Deuteronomy 17:5

5 thou shalt lead out the man and the woman, that did that most cursed thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be oppressed with stones (until they die). (thou shalt lead out the man, or the woman, who did this most cursed thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be killed 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 that they go and serve alien gods, and worship them, the sun, and the moon, and all the knighthood of heaven, which things I commanded not; (and go and serve foreign, or other, gods, and worship them, or the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which things I would never command;)
4 and this is told to thee, and thou hearest (of) it, and inquirest diligently, and thou findest that it is sooth, and that (such an) abomination is done in Israel;
5 thou shalt lead out the man and the woman, that did that most cursed thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be oppressed with stones (until they die). (thou shalt lead out the man, or the woman, who did this most cursed thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be killed with stones.)
6 He that shall be slain, shall perish in the mouth of twain, either of three witnesses; no man be slain, for one man saith witnessing against him. (He who shall be put to death, shall die only after the testimony of two, or three, witnesses; no one shall die because one person saith witnessing against them.)
7 The hand of the witnesses shall first slay him, and at the last the hand of the other people shall be put to, for to throw him down with stones, that thou do away evil from the midst of thee. (The hands of the witnesses shall be the first to stone them, and then the other people shall put their hands to it, and they shall throw their stones, so that thou do away evil from the midst of thee.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.