Deuteronomy 27:19
in Deuteronomy 27‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Cursed be he that wresteth the justice due to the sojourner, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
KJV
Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 27
Commentary
4 notes on this verseCursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow,.... Who have none to assist them, and take their part, and therefore judges may be tempted to do an unjust thing; but God is the patron of them, and takes notice of every injury done them, and is the avenger of all such: and all the people shall say Amen; See Gill on Deu 27:15; See Gill on Deu 27:16.
This site's exposition
he that setteth light by
on Deuteronomy 27:16-19
These four curses name people who cannot see what is done to them or cannot answer it. The landmark is already protected at Deuteronomy 19:14, the blind at Leviticus 19:14, and the stranger, the fatherless and the widow are the three the book keeps returning to at 10:18, 14:29 and 24:17. Setting light by father or mother is the fifth commandment stated as a curse, and Adam Clarke observes that every act in this list was forbidden long before, so what the ceremony adds is the sentence hanging over it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
These are supposed to be poor and friendless (nothing to be got by doing them a kindness, nor any thing lost by disobliging them), and therefore judges may be tempted to side with their adversaries against right and equity; but cursed are such judges. Against the seventh commandment. Incest is a cursed sin, with a sister, a father's wife, or a mother-in-law,
10 Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the L ORD thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day. A general charge to the people to keep God's commandments; for in vain did they know them, unless they would do them. This is pressed upon them, 1.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָר֗וּר | ʾarur | [is] cursed | H779 → | 63 times |
| מַטֶּ֛ה | mateh | [one who] turns aside | H5186 → | 214 times |
| מִשְׁפַּ֥ט | mishpat | [the] justice of | H4941 → | 422 times |
| גֵּר־ | ger- | a sojourner | H1616 → | 92 times |
| יָת֖וֹם | yatom | a fatherless one | H3490 → | 42 times |
| וְאַלְמָנָ֑ה | vealmanah | and a widow | H490 → | 56 times |
| וְאָמַ֥ר | veamar | and it will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אָמֵֽן׃ ס | ʾamen | amen | H543 → | 30 times |
אָר֗וּר[is] cursed
ʾarurH779 →63 times
מַטֶּ֛ה[one who] turns aside
matehH5186 →214 times
מִשְׁפַּ֥ט[the] justice of
mishpatH4941 →422 times
גֵּר־a sojourner
ger-H1616 →92 times
יָת֖וֹםa fatherless one
yatomH3490 →42 times
וְאַלְמָנָ֑הand a widow
vealmanahH490 →56 times
וְאָמַ֥רand it will say
veamarH559 →5305 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
אָמֵֽן׃ סamen
ʾamenH543 →30 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
Malachi 3:5“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud…
it leads to
- James 5:8–9
You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
- Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
- Deuteronomy 5:11
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
- James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
- James 5:8–9
Through
Deuteronomy 10:18He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
it leads to
- Psalms 146:9
The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.
- Psalms 68:5
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
- Psalms 146:9
Through
Exodus 23:2You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
it leads to
- Proverbs 1:10–11
My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.
- Proverbs 1:10–11
Through
Deuteronomy 24:17Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Where this verse is studied
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About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.