Deuteronomy 17:7
in Deuteronomy 17The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
KJV
The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 17
Commentary
4 notes on this verseFirst upon him - God thus ordered it, for the caution of witnesses, that, if they had thro' malice or wrath accused him falsely, they might now be afraid to imbrue their hands in innocent blood; and for the security and satisfaction of the people in the execution of this punishment.
This site's exposition
The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him
The men who gave the testimony throw the first stones, and the crowd follows them. Commentators from Gill onward read the order as a brake on false accusation, since a witness who had lied would be the first to shed the blood he called for. Acts 7:58 shows the rule working at Stephen's death, where the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of Saul, and John 8:7 puts the first stone in the hand of whoever is without sin. The closing line, so thou shalt put the evil away from among you, recurs through this book, and 1 Corinthians 5:13 quotes it of a man inside a church.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
If there be found among you . . . man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness--The grand object contemplated in choosing Israel was to preserve the knowledge and worship of the one true God; and hence idolatry of any kind, whether of the heavenly bodies or in some grosser form, is called "a transgression of His covenant." No rank or sex could palliate this crime.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יַ֣ד | yad | [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הָעֵדִ֞ים | haedim | the witnesses | H5707 → | 70 times |
| תִּֽהְיֶה־ | tihyeh- | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בּ֤וֹ | bo | on <the> him | ||
| בָרִאשֹׁנָה֙ | varishonah | at the first | H7223 → | 182 times |
| לַהֲמִית֔וֹ | lahamito | to put to death him | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וְיַ֥ד | veyad | and [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| בָּאַחֲרֹנָ֑ה | baacharonah | at the last | H314 → | 51 times |
| וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ | uviarta | and you will remove | H1197 → | 94 times |
| הָרָ֖ע | hara' | the evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ פ | mikirbecha | from midst your | H7130 → | 227 times |
יַ֣ד[the] hand of
yadH3027 →1618 times
הָעֵדִ֞יםthe witnesses
haedimH5707 →70 times
תִּֽהְיֶה־it will be
tihyeh-H1961 →3559 times
בּ֤וֹon <the> him
bo
בָרִאשֹׁנָה֙at the first
varishonahH7223 →182 times
לַהֲמִית֔וֹto put to death him
lahamitoH4191 →839 times
וְיַ֥דand [the] hand of
veyadH3027 →1618 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
בָּאַחֲרֹנָ֑הat the last
baacharonahH314 →51 times
וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥and you will remove
uviartaH1197 →94 times
הָרָ֖עthe evil
hara'H7451 →662 times
מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ פfrom midst your
mikirbechaH7130 →227 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 5:13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 13:5
Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 21:21
Then 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.
- Matthew 18:17
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
- Deuteronomy 22:24
you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he…
- Deuteronomy 22:21–22
she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous…
- Deuteronomy 13:5
Through
Deuteronomy 17:12But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge…
it leads to
- Numbers 15:30
But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people.
- Numbers 15:30
Through
Deuteronomy 13:5Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 18:20
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put…
- 1 Corinthians 5:13
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
- Deuteronomy 18:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.