Deuteronomy 19 Study Notes
General
What example does Moses give of a death that allowed the person responsible to flee to a city of refuge?
Answer: An axe blade slips off its handle while two men fell trees and kills one
Moses illustrates the law with an everyday accident: two neighbors go into the woods to fell trees, and as one of them swings, the blade comes off and strikes the other fatally (19:4-5). The deciding point is intent. The man who swung never meant to harm his neighbor, so the death was accidental, and he could run to a refuge city for protection. Numbers gives other examples of the same kind, such as dropping a stone on someone without seeing him (Numbers 35:22-23). Exodus describes such a death as something God allowed to happen, and promises a place where the person could flee (Exodus 21:13).
- Deuteronomy 19:4-5 (BSB)“Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.”Moses defines the unintentional killer and gives the example of the axe head flying off.
- Numbers 35:22-23 (BSB)“But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally, or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,”Numbers lists other accidental deaths without hostility or intent.
- Exodus 21:13 (BSB)“If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.”Exodus provides a place of refuge for one who killed without lying in wait.
Theological
Which case does Deuteronomy 19:4-5 use to illustrate unintentional killing?
Answer: An axe blade slips off its handle while two men fell trees and kills one
The paradigm case is the axe blade that comes loose while two neighbors are felling trees (19:4-5). What qualifies the manslayer for asylum is the absence of prior enmity or intent; the death is accidental. Numbers 35:22-23 supplies parallel cases, such as a stone dropped without seeing the victim, and Exodus 21:13 frames such a death as one God allowed to happen, for which He appoints a place of refuge. The law thus distinguishes the moral quality of the act, not merely its outcome.
- Deuteronomy 19:4-5 (BSB)“Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.”Moses defines the unintentional killer and gives the example of the axe head flying off.
- Numbers 35:22-23 (BSB)“But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally, or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him,”Numbers lists other accidental deaths without hostility or intent.
- Exodus 21:13 (BSB)“If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.”Exodus provides a place of refuge for one who killed without lying in wait.
General
Which wrong does Moses forbid in 19:14, between the laws on killing and the laws on witnesses?
Answer: Shifting a neighbor's property line that earlier generations had set
Israel's land was an inheritance, meaning the portion each family received as a gift from the LORD. Markers placed by earlier generations showed where one family's land ended and the next began. Moving one was a form of theft that took from a neighbor what God had given him (19:14). Proverbs repeats the command (Proverbs 22:28) and warns that God Himself will defend the fatherless whose fields are taken this way (Proverbs 23:10-11). The curses recited in the covenant ceremony of chapter 27 include anyone who shifts a neighbor's marker (27:17).
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (BSB)“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”Moses forbids moving a neighbor's boundary marker, which marked his family's inheritance.
- Proverbs 22:28 (BSB)“Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have placed.”Proverbs repeats the command not to move ancient boundary stones.
- Proverbs 23:10-11 (BSB)“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.”God is named as the strong Redeemer who defends the fatherless against such theft.
- Deuteronomy 27:17 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”Moving a neighbor's boundary is placed under the covenant curse.
Theological
What offense does Deuteronomy 19:14 prohibit?
Answer: Shifting a neighbor's property line that earlier generations had set
The prohibition protects the family inheritance allotted by the LORD. Moving the boundary markers set by earlier generations was theft of land God had apportioned (19:14). Wisdom literature repeats the law (Proverbs 22:28) and names God as the Redeemer who takes up the cause of the fatherless against such encroachment (Proverbs 23:10-11). The offense is later placed under the covenant curse (27:17), showing it was treated as a sin against God, not only a civil wrong.
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (BSB)“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”Moses forbids moving a neighbor's boundary marker, which marked his family's inheritance.
- Proverbs 22:28 (BSB)“Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have placed.”Proverbs repeats the command not to move ancient boundary stones.
- Proverbs 23:10-11 (BSB)“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you.”God is named as the strong Redeemer who defends the fatherless against such theft.
