Deuteronomy 21:2

Deuteronomy 21:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
• New International Version (NIV)your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns.
• English Standard Version (ESV)then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure the distance to the surrounding cities.
• New King James Version (NKJV)then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance from the slain man to the surrounding cities.

Context of Deuteronomy 21:2

1“If a person who has been killed by someone is found lying in the open country in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who struck him, then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the one who was killed. 3And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked and has not pulled in a yoke; 4and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

Deuteronomy 21:2 word by word

וְיָצְא֥וּ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְשֹׁפְטֶ֑יךָ וּמָדְדוּ֙ אֶל־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר סְבִיבֹ֥ת הֶחָלָֽל׃Read the interlinear

• then your eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• and your judgesשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• shall goיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• and measureמָדַדmâdad · to measureH4058
• to the citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• are aroundסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
• the oneחָלָלchâlâl · slain: killedH2491
• who was killedחָלָלchâlâl · slain: killedH2491

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 21:2

• Deuteronomy 16:18“You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
• Romans 13:3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 21:2

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The elders represented the citizens at large, the judges the magistracy: priests Deuteronomy 21:5 from the nearest priestly town, were likewise to be at hand. Thus, all classes would be represented at the purging away of that blood-guiltiness which until removed attached to the whole community.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9The guilt of murder was usually removed through the death of the murderer (19:11–13; Numbers 35:30–34). However, if the murderer was unknown, the guilt could still be removed by using this ritual.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-91-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God should avenge it on the country at large, and the pollution which the land was supposed to contract from the effusion…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 21:2

• Church
• Government
• Heifer
• Homicide
• Inquest

In the dictionaries

• Ablution
• Controversy
• Crucifixion
• Divers
• Murder
• Rebellious
• Wrought
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Exodus, the Book of

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 21

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings