Deuteronomy 21 8

Deuteronomy 21:8 kjv

Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

Deuteronomy 21:8 nkjv

Provide atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.' And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood.

Deuteronomy 21:8 niv

Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person." Then the bloodshed will be atoned for,

Deuteronomy 21:8 esv

Accept atonement, O LORD, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.'

Deuteronomy 21:8 nlt

O LORD, forgive your people Israel whom you have redeemed. Do not charge your people with the guilt of murdering an innocent person.' Then they will be absolved of the guilt of this person's blood.

Deuteronomy 21 verses

Deuteronomy 21 8 Meaning

Deuteronomy 21:8 is a solemn prayer offered by the elders and judges of Israel to God, YHWH, during a specific purification ritual. This ritual was required when an individual was found slain in the open country and the perpetrator remained unknown. The verse functions as the verbal component of the atonement rite, appealing to God for forgiveness and cleansing from the corporate guilt associated with the shedding of innocent blood on the land. It asks that God not hold the community of Israel accountable for this specific innocent blood that has been shed within their midst.

Deuteronomy 21 8 Context

Deuteronomy 21:8 falls within a series of diverse laws (Deut 21:1-25:19) dealing with civic life, family relations, and purity in Israel. Specifically, verses 1-9 detail a ritual of expiation for an unsolved murder where the victim is found in an open field, and the perpetrator is unknown. This unique law underscores the deep theological understanding that bloodshed, especially innocent blood, defiles the land (Num 35:33-34). If unatoned, this defilement could bring corporate guilt and divine judgment upon the entire community. The ritual described involves the elders of the nearest city publicly washing their hands over a beheaded heifer (which symbolically bears the "sin") to demonstrate their innocence of the deed. This verse is the crucial prayer uttered by the elders and Levites during this ceremony, pleading for God's mercy to avert the blood guilt from Israel. It emphasizes the absolute necessity of purging sin and impurity from among God's covenant people to maintain His blessing and presence in the land He had given them.

Deuteronomy 21 8 Word analysis

• Forgive (כַּפֵּר – kapper):
  • This is an imperative form of the verb kāphar, meaning "to atone," "to make propitiation," "to cleanse," or "to purge away."
  • It's a strong verb used frequently in Levitical sacrificial contexts and for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
  • Significance: It implies not merely overlooking a sin, but a profound act of ritual or spiritual cleansing, neutralizing the defilement and averting divine wrath. Here, it seeks to cleanse the nation from the stain of unpunished murder.
• O Lord (יְהוָה – YHWH):
  • The sacred, covenant name of God (the Tetragrammaton).
  • It identifies the recipient of the prayer as the God who entered into covenant with Israel, the one true God who is sovereign over all, just, and able to cleanse.
  • Significance: Appealing to YHWH reinforces Israel's unique relationship with their divine Lawgiver and Deliverer, recognizing His ultimate authority and power to provide purification.
• Your people Israel (עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל – ‘amkā yisra’el):
  • Highlights the unique, elect relationship between God and the nation.
  • Emphasizes the corporate identity and shared responsibility of the community.
  • Significance: The prayer identifies the supplicants as God's chosen, beloved people, thereby reminding God of His prior commitment and affection for them.
• Whom You have redeemed (אֲשֶׁר פָּדִיתָ – ’asher padita):
  • Padita is derived from pādhāh, meaning "to ransom," "to buy back," "to deliver."
  • The primary historical reference is the Exodus from Egyptian slavery.
  • Significance: This phrase serves as a powerful reminder of God's saving acts in the past, forming the basis of their covenant relationship. It functions as an appeal to God's continued faithfulness to His promises to His redeemed people, bolstering the plea for current intervention and forgiveness.
• And do not place (וְאַל־תִּתֵּן – ve’al-titten):
  • Literally "and do not give" or "do not set." This is a negative command or plea.
  • It expresses a strong desire that God would not reckon, attribute, or impute the guilt of the innocent blood to the community.
  • Significance: The community proactively seeks divine absolution, ensuring the stain does not remain.
• The guilt of innocent blood (דָּם נָקִיא – dam naqi):
  • Dam means "blood." Naqi means "clean," "innocent," "blameless."
  • This refers specifically to blood shed without cause or justified legal penalty; murdered blood.
  • Significance: The Old Testament portrays innocent blood as crying out from the ground (Gen 4:10), polluting the land, and incurring divine judgment (Num 35:33). The phrase explicitly names the defiling element from which the community seeks to be absolved.
• Among Your people Israel (בְּקֶרֶב עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל – bəqerev ‘amməḵā yiśra’el):
  • Bəqerev means "in the midst of," "within."
  • Reinforces the concept of corporate responsibility; the innocent blood found within their land could bring guilt upon the whole nation.
  • Significance: The elders pray for the removal of the specific blood guilt from the communal entity, so that God's blessings and presence are not withdrawn from the entire land and its inhabitants.

