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Deuteronomy 21
Deuteronomy 21:1
General Information:
Moses continues to speak to the people of Israel.
If someone is found killed
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "If someone finds a person whom someone else has killed" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
lying in the field
The dead person is lying in the field.
it is not known who has attacked him
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "nobody knows who attacked him" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Deuteronomy 21:2
they must measure to the cities
"they must measure the distance to the cities"
him who has been killed
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "him whom someone has killed" or "the dead body" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Deuteronomy 21:3
has not borne the yoke
"has not worn a yoke"
Deuteronomy 21:4
running water
This is an idiom for water that is moving. Alternate translation: "a stream" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-idiom)
a valley that has been neither plowed nor sown
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "a valley where nobody has plowed the ground or planted seeds" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Deuteronomy 21:5
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel.
must come forward
"must come to the valley"
for Yahweh your God has chosen them to serve him
"because the priests are the ones whom Yahweh your God has chosen to serve him"
Yahweh your God
Moses speaks to the Israelites as if he were speaking to one man, so the word "your" is singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
give blessing
"bless the people of Israel"
in the name of Yahweh
Here the metonym "in the name of" refers to Yahweh and his authority. Alternate translation: "as one who says and does what Yahweh himself would say and do" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
Yahweh and to decide every case of dispute and assault by their word
"Yahweh, and they will be the ones who settle all disagreements and cases of violence"
Deuteronomy 21:6
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel.
the heifer whose neck was broken
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "the heifer whose neck the priests broke" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Deuteronomy 21:7
they must answer to the case
"they must testify to Yahweh about this case"
Our hands have not shed this blood
Here "hands" are a synecdoche for the whole person and "shed this blood" is a metonym for killing an innocent person. Alternate translation: "We did not kill this innocent person" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
neither have our eyes seen it
Here "eyes" refers to the whole person. Alternate translation: "and we did not see anyone kill this person" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche)
Deuteronomy 21:8
General Information:
Moses continues to tell the elders what they should say when they wash their hands over the heifer. He speaks to them as if he were speaking to one man, so the words "you" and "your" are singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
whom you have redeemed
Yahweh rescuing the people of Israel from being slaves in Egypt is spoken of as if Yahweh paid money to redeem his people from slavery. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
do not put guilt for innocent bloodshed in the midst of your people Israel
This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "do not treat your people Israel as if they are guilty of killing an innocent person" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-idiom)
Then the bloodshed will be forgiven them
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "Then Yahweh will forgive his people Israel for the death of an innocent person" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Deuteronomy 21:9
you will put away the innocent blood from your midst
"you will not be guilty any more of killing an innocent person"
what is right in the eyes of Yahweh
The eyes represent seeing, and seeing represents thoughts or judgment. Alternate translation: "what is right in Yahweh's judgment" or "what Yahweh considers to be right" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Deuteronomy 21:10
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel as if he were speaking to one man, so the words "you" and "your" are singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
you go out
"you who are soldiers go out"
Deuteronomy 21:11
you have a desire for her
Use a polite phrase for "you want to sleep with her."
wish to take her for yourself as a wife
"want to marry her"
Deuteronomy 21:12
she will shave her head
"she will shave the hair off of her head"
cut her nails
"cut her fingernails"
Deuteronomy 21:13
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel as if he were speaking to one man, so the words "you" and "your" are singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
she will take off the clothes she was wearing
She will do this after the man brings her to his house and when she shaves her head and cuts her fingernails and toenails as mentioned in Deuteronomy 21:12. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "she will take off the clothes of her people and put on Israelite clothes" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
when she was taken captive
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "when you took her captive" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
a full month
"an entire month" or "a whole month"
After that you may lie with her
This is a euphemism. Alternate translation: "After that you may have sexual relations with her" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-euphemism)
Deuteronomy 21:14
But if you take no delight in her
You may need to make explicit that the man sleeps with the woman. Alternate translation: "But if you sleep with her and then decide that you do not want her as your wife" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
let her go where she wishes
"let her go wherever she wants to go"
because you have humiliated her
"because you shamed her by sleeping with her and then sending her away"
Deuteronomy 21:15
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel.
one is loved and the other is hated
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: Possible meanings are 1) "the man loves one of his wives and he hates the other wife" or 2) "the man loves one wife more than he loves the other wife" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
if the firstborn son is of her that is hated
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "if the firstborn son belongs to the wife whom the man hates" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Deuteronomy 21:16
then on the day that the man
"when the man"
the man causes his sons to inherit what he possesses
"the man gives his possessions to his sons as an inheritance"
he may not make the son of the beloved wife the firstborn before the son of the hated wife
"he may not treat the son of the beloved wife as if he were the firstborn instead of the son of the hated wife"
Deuteronomy 21:17
a double portion
"twice as much"
that son is the beginning of his strength
This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "that son is the one who shows that the man can become the father of sons" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-idiom)
Deuteronomy 21:18
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel.
who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother
Here "voice" is a metonym for what a person says. Alternate translation: "who will not obey what his father or mother say" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
they correct him
"they punish him for his wrongdoing" or "they train and instruct him"
Deuteronomy 21:19
must lay hold on him and bring him out
"must force him to come out"
Deuteronomy 21:20
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel as if they were one man, so all instances of "you" are singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
This son of ours
"Our son"
he will not obey our voice
Here "voice" is a metonym for what a person says or a synecdoche for the whole person. Alternate translation: "he will not do what we tell him to do" or "he will not obey us" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche)
a glutton
a person who eats and drinks too much
a drunkard
a person who drinks too much alcohol and gets drunk often
Deuteronomy 21:21
stone him to death with stones
"throw stones at him until he dies"
you will remove the evil from among you
The adjective "evil" can be translated as a noun phrase. Alternate translation: "you must remove from among the Israelites the person who does this evil thing" or "you must execute this evil person" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-nominaladj)
All Israel
The word "Israel" is a metonym for the people of Israel. Alternate translation: "All the people of Israel" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
will hear of it and fear
The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. Alternate translation: "will hear about what happened to the son and be afraid that the people will punish them also" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
Deuteronomy 21:22
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel as if he were speaking to one man, so the words "you" and "your" are singular. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
If a man has committed a sin worthy of death
"If a man has done something so bad that you need to punish him by killing him"
he is put to death
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "you execute him" or "you kill him" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
you hang him on a tree
Possible meanings are 1) "after he has died you hang him on a tree" or 2) "you kill him by hanging him on a wooden post"
Deuteronomy 21:23
bury him the same day
"bury him on the same day as when you execute him"
for whoever is hanged is cursed by God
This can be stated in active form. Possible meanings are 1) "because God curses everyone whom people hang on trees" and 2) "people hang on trees those whom God has cursed." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
do not defile the land
by leaving something God has cursed hanging in the tree