Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.
- BSB You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.
- NKJV Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.
- NASB You shall not pity him, but you shall eliminate the guilt for the bloodshed of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well for you.
- NLT Do not feel sorry for that murderer! Purge from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people; then all will go well with you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must show no pity to the murderer but purge innocent blood, so it goes well with them. Removing such guilt brings blessing to the community.
Overview
The judges were not to let misplaced compassion shield a murderer, for unavenged blood defiled the land. Purging the guilt of innocent blood was essential to Israel's well-being before God. This reflects that genuine justice, not sentimentality, honors the value of life and secures God's blessing.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Kgs 2:31And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
- Deut 7:2And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
- Deut 7:16And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
- Deut 21:9So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.
- Num 35:33–34So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
- 2 Sam 21:1Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
- Lev 24:17And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.
- Deut 25:12Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
- Ezek 16:5None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
- Lev 24:21And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.
- Gen 9:6Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
- 2 Sam 21:14And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.
- Deut 13:8Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 19:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.