Deuteronomy 19:7

Bishop's Bible

Wherfore I commaunde thee, saying: Thou shalt appoynt out three cities for thee.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
This is why I am commanding you to set apart three cities for yourselves.

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for you.

King James Version
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

Lexham English Bible
Therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall set apart three cities.'

English Standard Version
Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities.

New Century Version
This is why I command you to choose these three cities.

New English Translation
Therefore, I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

Amplified Bible
"Therefore, I command you, saying, 'You shall set aside three cities [of refuge] for yourself.'

New American Standard Bible
"Therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall set aside for yourself three cities.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt appoint out three cities for thee.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore, I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall set apart three cities for yourself.'

Contemporary English Version
That's why I said there must be three Safe Towns.

Complete Jewish Bible
This is why I am ordering you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

Darby Translation
Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thyself.

Easy-to-Read Version
That is why I commanded you to choose three special cities.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for you.

Good News Translation
This is why I order you to set aside three cities.

Literal Translation
On account of this I am commanding you, saying, You shall separate to yourself three cities.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore commaunde I the, that thou appoynte out thre cities.

American Standard Version
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt set apart three cities for thee.

Bible in Basic English
And so I am ordering you to see that three towns are marked out for this purpose.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Wherefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.'

King James Version (1611)
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore I charge thee, saying, Thou shalt separate for thy self three cities.

English Revised Version
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

Berean Standard Bible
This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Y comaunde to thee, that thou departe thre citees of euene space bitwixe hem silf.

Young's Literal Translation
therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.

Update Bible Version
Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for yourself.

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

World English Bible
Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for you.

New King James Version
Therefore I command you, saying, "You shall separate three cities for yourself.'

New Living Translation
That is why I am commanding you to set aside three cities of refuge.

New Life Bible
So I tell you, ‘Set apart three cities for yourself.'

New Revised Standard
Therefore I command you: You shall set apart three cities.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For this cause, am I commanding thee saying, - Three cities, shalt thou set apart for thee.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore I command thee, that thou separate three cities at equal distance one from another.

Revised Standard Version
Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore, I command you, saying, 'You shall set aside three cities for yourself.'

Contextual Overview

¹ When the Lord thy God hath rooted out the nations whose lande the Lorde thy God geueth thee, and thou succeedest in their inheritaunce, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses: ² Thou shalt seperate three cities for thee in the middes of the lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to possesse it: ³ Thou shalt prepare the way, and deuide the coastes of thy lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to inherite, into three partes, that whosoeuer committeth murther, may flee thyther. ⁴ For this cause must the slayer flee thyther, that he may lyue: Who so kylleth his neighbour ignorauntly, and hated hym not in tyme passed: ⁵ And whe a man goeth vnto the wood with his neighbour to hewe wood, and as his hande fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut downe the tree, the head slippeth from the helue, and smyteth his neighbour that he dyeth: the same shall flee vnto one of the same cities, and lyue: ⁶ Lest the auenger of the blood folowe after the slayer whyle his heart is hot, & ouertake hym because the wayes is long, and slay hym, and yet there is no cause worthy of death in hym, in as much as he hated hym not in tyme passed. ⁷ Wherfore I commaunde thee, saying: Thou shalt appoynt out three cities for thee. ⁸ And if the Lorde thy God enlarge thy coastes (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and geue thee all the lande which he sayde he woulde geue vnto thy fathers: ⁹ Thou shalt kepe all these commaundementes to do them, which I commaunde thee this day, that thou loue the Lorde thy God, and walke in his wayes euer: and adde three cities mo for thee beside these three, ¹⁰ That innocent blood be not shed in thy lande, which the Lord thy God geueth thee to inherite, and so blood come vpon thee.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
And before they went to rest, the men of the citie [euen] the men of Sodome compassed the house rounde about, both olde and young, all people fro [all] quarters.

Genesis 19:9
And they sayde, stande backe: And they said agayne, he came in as one to soiourne, and wyll he be nowe a iudge? we wyll surely deale worse with thee then with them. And they preassed sore vpon the man [euen] Lot, and came to breake vp the doore.

Genesis 19:11
And the men that were at the doore of the house they smoke with blyndenesse both small and great, so that they were weryed in sekyng the doore.

Genesis 19:23
And the sonne was nowe rysen vpon the earth, and Lot was entred into Soar.

Genesis 19:24
Then the Lorde rayned vpon Sodome and Gomorrhe brymstone and fire, from the Lorde out of heauen:

Leviticus 18:22
Thou shalt not lye with mankynde as with womankynde, for it is abhomination.

Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lye with mankinde after the maner as with women kynde, they haue both committed an abhomination: let them dye, their blood be vpon them.

Deuteronomy 23:17
There shalbe no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor whore keper of the sonnes of Israel.

Judges 19:23
And this man the maister of the house went out, and sayd vnto them: Oh, nay my brethren, do not so wickedly, seyng that this man is come into myne house, do not so vnmeete a thyng.

Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all ye face of the earth, & hath determined the tymes before appoynted, and also the boundes of their habitation:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt separate three cities for thee. This was to be done immediately, as soon as they were settled in the land of Canaan, and established in the possession of it, the inhabitants being cut off, or driven out, or however subdued.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This and the next two chapters contain enactments designed to protect human life, and to impress its sanctity on Israel.

In Deuteronomy 19:1-13 the directions respecting the preparation of the roads to the cities of refuge, the provision of additional cities in case of an extension of territory, and the intervention of the elders as representing the congregation, are unique to Deuteronomy and supplementary to the laws on the same subject given in the earlier books (compare the marginal reference).

Deuteronomy 19:1, Deuteronomy 19:2

The three cities of refuge for the district east of Jordan had been already named. Moses now directs that when the territory on the west of Jordan had been conquered, a like allotment of three other cities in it should be made. This was accordingly done; compare Joshua 20:1 ff,

Deuteronomy 19:3

Thou shalt prepare thee a way - It was the duty of the Senate to repair the roads that led to the cities of refuge annually, and remove every obstruction. No hillock was left, no river over which there was not a bridge; and the road was at least 32 cubits broad. At cross-roads there were posts bearing the words Refuge, Refuge, to guide the fugitive in his flight. It seems as if in Isaiah 40:3 ff the imagery were borrowed from the preparation of the ways to the cities of refuge.

Deuteronomy 19:5

With the axe - literally, “with the iron.” Note the employment of iron for tools, and compare Deuteronomy 3:11 note.

Deuteronomy 19:8, Deuteronomy 19:9

Provision is here made for the anticipated enlargement of the borders of Israel to the utmost limits promised by God, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18, note; Exodus 23:31, note). This promise, owing to the sins of the people, did not receive its fulfillment until after David had conquered the Philistines, Syrians, etc.; and this but a transient one, for many of the conquered peoples regained independence on the dissolution of Solomon’s empire.