- Deuteronomy 27:17 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”Moving a neighbor's boundary is placed under the covenant curse.
General
What penalty did the law set for a witness who was proven to have lied about another Israelite?
Answer: He received the very punishment he had tried to bring on the accused
When a witness accused someone of wrongdoing, both parties stood in the LORD's presence, before the priests together with the judges then serving, and the judges were to investigate carefully (19:16-18). If the testimony proved false, the liar suffered the very penalty he had meant to bring on the other man, and all the other Israelites would hear of it, be afraid, and not repeat such evil (19:19-20). This made perjury, meaning giving false testimony in court, as dangerous for the liar as for his target. The command against false testimony is one of the Ten Commandments (5:20), Proverbs promises that a lying witness will not escape punishment (Proverbs 19:5), and a false witness is among the things God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19).
- Deuteronomy 19:16-20 (BSB)“If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.”A malicious witness is examined by the judges and, if proven false, receives the penalty he sought for another.
- Deuteronomy 5:20 (BSB)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”False testimony is forbidden in the Ten Commandments.
- Proverbs 19:5 (BSB)“A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.”Proverbs promises that a false witness will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 6:16-19 (BSB)“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”A false witness is listed among the things the LORD hates.
Theological
According to Deuteronomy 19:16-20, how was a malicious witness to be punished?
Answer: He received the very punishment he had tried to bring on the accused
A disputed accusation was brought before the LORD, that is, before the priests together with the judges then in office, who were to investigate thoroughly (19:16-18). A witness proven false received the penalty he intended for the accused, both to purge the evil and to deter the rest of Israel (19:19-20). The sanction enforces the commandment against bearing false witness (5:20), and wisdom literature confirms that God will not let the perjurer go unpunished (Proverbs 19:5) and counts him among what He abhors (Proverbs 6:16-19).
- Deuteronomy 19:16-20 (BSB)“If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.”A malicious witness is examined by the judges and, if proven false, receives the penalty he sought for another.
- Deuteronomy 5:20 (BSB)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”False testimony is forbidden in the Ten Commandments.
- Proverbs 19:5 (BSB)“A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.”Proverbs promises that a false witness will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 6:16-19 (BSB)“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.”A false witness is listed among the things the LORD hates.
General
In its setting at the end of chapter 19, to whom is the rule of matching punishment to the harm done addressed?
Answer: To judges sentencing a false witness, so the penalty fit the wrong
Verse 21 closes the law about false witnesses. The judges were to show no pity and make the punishment equal to the harm the liar had intended, whether a life, an eye, a tooth, a hand, or a foot (19:21). The same measure appears elsewhere in the law for courts dealing with injuries (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:19-20). In each case it set a standard for judges: the penalty had to fit the crime, neither harsher nor lighter. Jesus later quotes the principle and tells His followers not to oppose an evildoer but to offer the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-39). He is addressing personal retaliation, the private urge to get even, which Paul also forbids, leaving vengeance to God (Romans 12:19).
- Deuteronomy 19:21 (BSB)“You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.”The judges apply matching punishment to the proven false witness.
- Exodus 21:23-25 (BSB)“But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.”The law sets the same measure for injuries in court cases.
- Leviticus 24:19-20 (BSB)“If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.”Leviticus repeats the principle that the penalty must match the injury.
- Matthew 5:38-39 (BSB)“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;”Jesus quotes the principle and forbids His followers personal retaliation.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul forbids private revenge and leaves vengeance to God.
Theological
In Deuteronomy 19:21, to whom is the lex talionis addressed, and in what case?
Answer: To judges sentencing a false witness, so the penalty fit the wrong
The lex talionis, the law of equivalent retribution, concludes the false-witness statute: the judges must refuse leniency and impose on the perjurer the harm he intended, life for life down to foot for foot (19:21). As in Exodus 21:23-25 and Leviticus 24:19-20, it is a judicial standard of proportion, forbidding both leniency and excess. When Jesus cites it in Matthew 5:38-39, He addresses His disciples' personal response to injury, calling them not to retaliate; Paul likewise forbids private vengeance and commits it to God (Romans 12:19).
