Deuteronomy 17:5

5 So take the person who has done that evil thing to your city gate. Put that person to death with stones.

Deuteronomy 17:5 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 17:5

Thou shall bring forth that man or that woman which have
committed the wicked thing
Idolatry in any of the above instances: this must be supposed to be done after he or she have been had before a court of judicature, and have been tried and found guilty, and sentence passed on them, then they were to be brought forth to execution:

unto thy gates;
the Targum of Jonathan says, unto the gates of your sanhedrim, or court of judicature; but Jarchi observes, that this is a mistake of the paraphrase, for he says, we are taught by tradition that "thy gate" is the gate in which he has served or committed idolatry; and so says Maimonides F4, they do not stone a man but at the gate where he served or worshipped; but if the greatest part of the city are Heathens, they stone him at the door of the sanhedrim; and this is received from tradition, that "to thy gates" is the gate at which he served, and not where his judgment is finished:

[even] that man or that woman;
this is repeated, and the woman as well as the man is expressed, to show that no compassion is to be had on her as is usual, nor to be spared on account of the weakness and tenderness of her sex, but she as well as the man must be brought forth and executed according to her sentence, without any mercy shown; and this is observed to show the resentment of the divine Majesty, and his indignation at this sin:

and shalt stone them with stones until they die;
of the manner of stoning men and women, (See Gill on Acts 7:58).


FOOTNOTES:

F4 Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 15. sect. 2.

Deuteronomy 17:5 In-Context

3 The person might have worshiped or bowed down to other gods. That person might have bowed down to the sun or moon or stars in the sky. I have commanded you not to do those things.
4 When you hear that people have done something like that, check the matter out carefully. If it's true, an evil thing has been done in Israel. It's something the LORD hates.
5 So take the person who has done that evil thing to your city gate. Put that person to death with stones.
6 The witness of two or three people is required to put someone to death. No one can be put to death because of what only one witness says. It needs the witness of two or three people.
7 The witnesses must throw the first stones. Then the rest of the people must also throw stones. Get rid of that evil person.
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