Deuteronomy 13:9
New International Version
You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people.

New Living Translation
You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in.

English Standard Version
But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

Berean Standard Bible
Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.

King James Bible
But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

New King James Version
but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

New American Standard Bible
Instead, you shall most certainly kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

NASB 1995
“But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

NASB 1977
“But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Legacy Standard Bible
But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Amplified Bible
Instead, you shall most certainly execute him; your hand shall be first [to be raised] against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Christian Standard Bible
Instead, you must kill him. Your hand is to be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Instead, you must kill him. Your hand is to be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.

American Standard Version
but thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

English Revised Version
but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You must put them to death. You must start the execution. Then all the other people will join you in putting them to death.

Good News Translation
Kill them! Be the first to stone them, and then let everyone else stone them too.

International Standard Version
But you must surely execute him. You must be the first to put him to death with your own hand, and then the hands of the whole community.

Majority Standard Bible
Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.

NET Bible
Instead, you must kill him without fail! Your own hand must be the first to strike him, and then the hands of the whole community.

New Heart English Bible
but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Webster's Bible Translation
But thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

World English Bible
but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
But you surely kill him; your hand is on him in the first place to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last;

Young's Literal Translation
'But thou dost surely kill him; thy hand is on him, in the first place, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last;

Smith's Literal Translation
But killing, thou shalt kill him; thy hand shall be upon him for the first to put him to death, and the hand of all the people at last.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But thou shalt presently put him to death. Let thy hand be first upon him, and afterwards the hands of all the people.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Instead, you shall put him to death promptly. Let your hand be upon him first, and after that, let the hands of all the people be sent forth.

New American Bible
but kill that person. Your hand shall be the first raised to put such a one to death; the hand of all the people shall follow.

New Revised Standard Version
But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But you shall surely kill him; your own hand shall start first to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
But certainly kill him; your hand shall begin with him first to kill him and the hand of all the people at the end.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
but thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
thou shalt surely report concerning him, and thy hands shall be upon him among the first to slay him, and the hands of all the people at the last.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Idolaters to Be Put to Death
8you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him. 9Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.…

Cross References
Matthew 10:37
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;

Luke 14:26
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.

Matthew 5:29-30
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. / And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.

Matthew 18:8-9
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. / And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Mark 9:43-47
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. / where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’ / If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ...

Luke 12:51-53
Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. / From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. / They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Acts 5:29
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.

Romans 16:17
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

1 Corinthians 5:13
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

Galatians 1:8-9
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! / As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...

1 Timothy 6:3-5
If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, / he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes about words, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, / and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.

2 John 1:10-11
If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. / Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.

Revelation 2:14-16
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. / In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. / Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

Exodus 32:27-28
He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” / The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.


Treasury of Scripture

But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

But

Deuteronomy 17:2-7
If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, …

Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Luke 14:26
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

thine hand

Deuteronomy 17:7
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.

John 8:7
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Acts 7:58
And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

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Deuteronomy 13
1. Enticers to idolatry
6. however near to oneself
9. are to be stoned to death
12. Idolatrous cities are not to be spared














Instead, you must surely kill him
This phrase is a direct command from God, emphasizing the seriousness of idolatry and apostasy in ancient Israel. The Hebrew word for "kill" here is "harag," which implies a decisive and deliberate act. In the context of Deuteronomy, this command underscores the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, where idolatry is seen as a betrayal of that covenant. Historically, this reflects the need for purity and faithfulness within the community, as Israel was called to be a holy nation set apart for God.

Your hand must be the first against him
This phrase highlights the personal responsibility of the accuser in the execution of justice. The Hebrew word for "hand" is "yad," symbolizing power and action. By requiring the accuser to be the first to act, it ensures that accusations are not made lightly or falsely. This principle of personal accountability is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus challenges those without sin to cast the first stone (John 8:7). It serves as a sobering reminder of the weight of judgment and the need for integrity.

to put him to death
The phrase "to put him to death" reiterates the gravity of the offense. The Hebrew root "muth" is used here, which conveys the finality and seriousness of the death penalty. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such measures were necessary to maintain social and religious order. This reflects the broader biblical theme of the consequences of sin and the need for justice, while also pointing forward to the ultimate justice and mercy found in Christ.

and then the hands of all the people
This phrase involves the community in the act of judgment, emphasizing collective responsibility. The Hebrew word "kol" for "all" indicates the involvement of the entire community, reinforcing the idea that idolatry affects not just the individual but the whole nation. This communal aspect serves as a deterrent against sin and highlights the importance of unity and shared values in maintaining the covenant relationship with God. It also foreshadows the New Testament concept of the body of Christ, where each member is responsible for the spiritual health of the community.

(9) Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death.--A law tending to prevent false accusation. Where the witness is obliged to carry out himself, or to aid in carrying out, the sentence he demands, secret accusation is impossible; and it is far less easy to pervert the law in order to prosecute a private quarrel.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Instead,
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you must surely kill him.
הָרֹג֙ (hā·rōḡ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

Your hand
יָֽדְךָ֛ (yā·ḏə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

must be
תִּֽהְיֶה־ (tih·yeh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

the first
בָרִֽאשׁוֹנָ֖ה (ḇā·ri·šō·w·nāh)
Preposition-b, Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7223: First, in place, time, rank

against him
בּ֥וֹ (bōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to put him to death,
לַהֲמִית֑וֹ (la·hă·mî·ṯōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

and then
בָּאַחֲרֹנָֽה׃ (bā·’a·ḥă·rō·nāh)
Preposition-b, Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 314: Hinder, late, last, western

the hands
וְיַ֥ד (wə·yaḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

of all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the people.
הָעָ֖ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 13:9 But you shall surely kill him (Deut. De Du)
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