Deuteronomy 17:7

_AND HATH GONE AND SERVED OTHER GODS, AND WORSHIPPED THEM, EITHER THE SUN, OR MOON, OR ANY OF THE HOST OF HEAVEN, WHICH I HAVE NOT COMMANDED;_ No JFB commentary on these verses....

7._The hands of the witnesses shall be first. _It was not without reason that God would have criminals put to death by the hand of those by whose testimony they were condemned. The ancient people did not employ public executioners, that there might be more solemnity, modesty, and reverence in the infliction of punishments. This office he peculiarly enjoins upon the witnesses, because the tongue of many is too hasty, not to say worse of it, so that they do not hesitate to stab people verbally, when they would not dare to lay a finger upon them. This, then, was an excellent remedy for the repression of light accusations, not to admit the testimony of any, whose hand was not prepared to execute the sentence. Stoning was indeed a sad and horrible kind of punishment; but it is probable that God made choice of it because it required the application of many hands. If hanging had not been in use...

1-7 No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our abilities, time, and possession, or our pretended obedience will be hateful to him. So great a punishment as death, so remarkable a death as stoning, must be inflicted on the Jewish idolater. Let all who in our day set up idols in their hearts, remember how God punished this crime in Israel....

Compare Deuteronomy 13:1 ff. Here special reference is made to the legal forms to be adopted, Deuteronomy 17:5. The sentence was to be carried into effect at “the gates” (compare Genesis 19:1 note) of the town in which the crime was committed; because, as “all the people” were to take a part, an open space would be requisite for the execution. Note the typical and prophetical aspect of the injunction; compare Acts 7:58; Hebrews 13:12....

EXPOSITION SACRIFICES TO BE OF ANIMALS UNBLEMISHED. IDOLATERS TO BE SOUGHT OUT, CONVICTED, AND PUT TO DEATH. THE HIGHER JUDICIAL COURT AT THE SANCTUARY. ELECTION DUTY OF A KING. DEUTERONOMY 17:1 Not only was the setting up of idols an offence to be punished by the judge, but also all profanation of the service of Jehovah, such as the offering in sacrifice of any animal, bullock or sheep, tha

THE HANDS OF THE WITNESSES SHALL BE FIRST UPON HIM TO PUT HIM TO DEATH,.... Of everyone of them, as Aben Ezra; they were to cast the first stone at him, which would be a further trial and confirmation of their testimony; for if they readily and without reluctance first began the stoning of the idolater, it would not only show their zeal for the honour of the divine Being, but an unconsciousness of guilt in their testimony, and be an encouragement to others to proceed with safety: AND AFTERWARDS THE HANDS OF ALL THE PEOPLE; should be employed in taking up stones, and casting at him until he was dead: SO THOU SHALL PUT THE EVIL AWAY FROM AMONG YOU; both the evil man and the evil committed by him, which by this means would be prevented from spreading, seeing by his death others would be deterred from following his example; as well as the evil of punishment, which otherwise would have come...

13. JUSTICE AND THE CHOICE OF A KING Chapter S 16:18-17:20 _ 1. Appointment of judges and their instruction (Deuteronomy 16:18; Deuteronomy 17:1)_ 2. The higher court at the place He chooses (Deuteronomy 17:8) 3. The choice and right of the king (Deuteronomy 17:14) This chapter leads us upon new ground. The obligations of the religious life of Israel were stated in the first part of chapter 16 and now the government of the people in the land is commanded. “Just as in its religious worship the Israelitish nation was to show itself to be the holy nation of Jehovah,

DEUTERONOMY 16:21- DEUTERONOMY 17:7. LAWS DEMANDING PURE WORSHIP AND SUITABLE SACRIFICES. This breaks the connexion; its proper place is probably between Deuteronomy 12 and Deuteronomy 13. DEUTERONOMY 17:1. See Leviticus 22:17 *. ox: Heb. means any head of large cattle, bull, cow, calf. sheep: Heb. means any head of small cattle, ram, ewe, lamb, goat, kid. Deuteronomy 17:2 probably preceded ch. 13 with which it has close affinities....

PUT THE EVIL AWAY. See note on Deuteronomy 13:5....

Deuteronomy 16:21 to Deuteronomy 17:7. Isolated Group of Laws on Worship This group of laws against heathen symbols and blemished sacrifices and the worship of other gods all of them abominations to, or hated by, Jehovah is quite isolated, between two sets of laws on judicial procedure, Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and Deuteronomy 17:8 ff.; and we have seen reasons (above p. 173) for supposing that the whole group originally stood between Deuteronomy 12:29-31 and...