Deuteronomy · Chapter 21 King James Version

Deuteronomy 21:6

🔍 Text

The Scripture

(6) And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
Chapter overview (whole chapter)

Deuteronomy 21 gives laws for an unsolved murder, in which the elders of the nearest city kill an unworked heifer in a rough valley and wash their hands to disclaim guilt before the Lord. It also covers marrying a captive woman, protecting the firstborn's double inheritance even if his mother is the less-loved wife, and the stoning of a stubborn, rebellious son. The chapter closes by commanding that a hanged man be buried the same day, since one hanged on a tree is accursed of God, so that the land is not defiled.

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