then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to your gates, even that same man or woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones. At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
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Deuteronomy 17:5-7 sits inside this longer paragraph.
If there is found among you, within any of your gates which Yahweh your God gives you, a man or woman who does that which is evil in Yahweh your God’s sight in transgressing his covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded, and you are told, and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in Israel, then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to your gates, even that same man or woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones. At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
Parallel Translations
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then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to your gates, even that same man or woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones.
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
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Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
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.
Show all 3 translations
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then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who have done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them with stones, that they die.
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
Cross-references (22)
- Numbers 35:30 (v6) “ ‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone…
- Deuteronomy 13:9 (v7) but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people.
- Hebrews 10:28 (v6) A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses.
- Leviticus 24:14 (v5) “Bring him who cursed out of the camp; and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
- Deuteronomy 19:15 (v6) One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth…
Show all 22 cross-references
- Matthew 18:16 (v6) But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
- 1 Corinthians 5:13 (v7) But those who are outside, God judges. “Put away the wicked man from among yourselves.”
- 1 Timothy 5:19 (v6) Don’t receive an accusation against an elder, except at the word of two or three witnesses.
- Deuteronomy 13:5 (v7) That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you…
- Deuteronomy 17:12 (v7) The man who does presumptuously in not listening to the priest who stands to minister there before Yahweh your God, or to the judge, even…
- Joshua 7:25 (v5) Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you today.” All Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire…
- John 8:17-18 (v6) It’s also written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid. I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me…
- Leviticus 24:16 (v5) He who blasphemes Yahweh’s name, he shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. The foreigner as well as…
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 (v6) This is the third time I am coming to you. “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
- Deuteronomy 13:10-11 (v5) You shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of…
- Deuteronomy 19:19 (v7) then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
- Deuteronomy 22:21 (v5) then they shall bring out the young lady to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones,…
- Deuteronomy 22:24 (v5) then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn’t…
- Deuteronomy 24:7 (v7) If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him, then that thief…
- Judges 20:13 (v7) Now therefore deliver up the men, the wicked fellows who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel.” But…
- Acts 7:58-59 (v7) They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. They stoned…
- Deuteronomy 21:21 (v5) All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall remove the evil from among you. All Israel shall hear, and fear.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6–7 Hebrew, of two witnesses or three witnesses.
Hebrew, of two witnesses or three witnesses.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv5–7 Deu 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man…
Deu 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, [even] that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Ver. 7. Thou shalt put the evil.] Both person and thing. {1Co 5:13}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv6–7 At the mouth, i.e. upon the testimony delivered upon…
At the mouth, i.e. upon the testimony delivered upon oath before the magistrates.
Three witnesses, to wit, credible and competent witnesses. The Jews rejected the testimonies of madmen. children, women, servants, familiar friends, or enemies, persons of dissolute lives and evil fame.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv5–7 Thou shall bring forth that man or that woman…
Thou shall bring forth that man or that woman which have committed the wicked thing,.... Idolatry in any of the above instances: this must be supposed to be done after he or she have been had before a court of judicature, and have been tried and found guilty, and sentence passed on them, then they were to be brought forth to execution:
unto thy gates; the Targum of Jonathan says, unto the gates of your sanhedrim, or court of judicature; but Jarchi observes, that this is a mistake of the paraphrase, for he says, we are taught by tradition that "thy gate" is the gate in which he has served or committed idolatry; and so says Maimonides (d), they do not stone a man but at the gate where he served or worshipped; but if the greatest part of the city are Heathens, they stone him at the door of the sanhedrim; and this is received from tradition, that "to thy gates" is the gate at which he served, and not where his judgment is finished:
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even that man or that woman; this is repeated, and the woman as well as the man is expressed, to show that no compassion is to be had on her as is usual, nor to be spared on account of the weakness and tenderness of her sex, but she as well as the man must be brought forth and executed according to her sentence, without any mercy shown; and this is observed to show the resentment of the divine Majesty, and his indignation at this sin:
and shalt stone them with stones until they die; of the manner of stoning men and women; see Gill on Act 7:58.
