Deuteronomy 21:7

7 and they shall say, Our hands shed not out this blood, neither our eyes have seen who shed it.

Deuteronomy 21:7 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 21:7

And they shall answer and say
The elders of the city, at the time of the washing of their hands:

our hands have not shed this blood;
have been no ways concerned in it, nor accessory to it: the Targum of Jonathan is,

``it is manifest before the Lord that he did not come into our hands, nor did we dismiss him, that has shed this blood;''

which is more fully explained in the Misnah ^F25; for had they been aware of him, or had any suspicion of him or his design, they would have detained him, or at least would not have suffered him to have departed alone:

neither have our eyes seen;
it, or him; so the Targum of Jerusalem,

``our eyes have not seen him that hath shed this blood;''

by which expression is meant, that they had no manner of knowledge of the murderer, nor of any circumstance that could lead them to suspect or conclude who he was.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Ut supra, (Sotah. c. 9.) sect. 6.

Deuteronomy 21:7 In-Context

5 And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall nigh, which thy Lord God chose, that they minister to him, and bless in his name, and all the cause shall hang at their word; and whatever thing is clean either unclean, be it deemed by them. (And the levitical priests shall come forth, whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and bless in his name, and all the cases shall hang on their words; and whatever thing is clean or unclean, shall be judged, or determined, by them.)

6 And the greater men in birth of that city shall come to the slain man, and they shall wash their hands on the cow calf, that was slain in the valley; (And the men of great age, that is, the elders, of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall come, and they shall wash their hands over the cow calf, that was killed in the valley;)

7 and they shall say, Our hands shed not out this blood, neither our eyes have seen who shed it.

8 Lord, be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast again-bought, and areckon thou not innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be done away from them. (Lord, be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast bought back, or hast redeemed, and put thou not the guilt of innocent blood on thy people Israel. And so the guilt for the innocent blood shall be done away from them.)

9 Forsooth thou shalt be alien, or unguilty, from the blood of the innocent which is shed, when thou hast done that that the Lord commanded. (And so thou shalt be free from any guilt for the innocent blood which is shed, when thou hast done what the Lord commanded.)