Deuteronomy 17:8

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

If a case arises that is too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults—matters of dispute in your towns, you are to go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֨ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט בֵּֽין־דָּ֨ם ׀ לְדָ֜ם בֵּֽין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין וּבֵ֥ין נֶ֙גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע דִּבְרֵ֥י רִיבֹ֖ת בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ וְקַמְתָּ֣ וְעָלִ֔יתָ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּֽוֹ׃

Transliteration

If yippālēʾ from you dāḇār for mišpāṭ between dām to dām, between dîn to dîn, and between negaʿ to negaʿ, diḇrê rîḇōt in šəʿāreḵā, and qamtā and ʿālîtā to the māqôm which yiḇḥar YHWH ʾĕlōheḵā in it.

Grammar Details

• כִּ֣י: conjunction - if/when
• יִפָּלֵא֩: niphal imperfect 3ms - it is too difficult
• מִמְּךָ֨: preposition + 2ms suffix - from you
• דָבָ֜ר: noun masculine singular - matter/thing/case
• לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט: preposition + article + noun masculine singular - for judgment
• בֵּֽין־דָּ֨ם: preposition + noun masculine singular - between blood
• לְדָ֜ם: preposition + noun masculine singular - to blood
• בֵּֽין־דִּ֣ין: preposition + noun masculine singular - between judgment
• לְדִ֗ין: preposition + noun masculine singular - to judgment
• וּבֵ֥ין: conjunction + preposition - and between
• נֶ֙גַע֙: noun masculine singular - plague/mark
• לָנֶ֔גַע: preposition + noun masculine singular - to plague/mark
• דִּבְרֵ֥י: noun masculine plural construct - words of/matters of
• רִיבֹ֖ת: noun feminine plural - disputes/contentions
• בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ: preposition + noun masculine plural construct + 2ms suffix - in your gates/towns
• וְקַמְתָּ֣: conjunction + qal perfect 2ms - and you shall arise
• וְעָלִ֔יתָ: conjunction + qal perfect 2ms - and you shall go up
• אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם: preposition + article + noun masculine singular - to the place
• אֲשֶׁ֥ר: relative particle - which
• יִבְחַ֛ר: qal imperfect 3ms - he will choose
• יְהוָ֥ה: divine name - YHWH
• אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ: noun masculine plural construct + 2ms suffix - your God
• בּֽוֹ: preposition + 3ms suffix - in it

Word Meanings

• *yippālēʾ*: is too difficult/is too hard/is beyond
• *dāḇār*: matter/case/thing
• *mišpāṭ*: judgment/justice/legal decision
• *dām*: blood/bloodshed/blood guilt
• *dîn*: judgment/lawsuit/legal claim
• *negaʿ*: plague/mark/infection
• *diḇrê*: words of/matters of
• *rîḇōt*: disputes/controversies/contentions
• *šəʿāreḵā*: your gates/your towns
• *qamtā*: you shall arise/you shall stand up
• *ʿālîtā*: you shall go up/you shall ascend
• *māqôm*: place/location
• *yiḇḥar*: will choose/will select

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  If a matter arises that is too hard for you to judge, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of dispute within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses,

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Yf a matter be to harde for the in iudgemet betwene bloud and bloude, plee and plee, plage and plage in maters of strife within thi cities: Then Arise and gett the vpp vnto the place which the Lorde thi God hath chosen,

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Yf a matter be to harde for the in iudgmet betwixte bloude and bloude, betwixte plee and plee, betwixte stroke and stroke, and yf there be matters of stryfe within thy gates then shalt thou ryse, and go vp vnto ye place that ye LORDE thy God hath chosen:

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  If there rise a matter too harde for thee in iudgemet betweene blood & blood, betweene plea and plea, betweene plague and plague, in the matters of controuersie within thy gates, then shalt thou arise, and goe vp vnto the place which the Lord thy God shall chuse,

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  If there rise a matter to harde for thee in iudgement betweene blood and blood, betweene plea and plea, betweene plague and plague, and the matters come to strife within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee vp vnto the place whiche the Lorde thy God hath chosen,

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, [being] matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then shall you arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  `When anything is too hard for thee for judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke -- matters of strife within thy gates -- then thou hast risen, and gone up unto the place on which Jehovah thy God doth fix,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  If you are not able to give a decision as to who is responsible for a death, or who is right in a cause, or who gave the first blow in a fight, and there is a division of opinion about it in your town: then go to the place marked out by the Lord your God;

• World English Bible (2000)

  If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose;

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Appeal to a Higher Court If a matter is too difficult for you to judge– bloodshed, legal claim, or assault– matters of controversy in your villages– you must leave there and go up to the place the LORD your God chooses.

