Deuteronomychapter 19
21 verses · BSBDeuteronomy book hub →
A.Three cities, and three more if he enlarges youvv. 1-13
1 When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, 2 then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3 You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities. 4 Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: 5 If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life. 6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. 7 This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities. 8 And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, 9 and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three. 10 Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. 11 If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, 12 the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. 13 You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.
B.Do not move your neighbor's landmarkv. 14
14 You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
C.A false witness gets what he intendedvv. 15-21
15 A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 16 If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, 17 both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. 18 The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, 19 you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. 20 Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. 21 You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
Chapter summary
Cities of refuge in the land; the landmark; the false witness.
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Chapter summary
Cities of refuge in the land; the landmark; the false witness.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Cities of refuge in the land; the landmark; the false witness. Three cities within the land on this side of Jordan (with three more if the LORD enlarges the coast). The manslayer with unintentional death flees there; the avenger of blood will not prevail; the high priest's death ends the refuge. The deliberate murderer, though he flee, is fetched thence and given to the avenger's hand. ‘Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark’. A false witness must bear the penalty he sought to bring on the accused: ‘eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot’.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.
Context
Law · Moses — Deuteronomy overview
- A. 1–13 Three cities, and three more if he enlarges you
- B. 14 Do not move your neighbor's landmark
- C. 15–21 A false witness gets what he intended
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Numbers 356 verses
- Numbers 35:10“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
- Numbers 35:12You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
- Numbers 35:15These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.
- Numbers 35:16If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
- Numbers 35:25The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
- Numbers 35:30If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Read Numbers 35 →
Deuteronomy 214 verses
- Deuteronomy 21:5And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.
- Deuteronomy 21:9So you shall purge from among you the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 21:21Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
- Deuteronomy 21:22If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
- Read Deuteronomy 21 →
Deuteronomy 174 verses
- Deuteronomy 17:4and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel,
- Deuteronomy 17:6On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Deuteronomy 17:9You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
- Deuteronomy 17:13Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will no longer behave arrogantly.
- Read Deuteronomy 17 →
Deuteronomy 123 verses
- Deuteronomy 12:20When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.
- Deuteronomy 12:29When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you drive them out and live in their land,
- Deuteronomy 12:32See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
- Read Deuteronomy 12 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Joshua 203 verses
- Joshua 20:2“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,
- Joshua 20:5Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
- Joshua 20:7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
- Read Joshua 20 →
1 Kings 23 verses
- 1 Kings 2:5Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
- 1 Kings 2:28When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
- 1 Kings 2:31And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.
- Read 1 Kings 2 →
Deuteronomy 72 verses
- Deuteronomy 7:1When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—
- Deuteronomy 7:2and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
- Read Deuteronomy 7 →
Exodus 212 verses
- Exodus 21:13If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
- Exodus 21:23But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—
- Read Exodus 21 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.