Deuteronomy 21:7 kjv
And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
Deuteronomy 21:7 nkjv
Then they shall answer and say, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it.
Deuteronomy 21:7 niv
and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.
Deuteronomy 21:7 esv
and they shall testify, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed.
Deuteronomy 21:7 nlt
Then they must say, 'Our hands did not shed this person's blood, nor did we see it happen.
Deuteronomy 21 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 4:10 | "What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to Me from the ground." | Blood crying out for justice |
| Num 35:33-34 | "So you shall not pollute the land... blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made..." | Land defiled by bloodshed, atonement needed |
| Psa 26:6 | "I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD." | Symbolic washing of hands, declaration of purity |
| Matt 27:24 | "When Pilate saw that he could not prevail... took water and washed his hands..." | Public declaration of innocence in blood guilt |
| Josh 7:10-12 | "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant... Therefore the children of Israel could not stand..." | Communal guilt impacting divine favor |
| Lev 4:13 | "Now if the whole congregation of Israel errs, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly..." | Atonement for unintentional communal sin |
| 2 Sam 21:1-6 | "There was a famine in the days of David... 'It is for Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he slew the Gibeonites.'" | Corporate punishment for previous innocent bloodshed |
| Jer 2:34 | "Also on your skirts is found The blood of the souls of the poor innocents..." | Prophetic condemnation for shedding innocent blood |
| Ezek 7:23 | "The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence." | Judgment due to prevalent violence and bloodshed |
| Hos 4:2 | "By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed." | Cycles of sin and bloodshed leading to judgment |
| Deut 19:10 | "that innocent blood may not be shed in your land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance..." | Command to prevent bloodshed in the land |
| Heb 9:22 | "And according to the law almost all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." | Blood necessary for cleansing and forgiveness |
| 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 atonement..." | Significance of blood for life and atonement |
| Col 1:20 | "and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross." | Christ's blood as ultimate reconciliation and cleansing |
| 1 John 1:9 | "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." | Principle of confession and cleansing |
| Rom 13:1-7 | "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God..." | Communal responsibility under God's appointed authorities |
| Num 35:30 | "Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient to convict a person..." | Justice requires proof; communal declaration for unknown crimes |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish..." | Redeemed from futility by Christ's blood |
| Titus 3:5-7 | "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration..." | Cleansing and salvation through divine grace |
| Ezra 9:15 | "O LORD God of Israel, You are just, for we are left as a remnant... Behold, we are before You in our guilt..." | Confession of guilt for the community's sins |
| Jer 7:6 | "if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place..." | Justice and social ethics as prerequisite for blessings |
| Matt 5:9 | "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God." | Importance of actively pursuing peace and preventing violence |
| Acts 20:26 | "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men." | Paul's declaration of innocence from spiritual blood-guilt |
| Gen 9:5-6 | "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning... Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed;" | Divine mandate for valuing human life and punishing murder |
Deuteronomy 21 verses
Deuteronomy 21 7 Meaning
Deuteronomy 21:7 is a declaration made by the elders of the city nearest to the discovery of an unsolved murder victim. In this solemn ritual, they publicly affirm their lack of involvement, both active and passive, in the shedding of the innocent blood. This act is essential to ritually cleanse the land from the defilement caused by the murder, preventing divine judgment from falling upon the community for the uncleansed sin of bloodshed. It expresses the community's disassociation from the crime and their sincere appeal for the removal of the resulting curse.
Deuteronomy 21 7 Context
Deuteronomy 21:7 is part of a specific legal ritual (Deut 21:1-9) addressing the discovery of a murdered person in an open field when the killer is unknown. This unique procedure highlights the extreme importance of preventing bloodguilt from contaminating the land and the community. The law prescribes a ritual sacrifice performed by the elders and priests of the nearest city to make atonement. This particular verse describes the solemn oath sworn by the elders as part of this cleansing ceremony. The overarching context of Deuteronomy emphasizes Israel's call to holiness as God's covenant people in the land He is giving them, detailing laws for maintaining justice, purity, and proper worship to avert divine curses and receive blessings. Unpunished murder was understood as a profound defilement that would bring God's judgment upon the entire community, making this declaration a critical act of communal repentance and ritual purification to uphold the covenant.
