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.
Show the surrounding paragraph
Deuteronomy 19:19-21 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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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.
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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.
And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Show all 3 translations
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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.
And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee.
And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Commandments (1)
The laws of the Torah, each cited and shown as a primary source.
Cross-references (22)
- Matthew 5:38-39 (v21) “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever…
- Exodus 21:23-25 (v21) But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning,…
- Proverbs 19:5 (v19) A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.
- Deuteronomy 19:13 (v21) Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
- Proverbs 19:9 (v19) A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.
Show all 21 cross-references
- Deuteronomy 17:13 (v20) All the people shall hear and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
- Deuteronomy 21:21 (v20) 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.
- Deuteronomy 17:7 (vv19–20) 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…
- Leviticus 24:17-21 (v21) “ ‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death. He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life. If…
- Deuteronomy 13:11 (v20) All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more wickedness like this among you.
- 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…
- Proverbs 21:11 (v20) When the mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom. When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
- 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…
- Romans 13:3-4 (v20) For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and…
- 1 Timothy 5:20 (v20) Those who sin, reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear.
21 distinct cross-references across this passage (22 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Deu 19:20 And those which remain shall hear, and…
Deu 19:20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
Ver. 20. Shall hear and fear.] Others’ woes should be our warnings, others’ sufferings our sermons, yea, standing sermons. {1Co 10:5-12} God’s house of correction is the school of instruction.
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 vv20–21 Those which remain, i.e. the rest of the people.…
Those which remain, i.e. the rest of the people. See Deu 13:11; 17:13.
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 v19 And those which remain shall hear, and fear,.... Those…
And those which remain shall hear, and fear,.... Those which survive the false witness shall hear of the punishment inflicted on him, and fear to commit the like sin, lest they should be punished in like manner.
Deuteronomy 19:21
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 v21 Eye for eye - What punishment the law allotted…
Eye for eye - What punishment the law allotted to the accused, if he had been convicted, the same shall the false accuser bear.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv19, 21 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.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v21 Deu 19:21. An eye for an eye — What…
Deu 19:21. An eye for an eye — What punishment the law allotted to the accused, if he had been convicted, the same was the false accuser to bear.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword 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.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Things. This is the design of penal laws, to…
Things. This is the design of penal laws, to render justice to the innocent, and to prevent the spreading of a contagious evil, by cutting off the hopes of impunity. (Grotius, Jur. ii. 10. 9.) --- "I would cause the criminal’s throat to be cut, says Seneca, (de Ira ii.) with the same countenance and mind as I kill serpents and venomous animals."
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 vv19, 21 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 vv19–21 19. shall ye do] the only Pl. in the…
19. shall ye do] the only Pl. in the passage, confirmed by Sam. LXX; either a clerical error or an instance of the possibility of a writer slipping from one form of address into the other. Read shalt thou.
thought] Heb. zamam, devised.
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so shalt thou put away] Frequent in this Code, see on Deu_13:5 (6).
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 vv19–21 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.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v20 Then those who remain
Then those who remain
"When you punish the false witness, the rest of the people"
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will hear and fear
The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "will hear about the punishment and be afraid of getting punished" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
commit no longer any such evil
"never again do something evil like that"
Your eyes must not pity
Here "eyes" refer to the whole person. AT: "You must not pity him" or "You must not show him mercy" (See: Synecdoche)
life will pay for life ... foot for foot
Here the phrases are shortened because the meaning is understood. It means the people must punish a person in the same way that he harmed another person. (See: Ellipsis)
translationWords
fear
evil
life
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 v21 19:21 The legal principle described as life for life…
19:21 The legal principle described as life for life is known as lex talionis (“law of retaliation”), according to which the punishment must fit the crime (see Exod 21:23; Lev 24:20); it should be neither too lenient nor too severe. Appropriate punishment is a necessary function of government (cp. Rom 13:1-7), and it served to maintain Israel’s spiritual integrity as God’s people (see study note on Deut 17:7). But vengeance belongs to God, not individuals (see 1 Sam 25:26, 33; Matt 5:38-39; 1 Cor 6:1-8).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.