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

1If a homicide victim should be found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you, and no one knows who killed him, your elders and judges must go out and measure how far it is to the cities in the vicinity of the corpse. 3Then the elders of the city nearest to the corpse must take from the herd a heifer that has not been worked – that has never pulled with the yoke – 4and bring the heifer down to a wadi with flowing water, to a valley that is neither plowed nor sown. There at the wadi they are to break the heifer’s neck.

Deuteronomy 21:2 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then thy eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• and thy judgesשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• shall come forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• and they shall measureמָדַדmâdad · to measureH4058
• unto the citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• round aboutסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
• him that is slainחָלָלchâlâl · slain: killedH2491

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 21:2

• Deuteronomy 16:18You must appoint judges and civil servants for each tribe in all your villages that the Lord your God is giving you, and they must judge the people fairly.
• Romans 13:3(for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation,

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