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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

Deuteronomy 19:7

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Avenger of Blood;   Homicide;   Refuge;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Murder;   Refuge, Cities of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Motives;   Murder;   Punishment;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Easton Bible Dictionary - City;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Law;   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Cities of Refuge;   Manslayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Kin;   Numbers, Book of;   Refuge, Cities of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Refuge;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Courts, Judicial;   Deuteronomy;   Homicide;   Law in the Old Testament;   Refuge, Cities of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Avenger of Blood;  

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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherfore I commaunde thee, saying: Thou shalt appoynt out three cities for thee.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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 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: 2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee to possesse it. 3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and diuide the coasts of thy land (which the Lord thy God giueth thee to inherit) into three parts, that euery slayer may flee thither. 4 And this is the case of the slayer which shall flee thither, that hee may liue: who so killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past, 5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor, to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut downe the tree, and the head slippeth from the helue, and lighteth vpon his neighbour that he die, he shall flee vnto one of those cities, and liue: 6 Lest the auenger of the blood pursue the slaier, while his heart is hot, and ouertake him, because the way is long, and slay him, whereas he was not worthy of death, in as much as hee hated him not in time past. 7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. 8 And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and giue thee all the lande which hee promised to giue vnto thy fathers: 9 (If thou shalt keepe all these commandements to doe them, which I command thee this day, to loue the Lord thy God, and to walke euer in his wayes) then shalt thou adde three cities moe for thee, beside these three: 10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land which the Lord thy God giueth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be vpon thee.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
But before they lay downe, the men of the citie, euen the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and yong, all the people from euery quarter.
Genesis 19:9
And they said, Stand backe. And they said againe, This one fellow came in to soiourne, and he will needs bee a Iudge: Now wil we deale worse with thee, then with them. And they pressed sore vpon the man, euen Lot, and came neere to breake the doore.
Genesis 19:11
And they smote the men that were at the doore of the house, with blindnes, both small and great: so that they wearied themselues to finde the doore.
Genesis 19:23
The sunne was risen vpon the earth, when Lot entred into Zoar.
Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained vpon Sodome & vpon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire, from the LORD out of heauen.
Leviticus 18:22
Thou shalt not lie with mankinde, as with womankinde: it is abomination.
Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind, as hee lyeth with a woman, both of them haue committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shalbe vpon them.
Deuteronomy 23:17
There shalbe no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a Sodomite of the sonnes of Israel.
Judges 19:23
And the man, the master of the house, went out vnto them, and said vnto them, Nay my brethren, nay, I pray you doe not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, doe not this folly.
Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds 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.


 
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