Deuteronomy 19 Study Notes

19:13 This verse echoes 7:16; 13:8. No pity was to be shown the murderer. Murder was deemed to be an assault on God himself, an ultimate act of insubordination and rebellion (Gn 9:5-6).

19:14 The contextual relevance of this passage can be observed by recognizing that a common cause of hostility between persons is a failure to agree on common boundaries and to respect property rights.

19:15 To help prevent a miscarriage of justice, the law required the testimony of two or three witnesses (cp. 17:6-7).

19:16-20 Should a malicious witness turn out to be guilty of perjury, he must suffer the fate intended for the accused. Strict enforcement acts as a deterrent.

19:21 This principle is called (Lat) lex talionis, the law of retaliation. An example is the case described in vv. 16-19 where a lying witness receives the punishment the accused would have received had he been guilty. There is disagreement as to whether life for life, eye for eye, and the rest were to be taken literally or whether the principle was simply that the punishment must fit the crime. The latter seems more likely given other biblical laws that indicate that tit for tat was not always followed (Ex 22:21; Nm 35:31).