Deuteronomy 22:9-12

Deuteronomy 22:9-12

[9] Thou shalt not sow  thy vineyard  with divers seeds:  lest the fruit  of thy seed  which thou hast sown,  and the fruit  of thy vineyard,  be defiled.  [10] Thou shalt not plow  with an ox  and an ass  together.  [11] Thou shalt not wear  a garment of divers sorts,  as of woollen  and linen  together.  [12] Thou shalt make  thee fringes  upon the four  quarters  of thy vesture,  wherewith thou coverest  thyself.

What does Deuteronomy 22:9-12 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The laws against mixing seed, animals in yoke, and fibers in clothing ( Deuteronomy 22:9-11) may have had a double significance. They taught the Israelites the importance of purity and keeping things distinct "... because the order of the world must not be endangered." [1] They may have also illustrated the importance of remaining separate from the Canaanites (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Oxen and donkeys would have not been a good combination when yoked together because they would pull at different rates. Wool was the fiber from which the Israelites made their clothing. However the Canaanites, especially the Canaanite priests, dressed in linen. [2] Tassels ( Deuteronomy 22:12) were also visual aids (cf. Numbers 15:37-41).
"One of the ways the purity of the people is to be maintained, one that sounds rather strange in the contemporary world, is the insistence that things be kept in order and not mixed up inappropriately." [3]