Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, New Living Translation “The elders of the town must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken. English Standard Version And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, Berean Standard Bible Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken, King James Bible 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: New King James Version And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. New American Standard Bible And all the elders of that city which is nearest to the person killed shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; NASB 1995 “All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; NASB 1977 “And all the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; Legacy Standard Bible And all the elders of that city who are nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; Amplified Bible All the elders of that city nearest to the dead man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; Christian Standard Bible All the elders of the city nearest to the victim will wash their hands by the stream over the young cow whose neck has been broken. Holman Christian Standard Bible All the elders of the city nearest to the victim will wash their hands by the stream over the young cow whose neck has been broken. American Standard Version And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; Contemporary English Version The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow English Revised Version and all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley: GOD'S WORD® Translation All the leaders from the city which was nearest the murder victim must wash their hands over the dead heifer. Good News Translation Then all the leaders from the town nearest the place where the murdered person was found are to wash their hands over the cow International Standard Version All the elders of the city nearest the dead body are to wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, Majority Standard Bible Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken, NET Bible and all the elders of that city nearest the corpse must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. New Heart English Bible All the elders of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; Webster's Bible Translation And all the elders of that city that are next to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: World English Bible All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand all [the] elderly of that city, who are near to the slain one, wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley, Young's Literal Translation and all the elders of that city, who are near unto the slain one, do wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley, Smith's Literal Translation And all the old men of that city being near to him wounded, shall wash their hands over the heifer having her neck broken in the valley: Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd the ancients of that city shall come to the person slain, and shall wash their hands over the heifer that was killed in the valley, Catholic Public Domain Version And those greater by birth of that city, nearest to the one who was slain, shall go and shall wash their hands over the calf that was killed in the valley. New American Bible Then all the elders of that city nearest the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi, New Revised Standard Version All the elders of that town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi, Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd all the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer which is slaughtered in the valley; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And all Elders of that city that is near him who was killed shall wash their hands over the heifer that was slaughtered in the valley: OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. Brenton Septuagint Translation And all the elders of that city who draw nigh to the slain man shall wash their hands over the head of the heifer which was slain in the valley; Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Atonement for an Unsolved Murder…5And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault. 6Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken, 7and they shall declare, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.… Cross References Numbers 35:33-34 Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. / Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.” Leviticus 17:4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people. Psalm 26:6 I wash my hands in innocence that I may go about Your altar, O LORD, Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.” Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind. 1 Samuel 25:33 Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 2 Samuel 3:28-29 Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. / May it whirl over the head of Joab and over the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.” Isaiah 1:15-16 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. / Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! Jeremiah 2:34-35 Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things / you say, ‘I am innocent. Surely His anger will turn from me.’ Behold, I will judge you, because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ Ezekiel 24:7-8 For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. / In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’ Hebrews 9:22 According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Acts 18:6 But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Matthew 23:35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, Treasury of Scripture And all the elders of that city, that are next to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: Job 9:30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Psalm 26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: Jump to Previous Beheaded Body Broken City Cow Dead Elders Hands Heifer Nearest Neck Responsible Slain Valley Wash Washing WatercourseJump to Next Beheaded Body Broken City Cow Dead Elders Hands Heifer Nearest Neck Responsible Slain Valley Wash Washing WatercourseDeuteronomy 21 1. The Atonement for an Unsolved Murder10. The usage of a captive taken to wife 15. The firstborn is not to be disinherited upon private affection 18. A rebellious son is to be stoned to death 22. The malefactor must not hang all night on a tree Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim In ancient Israel, the elders were respected leaders responsible for maintaining justice and order. Their involvement signifies the community's collective responsibility for addressing unresolved crimes. This reflects the communal nature of Israelite society, where the well-being of the individual was tied to the community. The elders' role here underscores the importance of leadership in upholding God's laws and ensuring justice. This principle is echoed in the New Testament, where church leaders are called to shepherd their congregations (1 Peter 5:1-3). shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken Persons / Places / Events 1. Elders of the CityThese are the leaders or senior figures in the community responsible for maintaining justice and order. In this context, they represent the community in a ritual of atonement. 2. The Victim Refers to the person found slain, whose murderer is unknown. This situation necessitates a communal response to atone for the bloodshed. 3. The Heifer A young cow used in the ritual. Its neck is broken as part of the atonement process, symbolizing the community's desire to cleanse themselves of guilt. 4. The Valley A specific location chosen for the ritual, often a place that is not cultivated, symbolizing a separation from daily life and a focus on spiritual matters. 5. The Ritual of Handwashing A symbolic act performed by the elders to declare their innocence and the community's desire for purification from the guilt of innocent bloodshed. Teaching Points Communal ResponsibilityThe passage highlights the importance of community responsibility in addressing sin and injustice. It teaches that even when the perpetrator is unknown, the community must seek to make things right before God. Symbolism of Purity The act of handwashing symbolizes a desire for purity and innocence. In our lives, we must seek spiritual cleansing and strive to live blamelessly. Atonement and Repentance The breaking of the heifer's neck and the washing of hands signify atonement and repentance. This reminds us of the need for genuine repentance and seeking God's forgiveness. Leadership Accountability The elders' involvement underscores the role of leaders in guiding their communities towards righteousness and justice. Leaders today should also take responsibility for addressing wrongs and leading by example. The Value of Life The ritual underscores the sanctity of life and the seriousness of bloodshed. It calls us to value life and seek justice for the innocent.Verse 6. - The elders of that city. The elders, by the significant act of washing their hands, indicated that they threw off from them, utterly repudiated, the charge of blood-guiltiness on the part of the town which they represented (cf. Psalm 26:6; Psalm 73:13; Matthew 27:24). Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then allוְכֹ֗ל (wə·ḵōl) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the elders זִקְנֵי֙ (ziq·nê) Adjective - masculine plural construct Strong's 2205: Old of the city הָעִ֣יר (hā·‘îr) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5892: Excitement nearest הַקְּרֹבִ֖ים (haq·qə·rō·ḇîm) Article | Adjective - masculine plural Strong's 7138: Near the victim הֶחָלָ֑ל (he·ḥā·lāl) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2491: Pierced, polluted shall wash יִרְחֲצוּ֙ (yir·ḥă·ṣū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 7364: To wash, wash off or away, bathe their hands יְדֵיהֶ֔ם (yə·ḏê·hem) Noun - fdc | third person masculine plural Strong's 3027: A hand by the stream בַנָּֽחַל׃ (ḇan·nā·ḥal) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5158: A stream, a winter torrent, a, valley, a shaft over עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the heifer הָעֶגְלָ֖ה (hā·‘eḡ·lāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5697: A, calf, one nearly grown whose neck has been broken, הָעֲרוּפָ֥ה (hā·‘ă·rū·p̄āh) Article | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular Strong's 6202: To break the neck, to destroy Links Deuteronomy 21:6 NIVDeuteronomy 21:6 NLT Deuteronomy 21:6 ESV Deuteronomy 21:6 NASB Deuteronomy 21:6 KJV Deuteronomy 21:6 BibleApps.com Deuteronomy 21:6 Biblia Paralela Deuteronomy 21:6 Chinese Bible Deuteronomy 21:6 French Bible Deuteronomy 21:6 Catholic Bible OT Law: Deuteronomy 21:6 All the elders of that city who (Deut. 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