You shall have a trowel among your weapons. It shall be, when you relieve yourself, you shall dig with it, and shall turn back and cover your excrement;
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 13. Girdle. Hebrew azon, means “a balance,” as the Hebrews generally carried weights, and so forth about them. Calmet. 25:13. Moderns translate, “a paddle upon thy weapon,” But the Septuagint seem to have read ezor, “a girdle,” ( Calmet.) which is more intelligible, as the Jews were accustomed to carry the necessary utensils, money, and so forth not in their pockets, as we do, but in a bag, which they fixed to their girdles, or belts. All the Jews who dwelt in the camp, were bound to have a paddle, for the purpose here mentioned. Bible.—Josephus (Bel. ii. 7,) observes, that the Essenians always made use of one, with which they made a hole a foot deep, and covered it with their robes, that nothing indecent might be exposed to view. Bible.—The Turks still follow the same custom, when they are encamped. Busbec, ep. iii. Calmet.