Deuteronomy 19:17

That one party be not heard in the absence of another, Exodus 23:3. 10. That we decline not after many in the judgment of law; 11. Nor shall a judge condemn according to the opinion of another, but his own, Exodus 23:2. 12. That none be chosen a judge that is not learned in the law, though he be wise in other things, Deuteronomy 16:18. 13. That none bear false witness, Exodus 20:16. 14. That no offender be justified, Exodus 23:1. 15. That kinsmen be not witnesses, Deuteronomy 24:16. 16. That none be condemned upon one witness, Deuteronomy 19:15. 17. That none be condemned to death on conjecture, opinions, or thoughts, but upon clear witnesses, Exodus 23:7. 18. That we kill not, Exodus 20:13. 19. That a guilty person be not put to death before he appear in judgment, Numbers 35:12. 20. That no reward be taken for the life of a murderer; 21. Nor for him that commits manslaughter by error, Numbers 35:31, 32. 22. That none be judge and witness in a criminal cause, Numbers 35:30. 23. That none pity the woman mentioned, Deuteronomy 25:11, 12. 24 She that is forced is not to be punished, Deuteronomy 22:25, 26. 25. That none appear against the blood of his neighbour, Leviticus 19:16. 26. That no cause of offence or falling be left in an house, Deuteronomy 22:8. 27. That none lay a stumbling-block before an Israelite, Leviticus 19:14. 28. That the beating with stripes exceed not the number of forty, Deuteronomy 25:3. 29. That none calumniate or accuse falsely, Leviticus 19:16. 30.

thy God giveth thee to possess it. 15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. 16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; 17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; 18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 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. 20 And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. 21 And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Here is a statute for the preventing of frauds and perjuries; for the divine law takes care of men's rights and properties, and has made a hedge about them. Such a friend is it to human society and men's civil interest. I. A law against frauds, v. 14. 1. Here is an implicit direction given to the first planters of Canaan to fix land-marks, according to the distribution of the land to the several tribes and families by lot.

19:15-21 Sentence should never be passed upon the testimony of one witness alone. A false witness should suffer the same punishment which he sought to have inflicted upon the person he accused. Nor could any law be more just. Let all Christians not only be cautious in bearing witness in public, but be careful not to join in private slanders; and let all whose consciences accuse them of crime, without delay flee for refuge to the hope set before them in Jesus Christ.

Then both the men between whom the controversy is,.... The man that bears the false witness, and the man against whom it is borne: shall stand before the Lord; as in the presence of him, the omniscient God, and as represented by judges and civil magistrates, whose vicegerents they are; so it seems to be explained in the next words, which are exegetical of these: before the priests and the judges which shall be in those days; which shall compose the sanhedrim, or court of judicature; and this seems to confirm it, that by priest and judge, in Deuteronomy 17:9 are meant priests and judges; Jarchi says, this Scripture speaks of witnesses, that is, of the false witness that testifies wrong against a man, and another that contradicts his testimony, and teaches that there is no witness by women; and so it is elsewhere said (a), an oath of witness is made by men, and not by women; on which it is observed (b) that a woman is not fit to bear witness, as it is written: then both the men,.... men and not women; and the above writer remarks further, that it teaches that they ought to bear testimony standing. (a) Misn. Shebuot, c. 4. sect. 1.((b) Bartenora in ib.

Verse 17. - Both the men , i . e . both parties at the bar, shall stand before the Lord ; i . e . shall come to the sanctuary where Jehovah had his dwelling-place in the midst of his people, and where the supreme judges, who were his delegates and representatives, held their court ( Deuteronomy 17:9 ). Deuteronomy 19:17

Both the men, between whom the controversy is - Not the accused and the false witness, but the plaintiff and defendant (compare Exodus 23:1 ) who were summoned before the supreme court held, as provided in Deuteronomy 17 , at the sanctuary. The judges acted as God's representative; to lie to them was to lie to Him.

17 . shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges , etc.] That is in the supreme court to be instituted at the One Altar, Deuteronomy 17:9 . The construction is awkward and betrays expansion. Steuern. and Berth. and Marti take before the judges as alone original, as these only are mentioned in the next v ., and understand the reference to be, not to the supreme court but to the newly instituted judges of Deuteronomy 16:18 . But it is quite as probable that before the Lord was all that the original text of the law contained, and that the rest was added from Deuteronomy 17:9 by an editor. This is just one of the difficult cases, which in more primitive conditions were referred to some representative of the Deity and which, on the institution of the supreme court at Jerusalem, Israel was directed to take there (cp. Deuteronomy 17:8 , between plea and plea , the same Heb. term as is here rendered controversy ).

34 . Cp. Deuteronomy 28:28 ; mad , rather driven mad . 35 breaks the connection between Deuteronomy 28:34; Deuteronomy 28:36 , and is more in place after 27, q.v. on boil . Here sore boil on knees and legs points to the ‘joint-leprosy,’ a species of elephantiasis; cp. Job 2:7 f., Deuteronomy 7:3-6 , Deuteronomy 17:7 , Deuteronomy 19:17 ; Deuteronomy 19:20 , Deuteronomy 30:17 . Deuteronomy 28:34

The two men between whom the dispute lay, the accused and the witness, were to come before Jehovah, viz., before the priests and judges who should be in those days - namely, at the place of the sanctuary, where Jehovah dwelt among His people (cf. Deuteronomy 17:9 ), and not before the local courts, as Knobel supposes. These judges were to investigate the case most thoroughly (cf. Deuteronomy 13:15 ); and if the witness had spoken lies, they were to do to him as he thought to do to his brother. The words from "behold" to "his brother" are parenthetical circumstantial clauses: "And, behold, is the witness a false witness, has he spoken a lie against his brother? Ye shall do," etc. זמם, generally to meditate evil. On Deuteronomy 19:20 , see Deuteronomy 13:12 .