Deuteronômio 19

ARC · Chapter 19/34

1Quando o Senhor teu Deus desarraigar as nações cuja terra te dará o Senhor teu Deus, e tu as possuires, e morares nas suas cidades e nas suas casas;

2Tres cidades separarás no meio da tua terra que te dará o Senhor teu Deus para a possuir.

3Preparar-te-has o caminho; e os termos da tua terra, que te fará possuir o Senhor teu Deus, partirás em tres: e isto será para que todo o homicida se acolha ali.

4E este é o caso tocante ao homicida, que se acolher ali, para que viva: aquelle que por erro ferir o seu proximo, a quem não aborrecia d'antes:

5Como aquelle que entrar com o seu proximo no bosque, para cortar lenha, e, pondo força na sua mão com o machado para cortar a arvore, o ferro saltar do cabo e ferir o seu proximo, e morrer, o tal se acolherá a uma d'estas cidades, e viverá:

6Para que o vingador do sangue não vá após o homicida, quando se esquentar o seu coração, e o alcançar, por ser comprido o caminho, e lhe tire a vida; porque não é culpado de morte, pois o não aborrecia d'antes.

7Portanto te dou ordem, dizendo: Tres cidades separarás.

8E, se o Senhor teu Deus dilatar os teus termos, como jurou a teus paes, e te dér toda a terra que disse daria a teus paes

9(Quando guardares todos estes mandamentos, que hoje te ordeno, para fazel-os, amando ao Senhor teu Deus e andando nos seus caminhos todos os dias), então accrescentarás outras tres cidades além d'estas tres.

10Para que o sangue innocente se não derrame no meio da tua terra, que o Senhor teu Deus te dá por herança, e haja sangue sobre ti

11Mas, havendo alguem que aborrece a seu proximo, e lhe arma ciladas, e se levanta contra elle, e o fere na vida, que morra, e se acolhe a alguma d'estas cidades,

12Então os anciãos da sua cidade mandarão, e d'ali o tirarão, e o entregarão na mão do vingador do sangue, para que morra

13O teu olho o não poupará; antes tirarás o sangue innocente de Israel, para que bem te succeda.

14Não mudes o limite do teu proximo, que limitaram os antigos na tua herança, que possuires na terra, que te dá o Senhor teu Deus para a possuires.

15Uma só testemunha contra ninguem se levantará por qualquer iniquidade, ou por qualquer peccado, seja qual fôr o peccado que peccasse: pela bocca de duas testemunhas, ou pela bocca de tres testemunhas, se estabelecerá o negocio.

16Quando se levantar testemunha falsa contra alguem, para testificar contra elle ácerca de desvio,

17Então aquelles dois homens, que tiverem a demanda, se apresentarão perante o Senhor, diante dos sacerdotes e dos juizes que houver n'aquelles dias;

18E os juizes bem inquirirão; e eis que, sendo a testemunha falsa testemunha, que testificou falsidade contra seu irmão,

19Far-lhe-heis como cuidou fazer a seu irmão: e assim tirarás o mal do meio de ti.

20Para que os que ficarem o ouçam e temam, e nunca mais tornem a fazer tal mal no meio de ti.

21O teu olho não poupará: vida por vida, olho por olho, dente por dente, mão por mão, pé por pé.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses details the system of cities of refuge for unintentional manslaughter, the prohibition against moving property boundary markers, the requirement of two or three witnesses for conviction, and the mirrored punishment (lex talionis) for witnesses proven to be false.

Explanation

The cities of refuge, already mentioned in Numbers 35, are detailed again here with provision for future expansion (from three to six cities) should Israel's territory grow beyond what was initially promised, showing a legal system designed to grow with the nation. The prohibition against moving property boundary markers guarded against a specific, sneaky kind of theft — gradually stealing land through fraud at the borders, rather than obvious robbery — showing legal sensitivity to subtle forms of injustice. The requirement of multiple witnesses for any serious conviction, with mirrored punishment for anyone who lied ('then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother'), created a strong deterrent against false testimony, protecting the integrity of the whole judicial system against manipulation.

Fun facts

  • The principle of requiring 'two or three witnesses' (v. 15) is quoted directly by Jesus in Matthew 18:16 regarding discipline within the community of faith, and by Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:1 and 1 Timothy 5:19, showing its continued application beyond Israel's purely legal context.
  • The punishment of doing to the false witness exactly what he intended to do to the victim (v. 19) is a clear and less-cited example of the 'eye for an eye' principle being applied not to direct crimes, but specifically to the integrity of the justice system itself.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 19:1It looks ahead to the conquest of the land and the distribution of the Canaanite cities as permanent housing for Israel.
  2. Deuteronômio 19:2It commands setting apart three cities of refuge within the territory, in addition to the three already designated on the east side of the Jordan.
  3. Deuteronômio 19:3It commands preparing good access to these cities, dividing the territory into three parts, so that anyone who killed unintentionally could reach one quickly.
  4. Deuteronômio 19:4It defines who has the right to refuge: only someone who killed another person unintentionally, by accident, with no prior hatred toward the victim.
  5. Deuteronômio 19:5The example of an axe head flying off the handle and killing someone by accident, while two friends are cutting wood together, is the concrete case the law uses to explain who has the right to flee to a city of refuge: someone who caused a death with no intent and no prior quarrel.
  6. Deuteronômio 19:6It explains the practical purpose of the cities: to keep the avenger of blood, overcome by rage, from killing an innocent man before a fair trial.
  7. Deuteronômio 19:7It repeats the direct command: three cities of refuge are to be set apart.
  8. Deuteronômio 19:8It anticipates the possibility of future territorial expansion, should God fulfill the promise to enlarge Israel’s borders.
  9. Deuteronômio 19:9It makes that expansion conditional on obedience to the commandments — and if it happened, three more cities of refuge were to be added.
  10. Deuteronômio 19:10The ultimate reason for so many cities of refuge is to keep innocent blood from being shed in the land God gave.
  11. Deuteronômio 19:11It already provides for the exception: whoever lies in wait and kills out of deliberate hatred has no right to refuge.
  12. Deuteronômio 19:12In that case of premeditated murder, the elders of the killer’s own city were to hand him over to the avenger of blood.
  13. Deuteronômio 19:13It calls for no pity or hesitation in that case: removing the guilt of innocent blood shed is what brings well-being to Israel.
  14. Deuteronômio 19:14Moving a neighbor’s boundary marker looks like a small crime next to the other laws in the chapter, but in practice it was stealing land without any apparent violence. That’s why it’s forbidden right alongside laws about homicide.
  15. Deuteronômio 19:15It establishes an important legal rule: no accusation stands on a single witness, at least two or three are required.
  16. Deuteronômio 19:16It introduces the case of the false witness, who rises up to accuse someone unjustly of a crime.
  17. Deuteronômio 19:17Both parties involved were to appear before the priests and judges to settle the dispute formally.
  18. Deuteronômio 19:18After a careful investigation, if it was proven that the witness had lied, the penalty would fall on him.
  19. Deuteronômio 19:19The penalty for false testimony is a mirror: the same punishment the victim would have suffered falls on the one who lied.
  20. Deuteronômio 19:20The purpose of this exemplary punishment is, once again, to deter the rest of the people from repeating that kind of crime.
  21. Deuteronômio 19:21“Eye for eye” is not an incentive to revenge, it’s the opposite: it limits the punishment to the same size as the offense, to keep a quarrel from turning into a chain of ever-growing vengeance between families.

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