Deuteronomy 17:8

Deuteronomy 17:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;
• New International Version (NIV)If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the Lord your God will choose.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses.

Context of Deuteronomy 17:8

6But two or three people must agree about what the person has done. You must never kill anyone because of the words of only one person. 7The people who saw the wicked act must throw the first stones to kill the person. Then everyone else must also throw stones. In that way, you must remove evil acts from among you. It may be difficult for the judges in your towns to decide what is true. This may happen when one person has attacked or killed another person. It may happen when people cannot agree about some land. It may be anything that people in your towns are arguing about. If you do not know who is right, you must take those people to the place that the Lord your God will choose. 9You must go to the Levite priests and to the judge who has authority at that time. Ask them to decide what is right and true. 10When they decide, you must do what they tell you to do.

Deuteronomy 17:8 word by word

כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֨ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט בֵּֽין־דָּ֨ם׀ לְדָ֜ם בֵּֽין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין וּבֵ֥ין נֶ֙גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע דִּבְרֵ֥י רִיבֹ֖ת בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ וְקַמְתָּ֣ וְעָלִ֔יתָ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• If there arise a matterדָּבָרdâbâr · word: caseH1697
• too hardפָּלָאpâlâ' · to wonderH6381
• for thee in judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• between bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• between pleaדִּיןdîyn dûn · judgmentH1779
• and between strokeנֶ֫גַעnega‛ · plagueH5061
• of controversyרִיבrîyb rib · strifeH7379
• within thy gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gate: townH8179
• then shalt thou ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• and get thee upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• into the placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• which the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• shall chooseבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 17:8

• Deuteronomy 1:17When you judge them, do not make any difference between important people and poor people. Listen to all of them in a careful way. Do not be afraid of anyone. God is the one who decides what is right. If it is too difficult for you to decide who is right, bring it to me. I will listen and then I will decide what is right.’
• Exodus 18:26They worked as judges for the people at all times. If there was a difficult problem, they took it to Moses for him to decide. But they themselves decided the small problems.
• 1 Kings 3:16Two women who were prostitutes came to meet with the king. They stood in front of him to tell him their problem.
• 2 Chronicles 19:8Jehoshaphat also chose some Levites, priests and clan leaders to serve the Lord as judges in Jerusalem. They used God's law to decide who was right when people who lived in Jerusalem had arguments.
• Haggai 2:11The Almighty Lord says, ‘Ask the priests a question about my Law.
• Malachi 2:7Priests should help people to know the truth about God. People should ask the priests to teach them, because the Lord Almighty has chosen priests to speak his message.
• Deuteronomy 19:4This is the rule when anyone has killed another person: If it was a mistake, he can run to a safe city. He can do that if he has killed someone that he did not already hate.
• Exodus 21:12Perhaps a person may hit another person so that he dies. You must punish the murderer with death.
• Exodus 22:2Perhaps someone may catch a robber as he goes into another person's house. The owner of the house might knock down the robber so that he dies. If this happens at night, the owner of the house is not guilty of murder.
• Numbers 35:11They must choose some towns to be safe places. If anyone kills another person but he did not mean to, he can run there to be safe.
• Deuteronomy 12:5The Lord will choose one place from the land where all your tribes live. That is the place where people must go to worship him. That is his special home.
• Deuteronomy 19:17Then both of them must stand in front of the judges that the Lord has chosen. Those are the priests and the judges who have authority at that time.
• Psalms 122:4Israel's tribes who belong to the Lord go up there. They go there to thank the Lord, as he has commanded them.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 17:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8If there arise a matter too hard for thee - These directions are given to the common magistrates, who might not be able to judge of or apply the law in all cases that might be brought before them. The priests and Levites, who were lawyers by birth and continual practice, were reasonably considered as the best qualified to decide on difficult points.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8-13Verses 8-13 The cases in question are such as the inferior judges did not feel able to decide satisfactorily, and which accordingly they remitted to their superiors (compare Exodus 18:23-27). The Supreme court Deuteronomy 17:9 is referred to in very general terms as sitting at the sanctuary Deuteronomy 17:8. “The judge” would no doubt usually be a layman, and thus the court would contain both an ecclesiastical and a civil element. Jehoshaphat 2 Chronicles…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-13Verses 8-13 Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed: In the Old Testament, as in many legal systems today, murder was intentional, and manslaughter was accidental (compare 19:1–13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-138-13. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment--In all civil or criminal cases, where there was any doubt or difficulty in giving a decision, the local magistrates were to submit them by reference to the tribunal of the Sanhedrim--the supreme council, which was composed partly of civil and partly of ecclesiastical persons. "The priests and Levites," should rather be "the priests--the Levites"; that is, the Levitical priests, including the…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 17:8

• Assault and Battery
• Church
• Court
• Judge
• Pleading
• Priest

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Galilee
• Gate
• Mouth
• Murder
• Priest
• Appeal
• Atonement, Day of
• Controversy

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings