신명기 Chapter 25

Translation: ESV

4

You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.

Key Message

Those who labor deserve to share in the fruit of their work; this is God's principle of just compensation that applies to both animals and people.

▸This brief law protecting a working ox embodies a principle of compassion even toward animals.

This brief law protecting a working ox embodies a principle of compassion even toward animals. But Paul quotes this verse twice in the New Testament to argue that ministers of the gospel have the right to receive material support for their work.

Related Verses

For it is written in the Law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.' Is it for oxen that God is concerned?For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer deserves his wages.'
5

If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.

Key Message

Protecting the widow and preserving the family name reflects God's care for the vulnerable and the importance of covenant continuity.

▸The levirate marriage law (yibbum) is a system to protect a widow and ensure the continuation of the deceased brother's name and lineage.

17

Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt,

Key Message

Remembering the enemy's treachery is not for revenge but for spiritual vigilance; God's people must never forget the nature of evil that opposes them.

▸The command to remember Amalek's treacherous attack is not merely historical record but a call to spiritual vigilance.