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“If in the land which the LORD your God gives you to possess, someone is found slain in the field, and it is not known who struck him down,
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then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities around the slain man.
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The city that is found nearest to the slain man, the elders of that city shall take a young heifer that has not been worked and has not drawn with a yoke.
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The elders of that city shall bring the young heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and there in the valley they shall break the neck of the young heifer.
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Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the LORD; by their word every dispute and every case of injury shall be settled.
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And all the elders of the city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the young heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,
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and they shall declare and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, and our eyes have not seen it.
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Provide atonement for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, O LORD, and do not place innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ Then the blood shall be atoned for them.
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So you shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD.”
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“When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive,
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and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire her and would take her as your wife,
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then you shall bring her into your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails,
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and put off the clothing of her captivity, and remain in your house and mourn her father and mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
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But if you no longer delight in her, then you shall let her go where she wishes; you shall not sell her for money at all, nor shall you treat her as a slave, because you have humbled her.”
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“If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and they bear him sons, both the loved and the unloved, and the firstborn son is from the unloved wife,
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then, when he divides his inheritance among his sons, he must not give the right of the firstborn to the son of the beloved wife at the expense of the son of the unloved wife, who is the firstborn.
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But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the first fruit of his strength: the right of the firstborn is his.”
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“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not listen to the voice of his father or his mother, and though they discipline him, he still will not listen to them,
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then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of his place.
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And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not listen to our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’
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Then all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, so that he dies. So you shall put away the evil from among you; and all Israel shall hear and fear.”
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“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
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do not let his body remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God; do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
⚖️👨👩👧👦📜 Summary of Deuteronomy 21 – Social Law and Justice in Daily Life
Deuteronomy 21 contains several legal provisions showing that the Law regulates not only worship, but also social life, family life, and justice in the community. Each section shows that God cares about human dignity, family justice, and the balance of love and discipline.
📌 1. Unsolved Murder (verses 1–9)
- If a body is found and the killer is unknown:
The elders and priests must measure the distance to the nearest city.
That city is responsible for performing a rite of atonement:
Slaughtering a calf in a valley.
The elders wash their hands as a sign of innocence.
The purpose is that the blood of the innocent may be removed from the land.
🎯 The Lord teaches that even the life of one person is very precious and must be met with moral seriousness.
📌 2. The Captive Woman Taken as a Wife (verses 10–14)
- If an Israelite wins a battle and wants to marry a captive woman:
He must give her time to mourn (30 days).
He must not treat her as a slave.
If later he no longer wishes to marry her:
He must set her free; he may not sell her or humiliate her.
🎯 The Lord gives protection for a woman’s dignity, even in the harsh setting of war.
📌 3. The Firstborn Son of the Unloved Wife (verses 15–17)
- If a man has two wives and does not love one of them, but the firstborn son is from the wife he does not love:
He must still acknowledge the rights of the firstborn.
He may not give a double inheritance to the son of the favored wife.
🎯 Justice in the family must not be influenced by favoritism or personal feelings.
📌 4. The Stubborn and Rebellious Son (verses 18–21)
- If a child is stubborn, disobedient and unwilling to change, even after being rebuked:
The parents must bring him to the elders of the city.
If he is found to be rebellious and destructive:
He must be stoned by the community.
“You shall remove the evil from among you.” (verse 21)
🎯 This action is not about violence, but about preserving the holiness of the community and preventing social corruption.
📌 5. The One Put to Death and Hung on a Tree (verses 22–23)
- The one who is put to death and hung on a tree:
Must not be left overnight.
He must be buried that same day.
For the one who is hung is:
“Cursed by God.”
🎯 This is fulfilled in Christ, who bore the curse of our sin on the cross.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord cares about justice, even in cases where no clear offender is known.
- Women, even in the context of captives, are still worthy of honor and protection.
- Inheritance rights and justice within the family must be upheld without favoritism.
- Discipline in the family and community is part of holy living.
- The death of Christ on the cross fulfills the symbol of the curse in this chapter, and becomes a blessing for many.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
- Galatians 3:13 directly quotes Deuteronomy 21:23:
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law… for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
- That is, Jesus bore our curse so that we might be freed from the penalty of sin.
- God’s love and His justice meet at the cross.
🎯 The justice of the Law points to the need for redemption — and that redemption is fulfilled in Christ.
“For the one who is hanged is accursed by God…” – Deuteronomy 21:23
“…so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:14