Deuteronomy 21 7 Word analysis
And they shall answer and say:
- Hebrew: וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ (v'anu v'ameru)
- This is a formal, public declaration by the elders (who represent the city). It implies a solemn, ritualistic pronouncement rather than casual speech, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the community's responsibility. The act is one of responding to the spiritual challenge presented by the innocent bloodshed.
Our hands:
- Hebrew: יָדֵינוּ (yadeinu)
- "Hands" symbolize actions, capability, and complicity. In ancient Israelite thought, hands often represented one's active involvement, power, or responsibility (e.g., "clean hands" in Ps 24:4 for blameless action). This explicitly denies direct physical involvement in the murder.
have not shed:
- Hebrew: לֹא שָׁפְכוּ (lo shafekhu)
- "Shed" (שָׁפַךְ, shafakh) implies a violent pouring out, specifically used for the act of murder or violence leading to death. This negates any active participation or agency in the killing.
this blood:
- Hebrew: אֶת הַדָּם הַזֶּה (et ha-dam ha-zeh)
- "Blood" (dam) signifies life itself, particularly in the Bible. The shedding of "innocent blood" (as implied by the context of a murdered victim with unknown perpetrator) is a severe offense, defiling the land and crying out for justice (Gen 4:10). "This blood" specifically points to the current defilement that necessitates the ritual.
neither have our eyes:
- Hebrew: וְעֵינֵינוּ (v'eineinu)
- "Eyes" symbolize knowledge, observation, and oversight. This extends the denial beyond physical action to cognitive awareness. It refutes any claim that they knew about the murder beforehand, witnessed it, or neglected to prevent it.
seen it:
- Hebrew: לֹא רָאוּ (lo ra'u)
- "Seen" (ra'u) means to perceive or witness. This denial of witnessing implies a lack of complicity through observation, passive acceptance, or neglect. It encompasses a disavowal of both active perpetration and passive awareness, representing a comprehensive statement of innocence by the community's leadership.
Words-group Analysis:
- "Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it": This phrase functions as a comprehensive denial of culpability, encompassing both active participation ("hands have not shed") and passive complicity, negligence, or knowledge ("eyes have not seen"). It is a legal-ritual formula asserting the community's complete dissociation from the defiling act, thereby seeking to avert collective guilt and divine wrath from resting upon them for the unknown murder. It also implicitly underscores their general diligence in maintaining law and order, denying that the crime occurred due to their laxity or indifference.
Deuteronomy 21 7 Bonus section
- Aversion of Guilt: The entire ritual of Deuteronomy 21:1-9, culminating in this declaration, serves as a powerful means of preventing corporate guilt from falling upon the nearest city and the wider Israelite community. This proactive approach to expiation reflects the covenant understanding that communal well-being is deeply tied to adherence to divine law and purity.
- Symbolic Act: While a physical murderer remains at large, the ritual symbolically cleanses the land and community from the spiritual pollution caused by the innocent blood. It's an act of faith and obedience, trusting God to lift the curse associated with the defilement, even when the human legal process cannot apprehend the culprit.
- Role of Elders: The involvement of the elders highlights their civic and spiritual responsibility. As representatives of the community, their declaration carries the weight of the entire city's repentance and commitment to justice before God. They are accountable for the spiritual well-being and moral uprightness of their locale.
Deuteronomy 21 7 Commentary
Deuteronomy 21:7 is central to the expiation ritual for an unsolved murder, emphasizing the profound sacredness of human life and the severity of shedding innocent blood within the covenant community. The declaration by the city elders "Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it" is a solemn act of purification, acknowledging the collective responsibility of the community to God for justice in the land. It is not merely a statement of personal innocence, but a communal pledge that they, as leaders, are neither complicit in the murder nor negligent in maintaining social order such that such a heinous act could occur unnoticed or unaddressed. This ritual underscores God's deep concern for justice and the sanctity of life, affirming that defilement by unpunished sin impacts the entire land and demands formal, public atonement to avert divine wrath. This commitment to justice reflects a core value of the covenant, reminding believers today of their corporate responsibility to pursue righteousness and condemn injustice within their spheres of influence.