No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation.
Parallel translations
- WEB A person born of a forbidden union shall not enter into Yahweh’s assembly; even to the tenth generation shall no one of his enter into Yahweh’s assembly.
- KJV A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
- NKJV “One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord.
- NASB No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the Lord; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, may enter the assembly of the Lord.
- NLT “If a person is illegitimate by birth, neither he nor his descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A person born of a forbidden union is barred from the assembly to the tenth generation. The law underscored the seriousness of illicit unions.
Overview
This exclusion likely concerned those born of incestuous or otherwise illicit relationships, marking the consequences of such sin on the covenant community. The tenth generation expression signals a long, effectively permanent exclusion from full assembly standing. Yet the gospel extends grace beyond such barriers, grafting in all who come by faith in Christ (Gal 3:28).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Zech 9:6A mixed race will occupy Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
- Isa 57:3“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
- Heb 12:8If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
- John 8:41You are doing the works of your father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 23:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.