Words-group Analysis:

• "Forgive, O Lord, Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed": This segment highlights the plea's theological foundation. It's an appeal to YHWH's character (mercy, covenant faithfulness) and His historical acts of salvation, asserting Israel's identity as His cherished possession, purchased by His mighty hand. This relationship forms the basis of their bold request.
• "And do not place the guilt of innocent blood among Your people Israel": This directly states the urgent specific request: prevent the consequence of innocent bloodshed (corporate guilt, divine wrath) from falling upon the community. It reflects the deep understanding of sin's defiling power and the critical need for divine intervention to cleanse.

Deuteronomy 21 8 Bonus section

• Polemics against Paganism: This ritual stood in stark contrast to the divination and appeasement rituals of surrounding pagan nations for defilement. Israel's approach was to YHWH, their covenant God, acknowledging His exclusive power to cleanse and remove guilt, rather than relying on superstitious acts or invoking false deities. It demonstrated that Yahweh alone determines what pollutes and what cleanses.
• Corporate Responsibility as a Biblical Principle: The Deuteronomic law powerfully illustrates the concept of corporate responsibility, where the sin of individuals, especially unpunished transgressions that pollute the land, could incur communal judgment. This theme reappears throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Achan's sin in Josh 7, Manasseh's in 2 Kgs 24). It serves as a strong reminder that communities, like individuals, are accountable to God for the purity and righteousness maintained within them.
• Echoes in the New Covenant: While the specific ritual is no longer practiced, the underlying theological principles remain: the seriousness of shedding innocent blood, the reality of corporate sin (and its impact on a society), the defiling nature of sin, and the ultimate need for divine forgiveness and cleansing. The perfect and spotless sacrifice of Jesus on the cross provides the complete and final cleansing from all bloodguilt and sin for those who come to Him by faith, accomplishing what the Levitical sacrifices and this Deuteronomic rite could only symbolize or foreshadow.
• Importance of Confession: The elders' prayer also emphasizes the importance of honest confession and identification with the sin's potential impact on the community. By asking YHWH to "forgive" and "not place" guilt, they confess the presence of a defilement and acknowledge their need for divine mercy, despite their personal innocence of the act itself.

Deuteronomy 21 8 Commentary

Deuteronomy 21:8 encapsulates the essence of Israel's understanding of collective holiness and divine justice. When an unsolved murder occurred, it wasn't merely a civil issue; it was a cosmic disturbance that stained the land and jeopardized the nation's covenant standing with God. The shedding of innocent blood was profoundly polluting, symbolizing a violation of life itself, which belonged to God. The ritual involving the heifer and the prayer in verse 8 was God's prescribed means for the community to ritually cleanse itself.

The act of washing hands signifies innocence of the crime itself, while the prayer goes deeper, acknowledging the presence of defilement within their midst and appealing to God for its removal. It’s a testament to the fact that even unintentional or unknown corporate sin needed divine intervention and atonement. This ritual underscores God's demand for holiness and righteousness, His abhorrence of injustice, and His provision for cleansing, even when human efforts to bring justice are insufficient. Though provisional, it foreshadowed the perfect and eternal atonement wrought by the innocent blood of Christ, which cleanses all sin and fulfills the spiritual truth behind these Old Testament ordinances (Heb 9:12-14, 10:4).