Deuteronomy 17:5
3 and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—
4 and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel,
you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death.
6 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.
7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death.
- KJV
- 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.
- WEB
- 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.
- ASV
- then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them to death with stones.
- DARBY
- thou shalt bring forth that man or that woman, who committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, the man or the woman, and shalt stone them with stones, that they die.
- BLB
- then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has committed this wicked thing to your gates—the man or the woman—and you shall stone them with stones and they shall die.
- ÅB
- da skal du føre den mann eller den kvinne som har gjort denne onde gjerning, ut til byens port, og enten det er mann eller kvinne, skal du steine dem, så de dør.
- OTB
- da skal du føre ut til dine porter den mannen eller kvinnen som har gjort denne onde gjerningen og steine dem til døde.
- B1930
- da skal du føre den mann eller den kvinne som har gjort denne onde gjerning, ut til byens port, og enten det er mann eller kvinne, skal du stene dem, så de dør.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Leviticus 24:14
“Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
Read in contextJoshua 7:25
“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
Read in contextLeviticus 24:16
Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 13:10–11
Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 22:24
you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. So you must purge the evil from among you.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 22:21
she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father’s house. So you must purge the evil from among you.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 21:21
Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
Read in context