What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 17:5?

Bring out to your gates

• “Your gates” identifies the public place where elders rendered judgment (Deuteronomy 16:18; Ruth 4:1).

• Moving the offender there ensured transparency and due process, guarding against private revenge (Deuteronomy 21:19).

• Justice was to be visible, reminding all Israel that the LORD Himself presides over the community (Psalm 82:1; Proverbs 31:23).

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The man or woman who has done this evil thing

• The law applies equally—gender, status, or influence cannot shield anyone (Numbers 15:30; Romans 2:11).

• “This evil thing” refers to idolatry described in the previous verses (Deuteronomy 17:2-3; 13:6-11).

• By singling out both “man or woman,” the text stresses personal accountability before God (Ezekiel 18:20; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

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You must stone that person to death

• Stoning required the community’s participation and the testimony of at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6-7), preventing rash or secret executions.

• The severity underscored the corrosive danger of idolatry and protected the covenant people (Leviticus 20:2; Deuteronomy 22:24).

• The New Testament recalls this penalty to highlight the greater salvation Christ provides (John 8:5; Hebrews 10:28-29; Galatians 3:13).

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Summary

Deuteronomy 17:5 teaches that God demands public, impartial, and decisive action against idolatry to preserve His people’s holiness. The city gate affirms orderly justice, the mention of “man or woman” secures equal accountability, and the command to stone reflects the gravity of turning from the LORD. While the civil penalty was specific to Israel’s theocratic life, it still reveals God’s unchanging hatred of sin and His zeal for pure worship, ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who bore the curse for all who trust Him.