Deuteronomy 19:19 kjv
Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
Deuteronomy 19:19 nkjv
then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 19:19 niv
then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 19:19 esv
then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 19:19 nlt
you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 19 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:16 | "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." | The Ninth Commandment against false testimony. |
| Ex 23:1 | "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness." | Prohibits spreading lies and malicious witnessing. |
| Lev 19:11 | "You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another." | General command against dishonesty and lying. |
| Num 35:30 | "Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses..." | Requires multiple witnesses for capital cases. |
| Deut 17:6 | "On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death..." | Establishes the rule for multiple witnesses. |
| Deut 19:21 | "Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." | Reinforces the principle of proportionate justice (lex talionis). |
| Deut 13:5 | "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death... So you shall purge the evil from among you." | Command to remove evil (false prophecy) from the community. |
| Deut 17:7 | "...So you shall purge the evil from your midst." | Command to remove evil (idolatry) from the community. |
| Deut 21:21 | "...So you shall purge the evil from your midst." | Command to remove evil (rebellious son) from the community. |
| Deut 22:21 | "...So you shall purge the evil from your midst." | Command to remove evil (unchastity) from the community. |
| Prov 6:16-19 | "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: ...a false witness who breathes out lies..." | Identifies false witness as detestable to God. |
| Prov 12:22 | "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight." | Contrasts God's view of lies and truth. |
| Prov 19:5 | "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape." | Direct statement of consequences for false witnesses. |
| Prov 24:28 | "Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips." | Warns against groundless testimony and deceit. |
| Zech 8:16-17 | "These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another... execute true and righteous judgment in your gates... love no false oath..." | Exhortation to truth, righteous judgment, and avoiding false oaths. |
| Esth 9:25 | "...but when Esther came before the king, he gave orders in writing that Haman's wicked plot, which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head..." | Haman's plot backfires, echoing the principle of divine reversal. |
| Ps 7:16 | "His mischief returns upon his own head; and on his own pate his violence descends." | Describes the principle of retribution where evil returns to its author. |
| Matt 15:19 | "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." | Jesus lists false witness as coming from the evil heart. |
| Matt 5:38-39 | "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil..." | Jesus reinterprets the Mosaic legal principle for personal conduct. |
| Rom 12:17-19 | "Repay no one evil for evil... Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God..." | Transfers the execution of vengeance from personal to divine hands in the New Covenant. |
| 1 Cor 5:13 | "...Purge the evil person from among you." | Paul's command to the church to remove moral impurity from the community. |
| Eph 4:25 | "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." | New Testament command for believers to speak truth and avoid falsehood. |
| Col 3:9 | "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices." | Believers are exhorted not to lie as part of their new identity in Christ. |
| Rev 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur..." | Liars are condemned among the unrighteous in the final judgment. |
Deuteronomy 19 verses
Deuteronomy 19 19 Meaning
Deuteronomy 19:19 mandates that if a false witness is proven to have maliciously intended to bring harm through their testimony, the very punishment they sought for the accused party must be inflicted upon them. This decree ensures that justice prevails and that the evil of deliberate deceit and perjury is thoroughly removed from the community.
Deuteronomy 19 19 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 19 is part of Moses' second speech to the Israelites, given on the plains of Moab before they entered the Promised Land. This chapter focuses on the laws concerning justice and judicial procedures, aimed at establishing a righteous society in Canaan. It begins with the command to set apart three additional cities of refuge for accidental killings, alongside the existing ones, to protect those who inadvertently cause death from blood-vengeance. The chapter then addresses the importance of not moving property boundaries, a form of economic injustice. Verses 15-21, where verse 19 is situated, specifically deal with the vital role of witnesses in legal proceedings. It reiterates that a charge must be established by at least two or three witnesses, and critically, it lays down strict consequences for any witness found to have testified falsely with malicious intent, thereby safeguarding the integrity of the judicial system and protecting the innocent. This law was crucial in a society where oral testimony held paramount importance in legal judgments.
Deuteronomy 19 19 Word analysis
- then you shall do: This is a direct, imperative command from God through Moses to the judges and the community. It signifies a required legal action, not an optional one, emphasizing the importance of immediate and decisive justice.
