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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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JPS Old Testament

Deuteronomy 21:6

And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ablution;   Church;   Government;   Hand;   Heifer;   Homicide;   Innocency;   Inquest;   Purification;   Washing;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hands;   Washing;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blood;   Hands, the;   Murder;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Sacrifice;   Washing;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elder;   Priest;   Uncleanness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kinsman-Redeemer;   Leadership;   Murder;   Priest, Priesthood;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ablution;   Heifer;   Murder;   Purification;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Murder;   Unclean and Clean;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ablutions;   Blood;   Court Systems;   Crimes and Punishments;   Elder;   Gestures;   Heifer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and Unclean;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hand;   Justice;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Gestures;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Elders;   Heifer;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Blood;   Elder;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Murder;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gesture;   Heifer;   Heifer, Red;   Homicide;   Prayer;   Salvation;   Wash;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ablution;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abrogation of Laws;   Charity and Charitable Institutions;   Eleazar B. Dinai;   Homicide;   Judge;   Nashim;   Saul;   Soá¹­ah;   Teḥina, Abba;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All the elders of the city nearest to the victim will wash their hands by the stream over the young cow whose neck has been broken.
Hebrew Names Version
All the Zakenim of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
King James Version
And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
Lexham English Bible
And all of the elders of that city nearest to the slain person shall wash their hands over the heifer with the broken neck in the wadi.
English Standard Version
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,
New Century Version
Then all the elders of the city nearest the murdered person should wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley.
New English Translation
and all the elders of that city nearest the corpse must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.
Amplified Bible
"All the elders of that city nearest to the dead man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
New American Standard Bible
"And all the elders of that city which is nearest to the person killed shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
Geneva Bible (1587)
And all the Elders of that citie that came neere to the slayne man, shal wash their hands ouer the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
Legacy Standard Bible
And all the elders of that city who are nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
Contemporary English Version
The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow
Complete Jewish Bible
All the leaders of the town nearest the murder victim are to wash their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the vadi.
Darby Translation
And all the elders of that city, that are nearest unto him that is slain, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck is broken in the watercourse,
Easy-to-Read Version
All the leaders of the town nearest the dead body must wash their hands over the cow that had its neck broken in the valley.
George Lamsa Translation
And all the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer which is slaughtered in the valley;
Good News Translation
Then all the leaders from the town nearest the place where the murdered person was found are to wash their hands over the cow
Literal Translation
And all the elders of that city nearest to the one slain shall wash their hands by the stream, over the heifer whose neck was broken.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all the Elders of the same cite shall come forth vnto the slayne, & wash their handes ouer ye yonge cowe, whose heade is stricken of in the valley,
American Standard Version
And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
Bible in Basic English
And all the responsible men of that town which is nearest to the dead man, washing their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the valley,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And all the elders of the citie that come foorth to the slayne man, shall washe their handes ouer the heyffer that is beheaded in the valley,
King James Version (1611)
And all the Elders of that city that are next vnto the slaine man, shal wash their hands ouer the heifer that is beheaded in the valley.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all the elders of that city who draw nigh to the slain man shall wash their hands over the head of the heifer which was slain in the valley;
English Revised Version
and all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley:
Berean Standard Bible
Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the grettere men in birthe of that citee schulen come to the slayn man, and thei schulen waische her hondis on the cow calf, that was slayn in the valei;
Young's Literal Translation
and all the elders of that city, who are near unto the slain one, do wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley,
Update Bible Version
And all the elders of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
Webster's Bible Translation
And all the elders of that city [that are] next to the slain [man], shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
World English Bible
All the elders of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
New King James Version
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.
New Living Translation
"The elders of the town must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken.
New Life Bible
All the leaders of that city nearest to the dead man will wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley.
New Revised Standard
All the elders of that town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, all the elders of that city who are nearest unto the slain, shall bathe their hands over the heifer that hath boon beheaded in the ravine,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the ancients of that city shall come to the person slain, and shall wash their hands over the heifer that was killed in the valley,
Revised Standard Version
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;

Contextual Overview

1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him; 2 then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. 3 And it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke. 4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley. 5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near--for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be. 6 And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. 7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Forgive, O LORD, Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy people Israel.' And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wash their hands: Washing the hands was anciently a symbolical action, denoting that the person was innocent of the crime in question. Job 9:30, Psalms 19:12, Psalms 26:6, Psalms 51:2, Psalms 51:7, Psalms 51:14, Psalms 73:13, Jeremiah 2:22, Matthew 27:24, Matthew 27:25, Hebrews 9:10

Reciprocal: 1 Timothy 1:9 - manslayers

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart: 'Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?'
Genesis 21:12
And God said unto Abraham: 'Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall seed be called to thee.
Genesis 21:15
And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
Genesis 21:21
And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:22
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spoke unto Abraham, saying: 'God is with thee in all that thou doest.
Genesis 21:27
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two made a covenant.
Genesis 21:28
And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
Psalms 113:9
Who maketh the barren woman to dwell in her house as a joyful mother of children.
Psalms 126:2
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing;
Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the elders of that city that are next unto the slain man,.... The whole court of judicature belonging to it, all the magistracy of it; even though there were an hundred of them, Maimonides x says:

shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: in token of their innocence, and this they did not only for themselves, but for the whole city, being the representatives of it; see

Psalms 26:6. Some think that this is a confirmation of the sense embraced by some, that it was a strong stream to which the heifer was brought; and there might be a stream of water here, and a valley also; though it would be no great difficulty to get from the city, which was near, a sufficient quantity of water to wash the hands of the elders with. This may denote the purification of sin by the blood of Christ, when it is confessed over him; and shows that priests and elders, ministers of the word, as well as others, stand in need of it; and that even those concerned in the death of Christ shared in the benefits of it.

x Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 9. sect. 3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 21:6. Shall wash their hands over the heifer — Washing the hands, in reference to such a subject as this, was a rite anciently used to signify that the persons thus washing were innocent of the crime in question. It was probably from the Jews that Pilate learned this symbolical method of expressing his innocence.


 
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