Deuteronomy 19:8

THE MESSAGE

When God , your God, enlarges your land, extending its borders as he solemnly promised your ancestors, by giving you the whole land he promised them because you are diligently living the way I'm commanding you today, namely, to love God , your God, and do what he tells you all your life; and when that happens, then add three more to these three cities so that there is no chance of innocent blood being spilled in your land. God , your God, is giving you this land as an inheritance—you don't want to pollute it with innocent blood and bring bloodguilt upon yourselves.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If the Lord your God enlarges your territory as he swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land he promised to give them—

Hebrew Names Version
If the LORD your God enlarge your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and give you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

King James Version
And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

Lexham English Bible
Then if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory just as he swore to your ancestors and gives to you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors,

English Standard Version
And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers—

New Century Version
Carefully obey all these laws I'm giving you today. Love the Lord your God, and always do what he wants you to do. Then the Lord your God will enlarge your land as he promised your ancestors, giving you the whole land he promised to them. After that, choose three more cities of safety

New English Translation
If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land he pledged to them,

Amplified Bible
"If the LORD your God enlarges your border, as He has sworn to your fathers to do, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers—

New American Standard Bible
"And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that He promised to give your fathers—

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the Lorde thy God enlargeth thy coastes (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and giueth thee all the lande which he promised to giue vnto thy fathers,

Legacy Standard Bible
"Now if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers—

Contemporary English Version
Israel, the Lord your God has promised that if you obey his laws and teachings I'm giving you, and if you always love him, then he will give you the land he promised your ancestors. When that happens, you must name three more Safe Towns in the new territory.

Complete Jewish Bible
"If Adonai your God expands your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, and gives you all the land he promised to give to your ancestors —

Darby Translation
And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers

Easy-to-Read Version
"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.

George Lamsa Translation
And when the LORD your God shall enlarge your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

Good News Translation
"When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he told your ancestors he would, and gives you all the land he has promised,

Literal Translation
And if Jehovah your God shall enlarge your border, as He has sworn to your fathers, and shall give to you all the land which He has spoken to give to your fathers,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the LORDE yi God enlargeth thy borders, as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers, & geueth the all the lode which he promysed thy fathers to geue

American Standard Version
And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

Bible in Basic English
And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
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:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers--

King James Version (1611)
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:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if the Lord shall enlarge thy borders, as he sware to thy fathers, and the Lord shall give to thee all the land which he said he would give to thy fathers;

English Revised Version
And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

Berean Standard Bible
And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe whanne thi Lord God hath alargid thi termes, as he swoor to thi fadris, and hath youe to thee al the lond which he bihiyte to hem; if netheles thou kepist hise comaundementis,

Young's Literal Translation
`And if Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to thy fathers --

Update Bible Version
And if Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

Webster's Bible Translation
And if the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy limits, as he hath sworn to thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give to thy fathers;

World English Bible
If Yahweh your God enlarge your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and give you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

New King James Version
"Now if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers,

New Living Translation
"And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised them,

New Life Bible
The Lord your God will give you even more land, as He has promised your fathers. He will give you all the land which He promised to give your fathers,

New Revised Standard
If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors—and he will give you all the land that he promised your ancestors to give you,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, if Yahweh thy God should enlarge thy heralds, as he aware unto thy fathers, - and should give thee all the land, which he spake of giving unto thy fathers;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he swore to the fathers, and shall give thee all the land that he promised them,

Revised Standard Version
And if the LORD your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers--

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers—

Contextual Overview

¹When 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. ⁴This is the guideline for the murderer who flees there to take refuge: He has to have killed his neighbor without premeditation and with no history of bad blood between them. For instance, a man goes with his neighbor into the woods to cut a tree; he swings the ax, the head slips off the handle and hits his neighbor, killing him. He may then flee to one of these cities and save his life. If the city is too far away, the avenger of blood racing in hot-blooded pursuit might catch him since it's such a long distance, and kill him even though he didn't deserve it. It wasn't his fault. There was no history of hatred between them. Therefore I command you: Set aside the three cities for yourselves. ⁸When God , your God, enlarges your land, extending its borders as he solemnly promised your ancestors, by giving you the whole land he promised them because you are diligently living the way I'm commanding you today, namely, to love God , your God, and do what he tells you all your life; and when that happens, then add three more to these three cities so that there is no chance of innocent blood being spilled in your land. God , your God, is giving you this land as an inheritance—you don't want to pollute it with innocent blood and bring bloodguilt upon yourselves. ¹¹On the other hand, if a man with a history of hatred toward his neighbor waits in ambush, then jumps him, mauls and kills him, and then runs to one of these cities, that's a different story. The elders of his own city are to send for him and have him brought back. They are to hand him over to the avenger of blood for execution. Don't feel sorry for him. Clean out the pollution of wrongful murder from Israel so that you'll be able to live well and breathe clean air.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 11:24, Deuteronomy 11:25, Deuteronomy 12:20, Genesis 15:18-21, Genesis 28:14, Exodus 23:31, Exodus 34:24, 1 Kings 4:21, Ezra 4:20

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:14 - three cities

Cross-References

Genesis 19:31
One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is getting old and there's not a man left in the country by whom we can get pregnant. Let's get our father drunk with wine and lie with him. We'll get children through our father—it's our only chance to keep our family alive."

Genesis 42:37
Reuben spoke up: "I'll put my two sons in your hands as hostages. If I don't bring Benjamin back, you can kill them. Trust me with Benjamin; I'll bring him back."

Exodus 32:22
Aaron said, "Master, don't be angry. You know this people and how set on evil they are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. This Moses, the man who brought us out of Egypt, we don't know what's happened to him.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast,.... Extend it further than it was upon their first settlement, even carry it as far as the river Euphrates, as in the times of Solomon, 1 Kings 4:21. Jarchi interprets it of such an enlargement as to give them the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites and Kadmonites:

(as he hath sworn unto thy fathers), and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy, fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; see

Genesis 15:19.

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.