Deuteronomy 19:1

Easy-to-Read Version

"The Lord your God is giving you land that belongs to other nations. The Lord your God will destroy those nations. You will live where these people lived. You will take their cities and their houses. When that happens,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“When the Lord your God annihilates the nations whose land he is giving you, so that you drive them out and live in their cities and houses,

Hebrew Names Version
When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

King James Version
When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

Lexham English Bible
"When Yahweh your God has exterminated the nations concerning whom Yahweh your God is giving to you their land, and you have dispossessed them, and you have settled in their towns and in their houses,

English Standard Version
"When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

New Century Version
When the Lord your God gives you land that belongs to the other nations, nations that he will destroy, you will force them out and live in their cities and houses.

New English Translation
When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses,

Amplified Bible
"When the LORD your God cuts off (destroys) the nations whose land He is giving you, and you dispossess them and live in their cities and in their houses,

New American Standard Bible
"When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses,

Geneva Bible (1587)
When the Lorde thy God shall roote out the nations, whose lande the Lorde thy God giueth thee, and thou shalt possesse them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses,

Legacy Standard Bible
"When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses,

Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: Soon you will go into the land and attack the nations. The Lord your God will destroy them and give you their lands, towns, and homes. Then after you are settled,

Complete Jewish Bible
"When Adonai your God cuts off the nations whose land Adonai your God is giving you, and you take their place and settle in their cities and houses,

Darby Translation
When Jehovah thy God hath cut off the nations whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou hast dispossessed them, and dwellest in their cities and in their houses,

George Lamsa Translation
WHEN the LORD your God has destroyed the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you shall possess them and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

Good News Translation
"After the Lord your God has destroyed the people whose land he is giving you and after you have taken their cities and houses and settled there,

Literal Translation
When Jehovah your God shall cut off the nations whose land Jehovah your God is giving to you, and when you dispossess them, and live in their cities, and in their houses,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan ye LORDE thy God shall haue roted out ye nacios, whose londe ye LORDE thy God shal geue the, so yt thou hast conquered them, and dwellest in their cities and houses,

American Standard Version
When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

Bible in Basic English
When the nations, whose land the Lord your God is giving you, have been cut off by him, and you have taken their place and are living in their towns and in their houses;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
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:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

King James Version (1611)
When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose lande the Lord thy God giueth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And when the Lord thy God shall have destroyed the nations, which God gives thee, even the land, and ye shall inherit them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses,

English Revised Version
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

Berean Standard Bible
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,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whanne thi Lord God hath distried the folkis, whose lond he schal yyue to thee, and thou hast weldid it, and hast dwellid in the citees and housis therof;

Young's Literal Translation
`When Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses,

Update Bible Version
When Yahweh your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

Webster's Bible Translation
When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

World English Bible
When Yahweh your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

New King James Version
Numbers 35:9-28; Joshua 20:1-9">[xr] "When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

New Living Translation
"When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he is giving you, you will take over their land and settle in their towns and homes.

New Life Bible
"The Lord your God will destroy the nations whose land the Lord your God gives you. You will take their place and live in their cities and in their houses. At that time

New Revised Standard
When the Lord your God has cut off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their towns and in their houses,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When Yahweh thy God, shall cut off the nations whose land Yahweh thy God is giving thee, - and thou shalt dispossess them, and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

Douay-Rheims Bible
When the Lord thy God hath destroyed the nations, whose land he will deliver to thee, and thou shalt possess it, and shalt dwell in the cities and houses thereof:

Revised Standard Version
"When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

THE MESSAGE
When God , your God, throws the nations out of the country that God , your God, is giving you and you settle down in their cities and houses, you are to set aside three easily accessible cities in the land that God , your God, is giving you as your very own. Divide your land into thirds, this land that God , your God, is giving you to possess, and build roads to the towns so that anyone who accidentally kills another can flee there.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"When the LORD your God cuts off the nations, whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses,

Contextual Overview

¹ "The Lord your God is giving you land that belongs to other nations. The Lord your God will destroy those nations. You will live where these people lived. You will take their cities and their houses. When that happens, ²you must divide the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Divide it into three parts and choose a city in the middle of each part that can be a place of safety. You must also build good roads to these cities. Then whoever kills another person may run to the closest city of safety. ⁴ "This is the rule for someone who kills another person and runs to one of these three cities for safety: It must be someone who killed another person accidentally, not out of hatred. ⁵ Here is an example: A man goes into the forest with another person to cut wood. The man swings his ax to cut down a tree, but the head of the ax separates from the handle. The ax head hits the other person and kills him. The man who swung the ax may then run to one of these three cities and be safe. ⁶ But if the city is too far away, he might not be able to run there fast enough. A close relative of the person he killed might run after him and catch him before he reaches the city. The relative might kill the man in anger, even though he did not deserve to die because he did not mean to harm anyone. ⁷ That is why I commanded you to choose three special cities. ⁸ "The Lord your God promised your fathers that he would make your land larger. He will give you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors. ⁹ He will do this if you completely obey his commands that I give you today—if you love the Lord your God and always live the way he wants. Then, when he gives you more land, you should choose three more cities for safety. They should be added to the first three cities. ¹⁰ Then innocent people will not be killed in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And you will not be guilty for any such deaths. ¹¹ "But suppose there is a man who hates his neighbor. That man might hide and wait to kill the person he hates. If he kills that person and runs to one of these cities of safety,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hath cut: Deuteronomy 6:10, Deuteronomy 7:1, Deuteronomy 7:2, Deuteronomy 12:1, Deuteronomy 12:29, Deuteronomy 17:14

succeedest: Heb. inheritest, or possessest, Deuteronomy 12:29

Reciprocal: Exodus 13:5 - shall bring Exodus 21:13 - I will appoint Leviticus 14:34 - When Numbers 35:10 - General Deuteronomy 4:42 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 18:22
So the men turned and started walking toward Sodom while Abraham stood there before the Lord .

Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting near the city gates and saw them. He got up and went to them. He bowed to show respect and said, "Sirs, please come to my house, and I will serve you. There you can wash your feet and stay the night. Then tomorrow you can continue your journey." The angels answered, "No, we will stay the night in the city square."

Genesis 19:5
"Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us. We want to have sex with them."

Job 31:32
I always invited strangers into my home so that they would not have to sleep in the streets.

Hebrews 13:2
Always remember to help people by welcoming them into your home. Some people have done that and have helped angels without knowing it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee,.... The seven nations of the land of Canaan, whose destruction was of the Lord for their sins, and whose land was a gift of him that had a right to dispose of it to the children of Israel; see Deuteronomy 12:29

and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; should possess their land in their stead, by virtue of the gift of it to them by the Lord, and inhabit their cities and houses built by them.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XIX

Three cities of refuge to be appointed in the midst of the

promised land; the land being divided into three parts, a city

is to be placed in each, a proper way to which is to be

prepared, 1-3.

In what cases of manslaughter the benefit of those cities may be

claimed, 4-6.

Three cities more to be added should the Lord enlarge their

coasts, and the reasons why, 7-10.

The intentional murderer shall have no benefit from these

cities, 11-13.

The landmark is not to be shifted, 14.

One witness shall not be deemed sufficient to convict a man, 15.

How a false witness shall be dealt with-he shall bear the

punishment which he designed should have been inflicted on his

neighbour, 16-20.

Another command to establish the lex talionis, 21.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIX