual organ is ancient and fairly widespread among primitive peoples even to the present time, for example there are still religions that practice it, like the Jews, the Muslims, the Eastern Orthodox, etc. but, in the particular text that you're referring to it does not contradicts one to another,
in Deut. : 23 : 1 it says " He that is wounded in the STONES, or hath his PRIVY member cut off ..." it does clearly states what prevented a man from entering the congregation, and circumcision is just the removal of the foreskin not the cut off of the member, or the testicles, that's the difference

Answer 6

Physical circumcision was outward sign of faith in God. It started as a covenant between Abraham and God before Isaac was born. Circumcision of the heart. Meaning the heart is right with God, meaning that you believe and obey God. This is also new as well as old testament. I believe it is Romans four that talks about circumcision both physical and spiritual. A good Bible search will lead you to both type of verse concerning physical circumsion and spiritual circumcision of the heart.

Answer 7

Ok here are the rules.


1. Thou shalt cut off part of every baby boy's willy. Should this go wrong (many times it has) and a child loses his entire willy; SEE RULE TWO!

2. If your willy is cut off you can't get in!

As this religion has so many pee-pee rules I think I would rather put on an orange robe, grab a tambourine and stand around at the airport.

These rules were made up by the "priest" types to ensure a loyal group of supporters ($$$ for the simple minded).

Answer 8

GEN017:009-10 -- And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my Covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every male child among you shall be circumcised.

As Paul wrote in his historical account of Jesus (New Testament)

GAL005:002 --Behold, I Paul say unto you , that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

Paul in writing, for all to see, successfully cut off Christianity from the biblical promises given to Abraham and the Lords words are set in stone with thousands of years of proof and acceptance.

Answer 9

In those days Jews were circumcised and Gentiles were not. Circumcision is used as a metaphor for being Jewish. Jesus taught that it didn't matter if you were Jewish or not.

Answer 10

Circumcision is what God instructed the people to do for health reasons. The way the male body is made when uncircumcised can lead to infection and nasty nasty things...
but when circumcised the man could have less risk of those problems.
Just like how God told Israel not to eat certain meats. IT was because unlike now, they didn't know how to efficiently clean and prepare it, so he told them stay away from it.
God know what's best for us! :)