So you shall purge from among you the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes.
- KJV So 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.
- NKJV So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
- NASB So you shall remove the guilt for innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
- NLT By following these instructions, you will do what is right in the Lord’s sight and will cleanse the guilt of murder from your community.
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
By following God's prescribed procedure, Israel purges the guilt of innocent blood from among them. Doing right in God's eyes removes defilement.
Overview
This concluding verse summarizes the purpose of the whole rite: to put away bloodguilt by obedient action that is right in Yahweh's eyes. It teaches that justice and atonement are not optional but essential to keeping the covenant community holy before God. The pattern of removing evil through prescribed obedience foreshadows the perfect righteousness and once-for-all cleansing accomplished in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Deut 19:12–13the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.
- Deut 13:18because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
- 2 Kgs 10:30–31Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
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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 21:9 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.