Neville Goddard on Deuteronomy 21:12-14 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Deuteronomy 21 in context

Scripture Focus

12Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;

13And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.

14And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

Deuteronomy 21:12-14

Biblical Context

Deuteronomy 21:12-14 describes bringing a captive wife home, allowing a month of purification and mourning, and then marrying her if you choose; if you do not delight in her, you release her, and you must not sell or exploit her.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within the inner theater, the captive bride is the old, limited self you have momentarily brought into awareness. The shaving of the head, the shedding of garments, and the month of mourning symbolize inner purification—clearing away identifications that no longer serve your expansion. The house becomes your new state of consciousness where you attend to the grief of former self-images until a full cycle passes. Then you are joined in a marriage with a new quality you have chosen to inhabit—compassion, justice, and fearless love. If you awaken to no delight in this new state, you release it—not as a loss but as a refined belief, for you have humbled the old self rather than coerced a change. The decisive act is inner: the I AM, your true Self, imagines and feels its wish fulfilled, and the state becomes your reality. No state is merchandise; all are invitations to grow.

Practice This Now

Imaginatively, for a 30-day period, assume the new state you desire as already yours. In quiet practice, bring it home to your consciousness, shed outdated identifications, and feel the wish fulfilled as if it were already real; if the delight fades, release it with gratitude and faith.