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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Deuteronomy 17:6

There must be two or three witnesses that it is true before the person is put to death; if there is only one witness, the person should not be put to death.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;   Evidence;   Homicide;   Intolerance, Religious;   Punishment;   Witness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Courts;   Witnesses;   The Topic Concordance - Execution;   Witness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Moon, the;   Stars, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Stoning;   Witness;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Execution;   Witness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Forgiveness;   Kill, Killing;   Marriage;   Murder;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Idolatry;   Murder;   Stephen;   Witness;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Idol;   Law;   Murder;   Witnesses;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Capital Punishment;   Court Systems;   Crimes and Punishments;   Host of Heaven;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Idolatry;   Stone;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - False Witness;   Mouth ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Witness;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Courts, Judicial;   Die;   Judge;   Mouth;   Murder;   Nicodemus;   Punishments;   Witness;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Admissions in Evidence;   Capital Punishment;   Circumstantial Evidence;   Crime;   Deuteronomy;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The one condemned to die is to be executed on the testimony of two or three witnesses. No one is to be executed on the testimony of a single witness.
Hebrew Names Version
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he who is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
King James Version
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Lexham English Bible
On the evidence of two or three witnesses the person shall be put to death. The person shall not be put to death by the mouth of one witness.
English Standard Version
On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
New English Translation
At the testimony of two or three witnesses they must be executed. They cannot be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
Amplified Bible
"On the evidence of two or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of [only] one witness.
New American Standard Bible
"On the testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, the condemned shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
Geneva Bible (1587)
At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is woorthie of death, die: but at the mouth of one witnesse, he shall not die.
Legacy Standard Bible
On the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the mouth of one witness.
Complete Jewish Bible
The death sentence is to be carried out only if there was testimony from two or three witnesses; he may not be sentenced to death on the testimony of only one witness.
Darby Translation
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death: he shall not be put to death at the mouth of one witness.
Easy-to-Read Version
But no one should be punished with death if only one witness says that person did that evil thing. But if two or three witnesses say it is true, the person must be killed.
George Lamsa Translation
On the testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but on the testimony of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Good News Translation
However, they may be put to death only if two or more witnesses testify against them; they are not to be put to death if there is only one witness.
Literal Translation
At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is to die be put to death. He shall not be put to death at the mouth of one witness.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
At the mouth of two or thre witnesses shal he dye, that is worthy of death. At the mouth of one witnes shal he not dye.
American Standard Version
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Bible in Basic English
On the word of two or three witnesses, a man may be given the punishment of death; but he is not to be put to death on the word of one witness.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
At the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death, dye: and at the mouth of one witnesse, let no man dye.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
King James Version (1611)
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death, be put to death: but at the mouth of one witnesse he shall not bee put to death.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He shall die on the testimony of two or three witnesses; a man who is put to death shall not be put to death for one witness.
English Revised Version
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Berean Standard Bible
On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that schal be slayn, schal perische in the mouth of tweyne, ethir of thre witnessis; no man be slayn, for o man seith witnessyng ayens hym.
Young's Literal Translation
By the mouth of two witnesses or of three witnesses is he who is dead put to death; he is not put to death by the mouth of one witness;
Update Bible Version
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he that is to die shall be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Webster's Bible Translation
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; [but] at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
World English Bible
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he who is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
New King James Version
Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
New Living Translation
But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses.
New Life Bible
If two or three people tell what they know against this person, he who is to die must be put to death. But he should not be put to death if only one person speaks against him.
New Revised Standard
On the evidence of two or three witnesses the death sentence shall be executed; a person must not be put to death on the evidence of only one witness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death, - he shall not be put to death at the mouth of one witness.
Douay-Rheims Bible
By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he die that is to be slain. Let no man be put to death, when only one beareth witness against him.
Revised Standard Version
On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses he that is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
THE MESSAGE
But only on the testimony of two or three witnesses may a person be put to death. No one may be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The witnesses must throw the first stones in the execution, then the rest of the community joins in. You have to purge the evil from your community.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

Contextual Overview

1 If an ox or sheep has something wrong with it, do not offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God. He would hate that. 2 A man or woman in one of the towns the Lord gave you might be found doing something evil and breaking the Agreement. 3 That person may have served other gods and bowed down to them or to the sun or moon or stars of the sky, which I have commanded should not be done. 4 If someone has told you about it, you must look into the matter carefully. If it is true that such a hateful thing has happened in Israel, 5 take the man or woman who has done the evil thing to the city gates and throw stones at that person until he dies. 6 There must be two or three witnesses that it is true before the person is put to death; if there is only one witness, the person should not be put to death. 7 The witnesses must be the first to throw stones at the person, and then everyone else will follow. You must get rid of the evil among you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 19:15, Numbers 35:30, Matthew 18:16, John 8:17, John 8:18, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19, Hebrews 10:28

Reciprocal: Genesis 23:11 - in the John 8:7 - He that Romans 6:21 - for the Revelation 11:3 - two

Cross-References

Genesis 17:4
"I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:6
I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you.
Genesis 17:16
I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her."
Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?"
Genesis 17:20
"As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 35:11
God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Have many children and grow in number as a nation. You will be the ancestor of many nations and kings.
Ezra 4:20
Jerusalem has had powerful kings who have ruled over the whole area of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes of all kinds have been paid to them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death,.... The idolater found guilty was to be stoned; two witnesses were sufficient to prove a fact, if three the better, but, on the testimony of one, sentence might not be pronounced. Aben Ezra observes, that some say, if two witnesses contradict two other, a third turns the scale and determines the matter; and others say, that two who are wise men will do, and three of others; and because it is said "at the mouth" of these witnesses, it is concluded, that a testimony should be verbal and not written; should not be recorded, neither in pecuniary cases nor in capital ones, but from the mouth of the witnesses, as it is said "at the mouth", c. at their mouth, and not from their handwriting e:

[but] at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death so careful is the Lord of the lives of men, that none should be taken away but upon full and sufficient evidence, even in cases in which his own glory and honour is so much concerned.

e Maimon. Hilchot Eduth, c. 3. sect. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Deuteronomy 13:1 ff. Here special reference is made to the legal forms to be adopted, Deuteronomy 17:5-7. The sentence was to be carried into effect at “the gates” (compare Genesis 19:1 note) of the town in which the crime was committed; because, as “all the people” were to take a part, an open space would be requisite for the execution. Note the typical and prophetical aspect of the injunction; compare Acts 7:58; Hebrews 13:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 17:6. Two witnesses — ONE might be deceived, or be prejudiced or malicious; therefore God required two substantial witnesses for the support of the charge.


 
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