and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
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Deuteronomy 19:18-19 sits inside this longer paragraph.
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. If an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days; and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you. Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you. Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Parallel Translations
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and the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother,
then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
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And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
Show all 3 translations
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And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
then shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
Cross-references (15)
- Proverbs 19:5 (v19) A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.
- Proverbs 19:9 (v19) A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.
- Deuteronomy 13:14 (v18) then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination was done among…
- Deuteronomy 17:4 (v18) 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…
- Deuteronomy 17:7 (v19) 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…
Show all 15 cross-references
- Deuteronomy 22:24 (v19) 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…
- Daniel 6:24 (v19) The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and…
- Deuteronomy 13:5 (v19) 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 19:20 (v19) Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and will never again commit any such evil among you.
- Deuteronomy 21:20-21 (v19) They shall tell the elders of his city, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a…
- Deuteronomy 22:21 (v19) 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 24:7 (v19) 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…
- 2 Chronicles 19:6-7 (v18) and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you don’t judge for man, but for Yahweh; and he is with you in the judgment. Now…
- Job 19:16 (v18) I call to my servant, and he gives me no answer. I beg him with my mouth.
- Jeremiah 14:15 (v19) Therefore Yahweh says concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, but I didn’t send them, yet they say, ‘Sword and famine will not be…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (6 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv18–19 Then shall ye do unto him as he had…
Then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother,.... Inflict the same fine or punishment on him he thought to have brought his brother under by his false testimony of him; whether any pecuniary fine, or whipping and scourging, or the loss of a member, or the value of it, or death itself; whether stoning, strangling, burning, or killing with the sword: though, in the case of accusing a priest's daughter of adultery, as Jarchi observes, such were not to be burnt, as would have been her case if proved, but strangled:
so shalt thou put the evil away from among you; the evil man that bears a false testimony of his brother, or the guilt of sin which would be incurred by conniving at him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v19 Verse 19. Then shall ye do unto him as…
Verse 19. Then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother] Nothing can be more equitable or proper than this, that if a man endeavour to do any injury to or take away the life of another, on detection he shall be caused to undergo the same evil which he intended for his innocent neighbour.
Some of our excellent English laws have been made on this very ground. In the 37th of Edw. III., chap. 18, it is ordained that all those who make suggestion shall incur the same pain which the other should have had, if he were attainted, in case his suggestions be found evil. A similar law was made in the 38th of the same reign, chap. 9. By a law of the twelve Tables, a false witness was thrown down the Tarpeian rock. In short, false witnesses have been execrated by all nations.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v19 See the marginal references.
See the marginal references.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v19 19. Do unto him, as he had thought to…
19. Do unto him, as he had thought to have done — The convicted perjurer was to suffer the identical punishment that would have been inflicted upon the one against whom he falsely testified, had he been proven guilty. Comp. Pro_19:5; Pro_19:9; Dan_6:24.
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 vv18–19 18. shall make diligent inquisition] See Deu_13:14 (15), Deu_17:4;…
18. shall make diligent inquisition] See Deu_13:14 (15), Deu_17:4; Deu_17:9; Sg.
false, falsely] Heb. sheḳer: so in Exo_20:16, but Deu_5:20 has shav, vain.
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brother] here and next v.: the usual term in Sg. passages for fellow-Israelite.
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 v19 Thought. The verb here used ( means generally to…
Thought. The verb here used ( means generally to meditate, to have in mind, to purpose; but it frequently has the subaudition of meditating evil. (cf. Psa_31:3-7 Psa_37:12; Pro_30:32, etc.)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.