- to him: Refers specifically to the false witness, the one who has been proven to have presented malicious, untrue testimony.
- as he had purposed: The Hebrew word is zamam (זָמַם), meaning "to plan," "to devise," or "to scheme." This highlights the crucial element of intentionality and malice. The law punishes the evil intent behind the false testimony, not just an accidental mistake or an honest misremembering. It targets the deliberate attempt to cause harm through deception.
- to do to his brother: "His brother" (אָח, ach) in this context refers to a fellow Israelite, emphasizing the communal and familial bond within the covenant community. The malicious act is not merely against an individual, but a betrayal of the communal trust and kinship shared by the people of God. The intent to harm a 'brother' carries greater moral weight.
- So you shall purge: The Hebrew verb is ba'ar (בָּעַר), which means "to burn," "to consume," "to remove completely," or "to clear away." This is a strong and recurring command in Deuteronomy, used over a dozen times in the context of purifying the community from serious sin. It implies a thorough and unhesitating elimination, much like burning away impurities.
- the evil: Not just the false witness, but the intrinsic wickedness of false testimony itself, and its potential to corrupt justice, sow discord, and harm the innocent. This "evil" (רָעָה, ra'ah) is something inherently destructive to the moral and social fabric of the covenant community.
- from among you: This phrase emphasizes the collective responsibility of the Israelite community, through its appointed judges and leaders, to maintain moral purity and integrity. The presence of such malicious falsehood was considered a defilement that undermined the entire nation's standing before God and their social order. Its removal was essential for communal health and holiness.
Words-Group Analysis
- "do to him as he had purposed to do": This phrase encapsulates the core principle of lex talionis (the law of retaliation or proportionate justice) as applied to intent. It is a precise and deterrent measure, ensuring that the consequence for a malicious act of perjury exactly mirrors the harm the false witness sought to inflict. It prevents individuals from manipulating the legal system for their own wicked ends. This form of justice discourages malice and promotes accountability.
- "purge the evil from among you": This repeated command throughout Deuteronomy underscores the theological imperative for Israel to maintain its distinct, holy identity as God's covenant people. Any evil, particularly one that perverts justice or promotes idolatry, pollutes the community and threatens its relationship with God. Therefore, actively and decisively removing such evil was not merely a legal measure but a spiritual one, essential for the well-being and blessing of the nation.
Deuteronomy 19 19 Bonus section
- The severity of this law for false witness underscores the sacredness of truth and justice in the eyes of God. It shows that manipulating the judicial system for personal gain or malice was a grievous offense, equating to the actual crime intended for the innocent.
- This verse ensures that justice is not merely blind but active in punishing those who seek to corrupt it. It was a proactive measure to preserve the moral health of the nation of Israel.
- While lex talionis might appear harsh by modern standards, in its ancient Near Eastern context, it was often a principle that limited revenge to a proportionate measure, preventing escalating retribution, and in this specific case, ensuring justice against deliberate perversion of truth.
- The repeated command "you shall purge the evil from among you" highlights a key theme in Deuteronomy: the ongoing responsibility of the community to actively purify itself from anything that dishonors God and violates His covenant. This was essential for Israel's survival and spiritual well-being as God's chosen nation.
Deuteronomy 19 19 Commentary
Deuteronomy 19:19 provides a crucial legal safeguard within the Mosaic Covenant, addressing the severe threat of false testimony. By enacting the principle of lex talionis—proportionate justice—against a proven false witness, this law established a potent deterrent to perjury. The intention of the false witness, what he had purposed to do, became the measure of his own punishment. This went beyond mere penalty for lying; it addressed the deep moral corruption of trying to use the divinely ordained legal system to harm an innocent "brother." The command to "purge the evil from among you" reveals God's absolute insistence on a just and righteous community. Such an evil, if unchecked, would undermine the foundation of truth and trust vital for Israel's covenant relationship with God and their internal societal harmony. It ensured that the legal process, designed to administer justice, was not perverted into an instrument of malice. This serves as a timeless principle: malicious deception, particularly in matters of justice, incurs severe consequences because it fundamentally assaults truth, which is central to God's character.