Deuteronomy 17:8-13

Legal disputes

8 If some legal dispute in your cities is too difficult for you to decide—say, between different kinds of bloodshed, different kinds of legal ruling, or different kinds of injury—then take it to the location the LORD your God selects.
9 Go to the levitical priests and to the head judge in office at that time and look into things there. They will announce to you the correct ruling.
10 You must then act according to the ruling they announced to you from that location, the one the LORD selects. You must follow very carefully everything they instruct you to do.
11 Act precisely according to the instruction they give you and the ruling they announce to you. Don't deviate even a bit from the word they announce.
12 And whoever acts rashly by not listening to the priest who is in office serving the LORD your God or to the head judge will die. Remove such evil from Israel!
13 All the people will hear about this and be afraid. They won't act arrogantly anymore.

Deuteronomy 17:8-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 17

This chapter begins with a caution not to sacrifice anything to the Lord that is blemished or ill favoured, De 17:1, an order is given to put to death men or women guilty of idolatry, where it is clearly proved upon them, De 17:2-7 and it is directed that when cases are too hard for inferior judges to determine, they should be brought to Jerusalem to the priests, Levites, and judges, which formed the great consistory there, whose sentence was to be adhered unto on pain of death, De 17:8-13, and rules are given about the choice of a king, and he is informed what he must not do, and what he should do, De 17:14-20.

Footnotes 1

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