Deuteronomy 19:14-21

Laws of Landmark and Testimony

14 "¹You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.

15 "²A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.

16 "³If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing,

17 then both the men who have the dispute shall stand ⁴before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days.

18 "The judges ⁵shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely,

19 then ⁶you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.

20 "⁷The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again * do such an evil thing among you.

21 "Thus ⁸you shall not show pity: ⁹life for life, ¹⁰eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Deuteronomy 19:14-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 19

This chapter contains an order to separate three cities of refuge in the land of Canaan, for such that killed a man unawares to flee to, of which those who were guilty of murder purposely were to have no benefit, De 19:1-13, a law is given against removing landmarks, De 19:14, and others concerning witnesses, that they should be more than one; be two, or three, De 19:15, and that a false witness, on conviction, should be punished, De 19:16-21.

Cross References

• 1. Deuteronomy 27:17; Job 24:2; Proverbs 22:28; Hosea 5:10
• 2. Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:16; John 8:17; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28
• 3. Exodus 23:1; Psalms 27:12
• 4. Deuteronomy 17:9
• 5. Deuteronomy 25:1
• 6. Proverbs 19:5
• 7. Deuteronomy 17:13; Deuteronomy 21:21
• 8. Deuteronomy 19:13
• 9. Exodus 21:23; Leviticus 24:20
• 10. Matthew 5:38

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "possess it"
• [b]. Lit "in any sin, which he sins"
• [c]. Lit "mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three"
• [d]. Lit "testify against"
• [e]. Lit "turning aside"
• [f]. Lit "testified against"
• [g]. Lit "your eye"