(d) Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 15. sect. 2.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv6–7 Witnesses - Namely, credible and competent witnesses. The Jews…
Witnesses - Namely, credible and competent witnesses. The Jews rejected the testimonies of children, women, servants, familiar friends or enemies, persons of dissolute lives or evil fame.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v6 Verse 6. Two witnesses] ONE might be deceived, or…
Verse 6. Two witnesses] ONE might be deceived, or be prejudiced or malicious; therefore God required two substantial witnesses for the support of the charge.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv6–7 Deu 17:6. Witnesses — Namely, credible and competent witnesses.…
Deu 17:6. Witnesses — Namely, credible and competent witnesses. The Jews rejected the testimonies of children, women, servants, familiar friends, or enemies, persons of dissolute lives or evil fame.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv5–7 Stoned, not far from the gates, where they received…
Stoned, not far from the gates, where they received sentence. Thus the sabbath-breaker was stoned without the camp, (Numbers xv. 35,) and St. Stephen out of the city of Jerusalem, Acts vii. 57. When only a few were concerned, the twenty-three judges passed sentence: but if a whole tribe had been guilty, the cognizance of the affair was left to the Sanhedrim. When a city was infected with this abomination, it was wholly destroyed. But no one was punished, except two witnesses (ver. 6,) attested that formal idolatry, by sacrifice, &c., had been committed. (Selden, Syned. iii. 4.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v5 5. Unto thy gates — The punishment was to…
5. Unto thy gates — The punishment was to be in public before the whole people. By the gate is to be understood the open space near the gate, where in Eastern cities judicial proceedings take place. Comp. Neh_8:1; Neh_8:3; Job_29:7. The sentence was to be carried into execution outside of the city, as in Act_7:58; Heb_13:12, as in the wilderness it had been outside of the camp: to denote that the criminal was excluded from the congregation.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv5–7 5. thou shalt bring forth … unto thy gates]…
5. thou shalt bring forth … unto thy gates] Cp. Deu_22:24 : the usual place for stoning was without the gate, so that the city might not be polluted (cp. Lev_24:14, Num_15:36); where also Stephen was stoned, Act_7:58, under this law. On stoning see on Deu_13:10 (11).
even the man or the woman] Omit with LXX.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv5–6 Unto thy gates; judicial proceedings were conducted at the…
Unto thy gates; judicial proceedings were conducted at the gates of the city, and in some place outside the walls the sentence was executed on the condemned criminal (Neh_8:1, 3Jo 29:7; Deu_22:24; Act_7:58; Heb_13:12) just as, during the journey through the wilderness, it had been outside the camp that transgressors were punished. (Lev_24:14; Num_15:36)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v5 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses,…
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, will he who must die be put to death
Here "the mouth" represents the testimony of a witness. This can be translated in active form. AT: "If two or three witnesses speak against the person, then you must execute him" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive and Numbers)
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but at the mouth of only one witness he must not be put to death
Here "the mouth" represents the testimony of a witness. This can be translated in active form. AT: "but if only one person speaks against him, then you must not execute him" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
The hand of the witnesses must be the first to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people
Here "hand" represents the entire group of witnesses. AT: "The witnesses themselves must be the first ones to throw stones. Then all the people will execute the person by throwing stones at him" (See: Synecdoche)
you will remove the evil from among you
The nominal adjective "the evil" can be stated as an adjective. AT: "you must remove from among the Israelites this person who does this evil thing" or "you must execute this evil person" (See: Nominal Adjectives)
translationWords
evil
gate
stone
die
testimony
hand
people group
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv5, 7 17:5 the gates: A typical town in ancient Israel…
17:5 the gates: A typical town in ancient Israel was small (about 10 acres or less) and crowded. It had few open areas except for a plaza just inside or outside the main gate where public meetings were held, including trials and other judicial proceedings. The place here is clearly outside of the town because stoning to death would not occur inside the walls (22:24; 1 Kgs 21:10) except under unusual circumstances (Deut 22:21).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.