7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.

Other Translations of Deuteronomy 17:7

King James Version

7 The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

English Standard Version

7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purgeSeptuagint drive out; also verse 12 the evilOr evil person; also verse 12 from your midst.

The Message

7 The witnesses must throw the first stones in the execution, then the rest of the community joins in. You have to purge the evil from your community.

New King James Version

7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you.

New Living Translation

7 The witnesses must throw the first stones, and then all the people may join in. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Deuteronomy 17:7

Commentary on Deuteronomy 17:1-7

(Read Deuteronomy 17:1-7)

No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our abilities, time, and possession, or our pretended obedience will be hateful to him. So great a punishment as death, so remarkable a death as stoning, must be inflicted on the Jewish idolater. Let all who in our day set up idols in their hearts, remember how God punished this crime in Israel.