Referenced Verses

• Deut 12:5 : 5 Instead, seek the place that the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put His name and make His presence dwell, and go there.
• Hag 2:11 : 11 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Ask the priests for a ruling:
• Mal 2:7 : 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts.
• Deut 19:4 : 4 Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: whoever strikes his neighbor unintentionally, without prior malice,
• Deut 19:10-11 : 10 This is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood within the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. 11 But if someone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, attacks him, and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and then flees to one of these cities,
• Deut 19:17 : 17 both parties to the dispute must stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office at that time.
• 1 Kgs 3:16-28 : 16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, 'My lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was there with me.' 18 On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together, and there was no one else with us in the house—just the two of us. 19 During the night, this woman's son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night, took my son from my side while I was asleep, and laid him in her arms. She then placed her dead son in my arms. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I looked more closely at him in the morning light, I saw that it was not the son I had borne. 22 The other woman said, 'No, the living one is my son, and the dead one is yours.' But the first woman insisted, 'No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is mine.' And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, 'This one says, “My son is the living one, and your son is the dead one,” while the other says, “No, your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.”' 24 Then the king said, 'Bring me a sword.' So they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, 'Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.' 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, 'Please, my lord, give her the living child! Do not kill him!' But the other said, 'Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!' 27 Then the king gave his ruling: 'Give the living child to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.' 28 When all Israel heard the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of the king, for they saw that he had the wisdom of God to administer justice.
• 2 Chr 19:8-9 : 8 In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the Israelite families to administer the law of the LORD and settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. 9 He gave them these orders: 'You must act in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a whole heart.' 10 Whatever case comes to you from your fellow Israelites living in their cities—whether of bloodshed or other matters of the law, commands, statutes, or decrees—you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise, His wrath will come upon you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.
• Ps 122:4-5 : 4 There the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 For there are seats of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
• Exod 18:26 : 26 They judged the people at all times. They brought the difficult cases to Moses, but they decided the simple ones themselves.
• Exod 21:12-14 : 12 Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. 13 But if he did not intend to kill, and it was allowed by God to happen, then I will provide a place where he can flee. 14 However, if someone schemes and acts deliberately to kill his neighbor, you shall take him even from my altar to be put to death.
• Exod 21:20 : 20 If a man strikes his male or female servant with a rod, and the servant dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
• Exod 21:22 : 22 If men are fighting and they strike a pregnant woman, causing her to give birth prematurely but there is no further injury, the offender must pay whatever the woman's husband demands and the judges allow.
• Exod 21:28 : 28 If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox will not be held liable.
• Exod 22:2 : 2 If the sun has risen on him, there is bloodguilt for his death. He must pay restitution; and if he owns nothing, he shall be sold for his theft.
• Num 35:11 : 11 you shall designate cities to serve as cities of refuge where someone who unintentionally kills another may flee.
• Num 35:16 : 16 But if someone strikes another with an iron object and the person dies, they are a murderer, and the murderer shall be put to death.
• Num 35:19-34 : 19 The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when they encounter the murderer, the avenger is to put them to death. 20 If someone pushes another out of hatred or throws something at them with intent and the person dies, 21 or if in hostility someone strikes another with their hand and the person dies, the one who struck them must be put to death. They are a murderer. The avenger of blood is to execute the sentence when they meet the murderer. 22 But if suddenly, without hostility, someone pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally, 23 or if, without seeing them, they drop a stone on someone that could cause death, and the person dies, but there was no enmity or intentional harm between them, 24 then the assembly must judge between the one who caused the death and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. 25 The assembly shall protect the one who caused the death from the avenger of blood and send them back to the city of refuge they fled to. They must remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the one who caused the death goes outside the boundaries of the city of refuge to which they fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds the offender outside the city and kills them, the avenger shall not be guilty of bloodshed. 28 The one who caused the death must remain in the city of refuge until the high priest dies; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property. 29 These are to be legal requirements for you throughout your generations in all your settlements. 30 Anyone who kills another person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses; but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 31 You must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; they must surely be put to death. 32 Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing them to return to live in the land before the death of the high priest. 33 Do not pollute the land where you are, for bloodshed defiles the land; and no atonement can be made for the land that has been defiled by bloodshed except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.
• Deut 1:17 : 17 Do not show partiality in judgment; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring any case that is too difficult for you to me, and I will hear it.