- Deuteronomy 19:21 (BSB)“You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.”The judges apply matching punishment to the proven false witness.
- Exodus 21:23-25 (BSB)“But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.”The law sets the same measure for injuries in court cases.
- Leviticus 24:19-20 (BSB)“If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.”Leviticus repeats the principle that the penalty must match the injury.
- Matthew 5:38-39 (BSB)“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;”Jesus quotes the principle and forbids His followers personal retaliation.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul forbids private revenge and leaves vengeance to God.
General
What was to happen if a man who killed his neighbor out of hatred ran to a city of refuge?
Answer: His hometown elders were to fetch him and hand him to the avenger
A city of refuge protected only the accidental killer. If a man hated his neighbor, ambushed him, and killed him, running to a refuge city would not save him. His own town's elders were to have him brought back and deliver him to the victim's kinsman for execution, without pity, so that the guilt of innocent blood would be removed from Israel and it would go well with them (19:11-13). Exodus says such a deliberate killer must be taken even from God's altar (Exodus 21:14), and Numbers forbids accepting any ransom for a murderer's life (Numbers 35:31). Living in the refuge city until the high priest's death was the arrangement for the one who killed unintentionally (Numbers 35:25), not for the murderer. The penalty rests on the worth of human life, since people are made in God's image (Genesis 9:6).
- Deuteronomy 19:11-13 (BSB)“If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.”A deliberate murderer who flees to a refuge city is returned by his own elders to the avenger.
- Exodus 21:14 (BSB)“But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.”Even God's altar could not protect someone who killed willfully.
- Numbers 35:31 (BSB)“You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.”No ransom could be accepted for the life of a murderer.
- Numbers 35:25 (BSB)“The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.”The one who killed unintentionally had to live in the refuge city until the high priest died.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”The death penalty for murder is grounded in humanity being made in God's image.
Theological
What does Deuteronomy 19:11-13 require when a premeditated murderer seeks asylum in a city of refuge?
Answer: His hometown elders were to fetch him and hand him to the avenger
Asylum does not cover premeditated murder. Where there was prior hatred and ambush, the elders of the killer's own city must extradite him and deliver him to the go'el, with no pity, to purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel (19:11-13). Not even the altar could shelter such a man (Exodus 21:14), no ransom could be accepted in place of his life (Numbers 35:31), and the ground of the sanction is the imago Dei (Genesis 9:6). Residence in the refuge city until the high priest's death belonged to the unintentional manslayer (Numbers 35:25), not to the murderer.
- Deuteronomy 19:11-13 (BSB)“If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.”A deliberate murderer who flees to a refuge city is returned by his own elders to the avenger.
- Exodus 21:14 (BSB)“But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.”Even God's altar could not protect someone who killed willfully.
- Numbers 35:31 (BSB)“You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.”No ransom could be accepted for the life of a murderer.
- Numbers 35:25 (BSB)“The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.”The one who killed unintentionally had to live in the refuge city until the high priest died.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”The death penalty for murder is grounded in humanity being made in God's image.
General
Once Israel had settled in the land, what were the people told to do so that someone who killed another person by accident could reach safety?
Answer: Designate three cities, prepare roads to them, and split the land into three districts
After the LORD had removed the nations and Israel was living in their towns and houses, the people were to designate three cities inside the territory they were about to receive, build roads to them, and divide the territory into three districts (19:1-3). The layout meant that no one who caused a death by accident would be too far from safety. The law calls such a person a manslayer, meaning simply someone who has caused another person’s death. Moses had already named three such cities on the east side of the Jordan (4:41-43), and Joshua later records six cities of refuge in all, three on each side of the river (Joshua 20:7-8). Their purpose matches the instruction in Numbers: to shelter a person who killed unintentionally until his case could be heard (Numbers 35:11-12).
- Deuteronomy 19:1-3 (BSB)“When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.”Moses commands three cities of refuge in the land, with roads and districts so that any manslayer can reach one.
