and they shall declare, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.
Parallel translations
- WEB They shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
- KJV And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
- NKJV Then they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it.
- NASB and they shall respond and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see who did.
- NLT Then they must say, ‘Our hands did not shed this person’s blood, nor did we see it happen.
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 elders publicly testify that they neither shed this blood nor witnessed the crime. Their oath formally clears the community of guilt.
Overview
This declaration accompanies the hand-washing rite over the heifer. By solemnly affirming their innocence, the elders distance the town from the unsolved murder so that the land is not left bloodguilty. The passage underscores how seriously Israel was to treat the value of human life made in God's image, and how even unintended or unknown sin required addressing before the LORD.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Job 21:21–23For what does he care about his household after him, when the number of his months has run out?
- Num 5:19–28And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.
- Job 21:31–34Who denounces his behavior to his face? Who repays him for what he has done?
- 2 Sam 16:8The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!”
- Ps 7:3–4O LORD my God, if I have done this, if injustice is on my hands,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 21:7 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.