Deuteronomy 21:4 kjv
And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
Deuteronomy 21:4 nkjv
The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with flowing water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley.
Deuteronomy 21:4 niv
and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's neck.
Deuteronomy 21:4 esv
And the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley.
Deuteronomy 21:4 nlt
They must lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and that has a stream running through it. There in the valley they must break the heifer's neck.
Deuteronomy 21 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 35:33 | So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land... | Blood pollutes the land |
| Gen 4:10 | And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. | Abel's blood cries out |
| Lev 17:11 | For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls... | Life in blood for atonement |
| Heb 9:22 | And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. | Bloodshed for remission of sin |
| Ps 106:38 | And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. | Innocent blood pollutes the land |
| Jer 3:2 | Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. | Land polluted by sin and wickedness |
| Ezek 24:7 | For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; | Blood on rock exposes guilt |
| Isa 26:21 | For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. | Earth reveals unatoned blood |
| Num 19:2 | Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: | Red heifer, unyoked for purification |
| Lev 14:5-6 | And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it... | Running water used in cleansing ritual |
| Zech 13:1 | In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. | Fountain for cleansing from sin |
| Jn 7:38 | He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. | Living water symbol |
| Matt 27:24 | When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person... | Symbolic handwashing for innocence |
| 2 Sam 21:1-6 | Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. | National judgment for unatoned bloodguilt |
| Jos 7:1-12 | But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing... And the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. | Corporate responsibility for individual sin |
| 1 Cor 12:26 | And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. | Corporate body concept of suffering |
| Rom 5:18-19 | Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation... So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. | Corporate responsibility and atonement |
| Heb 9:12 | Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. | Christ's atoning blood |
| Col 1:20 | And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself... | Christ's blood reconciling all things |
| 1 Pet 1:19 | But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: | Christ's sinless sacrifice |
| Gen 9:5-6 | And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man... Whoso shed deth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. | Divine principle of requiring spilled blood |
| Ps 24:3-4 | Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart... | Purity required to stand before God |
| Ez 22:3-4 | Thou art come to thy days that thou hast brought upon thyself, and art come even to thy years. Therefore I will make thee a reproach unto the heathen... thine unclean hands... | Guilt leads to reproach and defilement |
Deuteronomy 21 verses
Deuteronomy 21 4 Meaning
This verse details a ritualistic act required by God to purify the land from the defilement of an unsolved murder. When a dead body is found in the open country and the killer is unknown, the elders of the nearest city must perform a specific rite. This involves taking an unyoked heifer to a valley with continuously flowing water, on ground that has never been tilled or planted. There, the heifer's neck is broken, signifying a vicarious atonement for the land's bloodguilt and absolving the community from responsibility for the spilled innocent blood.
Deuteronomy 21 4 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 21 addresses various laws concerning civil and communal life, focusing on purity, justice, and the sanctity of the land. Verses 1-9 deal specifically with the ritual concerning an unsolved murder found in the open country. The law mandates this detailed procedure to avert bloodguilt from the nearest city and, by extension, from the entire land of Israel. The primary concern is not punishing an unknown perpetrator, but rather preventing the spiritual contamination that would arise from innocent blood remaining unatoned for. The purity of the land was paramount because God's presence dwelt among His people in the land. This ritual highlights the community's collective responsibility before God for maintaining the holiness of their land and their covenant relationship.
Deuteronomy 21 4 Word analysis
- And the elders: (
v'horidu ziqnei- וְהוֹרִדוּ זִקְנֵי). "Elders" (ziqnei) represents the local governing authority and community leaders. Their involvement underscores the collective responsibility of the city, emphasizing that an unsolved murder is not merely an individual tragedy but a communal spiritual problem requiring communal expiation. - of that city: (
ha'ir hahi- הָעִיר הַהִיא). Specifically, the city geographically closest to the discovered body. This pinpoints accountability and defines the boundary of shared spiritual burden. - shall bring down: (
v'horidu- וְהוֹרִדוּ). The verb means to cause to go down or bring down. It suggests a movement from the city to the valley, indicating an act of humble submission and performance of the rite away from normal habitation, in a consecrated or liminal space. - the heifer: (
et-ha'eglah- אֶת־הָעֶגְלָה). A young, female bovine. The specification implies purity, as a heifer (like the red heifer in Num 19) is often unyoked and has never been put to work, symbolizing its innocence and being unused for profane purposes. It represents a substitution for the unknown murderer's deserved punishment, an innocent life offered for expiation. - to a valley: (
el-nachal- אֶל־נַחַל). A wadi or dry riverbed that carries water during rains. Valleys are often remote, symbolic of separation from human habitation. - with running water: (
eitan- אֵיתָן). Fromnachal eitan, meaning a perennial or ever-flowing stream, as opposed to stagnant water or a wadi that only flows seasonally. Running water symbolizes purity, life, and the ability to cleanse and carry away defilement. - which is neither plowed nor sown: (
asher lo-ye'aved bo v'lo yizara- אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יֵעָבֵד בּוֹ וְלֹא יִזָּרֵעַ). This refers to uncultivated, untouched land. It signifies a pure, undefiled space for this unique ritual. This ground, having hosted the expiation, becomes unsuitable for any ordinary use, emphasizing the gravity and unique sacredness of the atonement act. It sets it apart from land used for human sustenance or profit. - and there break the heifer's neck: (
v'arefu sham et-ha'eglah- וְעָרְפוּ שָׁם אֶת־הָעֶגְלָה). "Break the neck" (v'arefu) is a specific act, not typically associated with priestly sacrifices on an altar. It is an act of execution or ignoble killing, reflecting the defilement and curse associated with unpunished murder. This distinguishes it from a regular sacrifice to YHWH (which would involve slitting the throat, draining blood onto an altar, and burning portions). The act is for purification, but not worship in the cultic sense.
Deuteronomy 21 4 Bonus section
The ritual of the slain heifer in Dt 21 is a specific act of expiation rather than a regular offering or sacrifice for sin. While it involves the shedding of innocent blood for atonement, it occurs outside the tabernacle/temple cultic system, conducted by elders rather than priests, and the manner of death (breaking the neck) is not a standard sacrificial slaughter. This indicates that the ritual primarily addresses the ritual impurity and bloodguilt that falls upon the land and the community when human life is unjustly taken and not atoned for. The act is to "purge the guilt of innocent blood from among you" (Dt 21:8), not to obtain forgiveness for a specific person's sin. This communal purification highlights God's demand for the sanctity of life and land, setting Israel apart from neighboring nations whose concepts of defilement and atonement differed, often involving human sacrifice or appeasing multiple deities.
Deuteronomy 21 4 Commentary
Deuteronomy 21:4 details a unique ritual not for a regular sacrifice to God, but for the expiation of communal bloodguilt from the land due to an unsolved murder. The ceremony underscores God's absolute demand for justice and the severe consequences of shedding innocent blood, which pollutes the land and, by extension, the community within it. The innocent heifer, never having worked, symbolically bears the defilement of the crime. The choice of a valley with running water emphasizes the need for purification and the removal of the pollution. The ground, untouched by agriculture, remains sanctified solely for this singular act of cleansing, thereafter unfit for human use, symbolizing the complete severing of the murder's lingering effects. This ritual highlights the corporate responsibility of the community and the vital necessity of atonement to maintain their holy standing before God in the land He provided. Ultimately, it foreshadows the greater, perfect expiation of sin by Christ, whose innocent life was broken for the sins of the world.