Much of Deuteronomy 21 deals with cases related to the commandment, "You shall not murder." Verses 1-9 discuss a case of unsolved murder.
Verses 10-14, like 20:19-20, are about curbing the kinds of abuses that accompany war. These verses describe a case where a man wants to marry a woman who has been taken as a prisoner of war. As noted in verse 14, this woman has been "humiliated," since (1) her people have been defeated; (2) she has been taken captive; and (3) a warrior wants to marry her.
Moses lays out guidelines to ensure that this woman, who has been forced to join the Israelite community, is not mistreated. The woman shaves her head, pares her nails, and is given new clothes, symbolizing the fact that she is leaving an old life behind and taking on a new identity. The woman also is given time to mourn the deaths of her parents, while the future husband has this same time to be sure that he wants to go through with the marriage.
If the man subsequently divorces the woman, she is free to return home or remarry. She is not to be treated as a slave.
It's possible that the prisoner of war in verses 10-14 is the man's second wife. Another way in which a second wife could be mistreated would be to have her children treated as inferior to those of the first wife. Verses 15-17 rule against that possibility, saying that if a man's firstborn son comes from a less-favored wife, that son should still have the privileges of a firstborn son that accompany the responsibilities entailed by that position.
Verses 18-21 deal with the case of a son who rebels against his parents. Since the future of Israel depends upon children embracing community values, this is a serious matter, one that is to handled by the community. The seriousness is reflected in the fact that in an extreme case, the son can be put to death. These verses are meant to preserve community holiness and deter children from engaging in such rebellion. The ideal is that this kind of execution never be carried out.
Hosea 11:1-9 later portrays the house of Israel as a whole as a rebellious son. God is pictured agonizing over what to do with his son. He decides not to destroy the house of Israel, opting for restoration over judgment.
Verses 22-23 addresses the custom of publicly displaying the body of an executed person as an example to the community. When this custom is followed, Moses says, the body should not be left out overnight. The one being punished is, as a serious criminal, "cursed by God," and his body would defile the land. An important consideration here is that bodies left exposed would be eaten by animals. Humans are created in God's image, so their bodies should not be desecrated and mutilated.
We see Joshua following this instruction in Joshua 8:39; 10:26-27. The New Testament connects the crucifixion with this passage (Acts 5:30; 10:39-40; 13:28-29). Paul also makes this connection in Gal 3:13-14, quoting Deuteronomy 21 to explain that Jesus, in his crucifixion, took upon himself in our place the curse due to us for our sins.
There is a traditional story connecting these cases in Deuteronomy 21. By deciding to marry a prisoner of war, the man in verses 10-14 sets off an unfortunate chain reaction. The war bride is a less-favored wife but bears the man's firstborn son. The first son of the favored wife, feeling slighted, rebels and is put to death. His body is hung on a tree to deter further rebellious behavior. (The story is not continued into chapter 22, so the son does not go on to become a cross-dressing zombie---see 22:5.)
Reflecting on the discussion of war in Deuteronomy 20-21, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon at Church of the Messiah on July 8, 2023. He talked about the spiritual war in which we are involved, the greatness of our King the Messiah, and the beauty of his kingdom.
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