Deuteronomy 17:5

5 the thou shalt bringe forth that ma or that woman whiche haue comytted that weked thinge, vnto thi gates ad shalt stone the with stones ad they shall dye.

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 so that they haue gone and serued strauge goddes ad worshipped the, whether it be the sonne or mone or any thinge contayned in heaue which I forbade,
4 and it was tolde the ad thou hast herde of it: Then thou shalt enquere diligently. And yf it be true and the thinge of a suertye that soch abhomynacion is wrought in Israel
5 the thou shalt bringe forth that ma or that woman whiche haue comytted that weked thinge, vnto thi gates ad shalt stone the with stones ad they shall dye.
6 At the mouth of .ij. or .iij witnesses shal he that is worthy of deeth, dye: but at the mouth of one witnesse he shall not dye.
7 And the handes of the witnesses shalbe first vppon him to kyll him, ad afterwarde the handes of all the people: so shalt thou put wekednesse awaye from the.
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