- Deuteronomy 4:41-43 (BSB)“Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities: Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.”Moses had already set aside three cities of refuge east of the Jordan.
- Joshua 20:7-8 (BSB)“So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.”Joshua records the six cities finally designated, three west and three east of the Jordan.
- Numbers 35:11-12 (BSB)“designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there. You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.”The earlier law explains that these cities protect the unintentional killer until his trial.
Theological
What provision does Deuteronomy 19:1-3 make for the manslayer once Israel has taken possession of Canaan?
Answer: Designate three cities, prepare roads to them, and split the land into three districts
Once the LORD has dispossessed the nations and Israel occupies their cities, three cities within Canaan are to be designated, with roads prepared and the territory divided into three districts, so that a manslayer can always reach one (19:1-3). This supplements the three cities Moses had already appointed east of the Jordan (4:41-43); Joshua 20:7-8 records the completed network of six. The institution follows the legislation of Numbers 35:11-12, where the cities protect the one who killed unintentionally until his case is tried by the congregation.
- Deuteronomy 19:1-3 (BSB)“When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.”Moses commands three cities of refuge in the land, with roads and districts so that any manslayer can reach one.
- Deuteronomy 4:41-43 (BSB)“Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities: Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.”Moses had already set aside three cities of refuge east of the Jordan.
- Joshua 20:7-8 (BSB)“So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.”Joshua records the six cities finally designated, three west and three east of the Jordan.
- Numbers 35:11-12 (BSB)“designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there. You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.”The earlier law explains that these cities protect the unintentional killer until his trial.
General
True or False: Moses said three more cities of refuge were to be added if the LORD enlarged Israel's territory and the people kept His commands.
Answer: True
This is true. The extra cities depended on two conditions: God widening Israel's borders to include all the land promised to the patriarchs, and the people obeying His commands by loving Him and living by His ways (19:8-9). The goal was that no innocent person would be killed in the land and bring bloodguilt on the nation, meaning guilt for shedding innocent blood (19:10). God's promise of a larger land went back to His covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:18), and loving God and living by His ways is the same summary of obedience Moses gives elsewhere (10:12). Innocent blood defiled the land where the LORD Himself lived among His people (Numbers 35:33-34).
- Deuteronomy 19:8-10 (BSB)“And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three. Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”Moses adds three more cities if God enlarges the land and Israel keeps His commands, so innocent blood is not shed.
- Genesis 15:18 (BSB)“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—”God's covenant with Abram promised the land in its full extent.
- Deuteronomy 10:12 (BSB)“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”Moses elsewhere summarizes obedience as loving God and walking in His ways.
- Numbers 35:33-34 (BSB)“Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.””Bloodshed pollutes the land where the LORD dwells, which is why innocent blood must be prevented.
Theological
True or False: Deuteronomy 19:8-9 anticipates three additional cities of refuge if God enlarged Israel's borders and the people remained obedient.
Answer: True
This is true. The additional cities are conditioned both on God's enlarging the land in keeping with His oath to the patriarchs and on Israel's covenant faithfulness, summarized as loving the LORD and following His ways (19:8-9). The stated aim is to prevent innocent blood and the bloodguilt it brings on the land (19:10). The territorial promise reaches back to the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 15:18), the obedience formula echoes 10:12, and Numbers 35:33-34 explains why bloodshed matters: it defiles the land in which the LORD dwells among Israel.
- Deuteronomy 19:8-10 (BSB)“And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three. Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”Moses adds three more cities if God enlarges the land and Israel keeps His commands, so innocent blood is not shed.
- Genesis 15:18 (BSB)“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—”God's covenant with Abram promised the land in its full extent.
- Deuteronomy 10:12 (BSB)“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”Moses elsewhere summarizes obedience as loving God and walking in His ways.
- Numbers 35:33-34 (BSB)“Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.””Bloodshed pollutes the land where the LORD dwells, which is why innocent blood must be prevented.
General
How many witnesses did the law require before someone could be found guilty of a wrong?
