Deuteronomy 21:3

Deuteronomy 21:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
• New International Version (NIV)Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer that has never been worked and that has not pulled in a yoke.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke.

Context of Deuteronomy 21:3

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, 2your elders and judges must go out and measure how far it is to the cities in the vicinity of the corpse. Then 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. 5Then the Levitical priests will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, and to decide every judicial verdict)

Deuteronomy 21:3 word by word

וְהָיָ֣ה הָעִ֔יר הַקְּרֹבָ֖ה אֶל־הֶחָלָ֑ל וְלָֽקְח֡וּ זִקְנֵי֩ הָעִ֨יר הַהִ֜וא עֶגְלַ֣ת בָּקָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־עֻבַּד֙ בָּ֔הּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־מָשְׁכָ֖ה בְּעֹֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• nextקָרֹבqârôb qârôb · nearH7138
• unto the slain manחָלָלchâlâl · slain: killedH2491
• even the eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• shall takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• an heiferעֶגְלָה‛eglâh · heiferH5697
• an heiferבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
• which hath not been wrought withעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: labourH5647
• which hath not drawnמָשַׁךְmâshak · to drawH4900
• in the yokeעֹל‛ôl ‛ôl · yokeH5923

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 21:3

• Numbers 19:2“This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded: ‘Instruct the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without blemish, which has no defect and has never carried a yoke.
• Jeremiah 31:18I have indeed heard the people of Israel say mournfully, ‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. You disciplined us and we learned from it. Let us come back to you and we will do so, for you are the Lord our God.
• Matthew 11:28Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
• Philippians 2:8He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 21:3

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The requirements as regards place and victim are symbolic. The heifer represented the murderer, so far at least as to die in his stead, since he himself could not be found. As hearing his guilt the heifer must therefore be one which was of full growth and strength, and had not yet been ceremonially profaned by human use. The Christian commentators find here a type of Christ and of His sacrifice for man: but the heifer was not strictly a sacrifice or…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-8A family member seeking revenge could not blame the entire community (19:6–7; Numbers 35:16–29).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 21:3

• Church
• Government
• Heifer
• Homicide
• Inquest

In the dictionaries

• Ablution
• Controversy
• Crucifixion
• Divers
• Murder
• Rebellious
• Wrought
• Yoke
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism

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