Deuteronomy 17:7

Deuteronomy 17:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
• New Living Translation (NLT)The witnesses must throw the first stones, and then all the people may join in. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.

Context of Deuteronomy 17:7

5take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. 6On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you. 8If 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. 9Go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.

Deuteronomy 17:7 word by word

יַ֣ד הָעֵדִ֞ים תִּֽהְיֶה־בּ֤וֹ בָרִאשֹׁנָה֙ לַהֲמִית֔וֹ וְיַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם בָּאַחֲרֹנָ֑ה וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The handsיָדyâd · handH3027
• of the witnessesעֵד‛êd · witnessH5707
• shall be firstרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
• upon him to put him to deathמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• and afterwardאַחֲרוֹן'achăryôn 'achărôn · lastH314
• of all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• So thou shalt putבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: burnH1197
• the evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• from amongקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 17:7

• Deuteronomy 13:9You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people.
• Acts 7:58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
• Deuteronomy 17:12Anyone who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God is to be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.
• Deuteronomy 13:5That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.
• Deuteronomy 19:19then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.
• Deuteronomy 24:7If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.
• Judges 20:13Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.” But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.
• 1 Corinthians 5:13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 17:7

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2-7Verses 2-7 Compare Deuteronomy 13:1 ff. Here special reference is made to the legal forms to be adopted, Deuteronomy 17:5-7. The sentence was to be carried into effect at “the gates” (compare Genesis 19:1 note) of the town in which the crime was committed; because, as “all the people” were to take a part, an open space would be requisite for the execution. Note the typical and prophetical aspect of the injunction; compare Acts 7:58; Hebrews 13:12.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The rule for witnesses to throw the first stones prevented false accusations. Giving false testimony had serious consequences. Requiring a witness to lead an execution ensured his testimony was reliable. He would feel guilty if he killed an innocent person (see John 8:1–11). The people would remove evil from among them by executing those whose sins brought guilt to the community of Israel (see “Purge the Evil” Theme Note; compare 1 Corinthians 5:12–13 and…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-72-7. If there be found among you ... man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness--The grand object contemplated in choosing Israel was to preserve the knowledge and worship of the one true God; and hence idolatry of any kind, whether of the heavenly bodies or in some grosser form, is called "a transgression of His covenant." No rank or sex could palliate this crime. Every reported case, even a flying rumor of the perpetration of so heinous an offense, was…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 17:7

• Church
• Evidence
• Intolerance, Religious
• Punishment
• Witness

In the dictionaries

• Idolatry
• Mouth
• Murder
• Stephen
• Witness
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis
• Leviticus

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