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.
Parallel Translations
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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.
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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.
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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.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 17:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Numbers 35:30 “ ‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.
- Hebrews 10:28 A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses.
- Deuteronomy 19:15 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 of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
- Matthew 18:16 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 Timothy 5:19 Don’t receive an accusation against an elder, except at the word of two or three witnesses.
- John 8:17-18 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 testifies about me.”
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain 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 Deu 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or…
Deu 17:6 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.
Ver. 8. Too hard for thee in judgment,] i.e., For thee, O judge, who art thereupon to consult with the priests, and by them to be informed of the true sense and meaning of God’s law. For apices iuris non sunt ius. And the Rabbins have a saying, Nulla est obiectio in Lege, quae non habet solutionem in latere. Now the priest’s lips should preserve knowledge, and the law should be sought at his mouth; the high priest also, in some cases, was to inquire, and answer after the judgment of Urim, before the Lord. {Num 27:21} This the Pope cannot do, and therefore cannot claim the final determination of all causes and controversies, though his parasites tell him,
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“ Oraclis vocis mundi moderaris habenas:
Et meritb in terris diceris esse Deus. ”
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 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 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses,…
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death,.... The idolater found guilty was to be stoned; two witnesses were sufficient to prove a fact, if three the better, but, on the testimony of one, sentence might not be pronounced. Aben Ezra observes, that some say, if two witnesses contradict two other, a third turns the scale and determines the matter; and others say, that two who are wise men will do, and three of others; and because it is said "at the mouth" of these witnesses, it is concluded, that a testimony should be verbal and not written; should not be recorded, neither in pecuniary cases nor in capital ones, but from the mouth of the witnesses, as it is said "at the mouth", &c. at their mouth, and not from their handwriting (e):
but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death; so careful is the Lord of the lives of men, that none should be taken away but upon full and sufficient evidence, even in cases in which his own glory and honour is so much concerned.
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(e) Maimon. Hilchot Eduth, c. 3. sect. 4.
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 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 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 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 Slain. When the action was public, this formality was…
Slain. When the action was public, this formality was not requisite, chap. xiii. 9. --- Him. One witness was never admitted to prove any crime; neither would the Jews receive for witnesses, women, infants under thirteen, slaves, publicans, thieves, &c. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] iv. last chapter.) The Rabbins also reject other notorious offenders, enemies, relations, and those who had not a competent knowledge of the law, &c. (Ap. Selden, Syn. ii. 13. 11.; and Grotius) --- But we could wish for some authors of more credit. (Calmet)
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).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6. At the mouth of two witnesses or at…
6. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses] So Sam. and LXX, as in Deu_19:15, where the law, here applied to a particular case, is more generally stated. Cp. P, Num_35:30.
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 Vers. 6, 7. Only on the testimony of more…
Vers. 6, 7. Only on the testimony of more than one witness could the accused be condemned; (of Num_35:30) and the hand of the witnesses was to be first against him to put him to death a rule which would tend to prevent accusations being lightly adduced, as none would venture to witness against any one unless so deeply convinced of his guilt that they were willing to assume the responsibility of inflicting on him the last penalty with their own hands. Worthy of death be put to death; i.e. adjudged or appointed to death; literally, the dead man shall die. tme, the part. of tWm, to die, is here equivalent to twm B, son of death, (1Sa_20:31) or tw,m; vyai, a man of death, (1Ki_2:26) i.e. one assigned to death, already the property of death, and so as good as dead.
Put the evil away; literally, consume or sweep away the evil. The verb rB; means primarily to consume by burning.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.