Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
Parallel translations
- WEB then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.
- BSB his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown,
- NKJV then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city.
- NASB then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.
- NLT In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate.
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
The parents must bring the incorrigible son before the town elders at the gate. The matter is taken out of private hands into public justice.
Overview
Both parents jointly bring the case to the elders at the city gate, the place of legal judgment. This safeguard prevents private vengeance and ensures impartial community oversight. By requiring public adjudication, the law restrains parental anger and guarantees due process, even in so grave a charge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Deut 25:7And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.
- Zech 13:3And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
- Deut 16:18Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
- Deut 21:2Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
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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 21:19 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
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