Answer: At least two or three, because one alone was never sufficient
A single witness could not convict anyone of any crime or sin; a charge had to be confirmed by a second or third witness (19:15). The rule, already applied to cases where the penalty was death (17:6), protected the accused from one person's lie or mistake. The New Testament carries the principle forward. Jesus cites it in His instructions for confronting a brother who sins (Matthew 18:16), Paul applies it to his dealings with the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:1), and he requires it before a charge against a church elder is accepted (1 Timothy 5:19).
- Deuteronomy 19:15 (BSB)“A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”Moses requires more than one witness to establish any wrongdoing.
- Deuteronomy 17:6 (BSB)“On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.”The same standard had already been set for capital cases.
- Matthew 18:16 (BSB)“But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’”Jesus applies the principle when a sinning brother will not listen.
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 (BSB)“This is the third time I am coming to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.””Paul cites the principle in dealing with the Corinthian church.
- 1 Timothy 5:19 (BSB)“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”Paul requires the same corroboration before an accusation against an elder is received.
Theological
What evidentiary standard does Deuteronomy 19:15 establish?
Answer: At least two or three, because one alone was never sufficient
Conviction for any offense required corroboration; the testimony of one witness was insufficient (19:15), extending the rule already given for capital cases (17:6). The standard guards against false or mistaken accusation. It passes into the New Testament as a principle of church discipline and apostolic practice: Jesus invokes it in Matthew 18:16, Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:1, and Paul again for accusations against elders in 1 Timothy 5:19.
- Deuteronomy 19:15 (BSB)“A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”Moses requires more than one witness to establish any wrongdoing.
- Deuteronomy 17:6 (BSB)“On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.”The same standard had already been set for capital cases.
- Matthew 18:16 (BSB)“But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’”Jesus applies the principle when a sinning brother will not listen.
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 (BSB)“This is the third time I am coming to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.””Paul cites the principle in dealing with the Corinthian church.
- 1 Timothy 5:19 (BSB)“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”Paul requires the same corroboration before an accusation against an elder is received.
General
What reason does Moses give for needing cities of refuge spread through the land?
Answer: An enraged avenger might catch and kill someone who did not deserve death
The blood avenger was the close relative responsible for pursuing the person who had taken a family member's life. In the heat of grief and fury he might chase an accidental killer, catch him if the journey were long, and kill a man who had not earned death, because there had been no malice (19:6). That is why the cities were to be set apart (19:7). Numbers describes the same protection: the congregation was to hear the case and shield the accused from the pursuing relative (Numbers 35:24-25). Joshua repeats that the cities sheltered such a person from the kinsman seeking vengeance (Joshua 20:2-3).
- Deuteronomy 19:6-7 (BSB)“Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.”Moses explains that without nearby refuge an angry avenger could kill someone undeserving of death.
- Numbers 35:24-25 (BSB)“then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.”The congregation was to judge the case and protect the manslayer from the avenger.
- Joshua 20:2-3 (BSB)““Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.”Joshua restates that the cities existed as refuge from the avenger of blood.
Theological
According to Deuteronomy 19:6-7, what danger made the refuge cities necessary?
Answer: An enraged avenger might catch and kill someone who did not deserve death
The go'el, or avenger of blood, was the kinsman charged with pursuing the slayer. Moses foresees that in hot anger he might overtake an unintentional killer on a long road and execute a man not guilty of a capital crime (19:6), which is why the cities are commanded (19:7). The refuge system restrained private vengeance by placing the case under the congregation's judgment (Numbers 35:24-25), and Joshua 20:2-3 restates their purpose as protection from the kinsman seeking vengeance.
- Deuteronomy 19:6-7 (BSB)“Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.”Moses explains that without nearby refuge an angry avenger could kill someone undeserving of death.
- Numbers 35:24-25 (BSB)“then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.”The congregation was to judge the case and protect the manslayer from the avenger.
- Joshua 20:2-3 (BSB)““Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.”Joshua restates that the cities existed as refuge from the avenger of blood.