Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. New Living Translation “Suppose two people take a dispute to court, and the judges declare that one is right and the other is wrong. English Standard Version “If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, Berean Standard Bible If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned. King James Bible If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. New King James Version “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, New American Standard Bible “If there is a dispute between people and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they declare the righteous innocent and pronounce the wicked guilty, NASB 1995 “If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, NASB 1977 “If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, Legacy Standard Bible “If there is a dispute between men and they go to court for judgment, and the judges judge their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, Amplified Bible “If there is a controversy between men, and they go to court, and the judges decide [the issue] between them, and they judge in favor of the innocent and condemn the guilty, Christian Standard Bible “If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty. Holman Christian Standard Bible If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty. American Standard Version If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and the judges judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. English Revised Version If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and the judges judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked; GOD'S WORD® Translation This is what you must do whenever [two] people have a disagreement that is brought into court. The judges will hear the case and decide who's right and who's wrong. Good News Translation "Suppose two Israelites go to court to settle a dispute, and one is declared innocent and the other guilty. International Standard Version "When there is a conflict between individuals, let them come to court to judge the case, decide who is innocent, and condemn the guilty person. Majority Standard Bible If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned. NET Bible If controversy arises between people, they should go to court for judgment. When the judges hear the case, they shall exonerate the innocent but condemn the guilty. New Heart English Bible If there is a controversy between men, and they come to judgment, and the judges judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked; Webster's Bible Translation If there shall be a controversy between men, and they come to judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. World English Bible If there is a controversy between men, and they come to judgment and the judges judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. Literal Translations Literal Standard Version“When there is a strife between men, and they have come near to the judgment, and they have judged, and declared righteous the righteous, and declared wrong the wrongdoer, Young's Literal Translation 'When there is a strife between men, and they have come nigh unto the judgment, and they have judged, and declared righteous the righteous, and declared wrong the wrong-doer, Smith's Literal Translation If there shall be a controversy between men and they drew near to judgment, and they judged them; and they justified the just and condemned the unjust. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleIf there be a controversy between men, and they call upon the judges: they shall give the prize of justice to him whom they perceive to be just: and him whom they find to be wicked, they shall condemn of wickedness. Catholic Public Domain Version “If there is a case between persons, and they apply to the judges, they shall give the palm of justice to the one whom they perceive to be just, and they shall condemn of impiety the one who is impious. New American Bible When there is a dispute and the parties draw near for judgment, and a decision is given, declaring one party in the right and the other in the wrong, New Revised Standard Version Suppose two persons have a dispute and enter into litigation, and the judges decide between them, declaring one to be in the right and the other to be in the wrong. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIF there is a lawsuit between a man and his neighbor, they shall come before the judges, and the judges shall judge them; and they shall acquit the innocent, and condemn the guilty. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated "And if there shall be a judicial case between a man and his neighbor, let them approach the Judges and they shall judge them and they shall justify the innocent and they shall condemn the guilty. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and the judges judge them, by justifying the righteous, and condemning the wicked, Brenton Septuagint Translation And if there should be a dispute between men, and they should come forward to judgment, and the judges judge, and justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked: Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Fairness and Mercy1If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned. 2If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.… Cross References Exodus 23:7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. Proverbs 17:15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD. Isaiah 5:23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice. 1 Kings 8:32 then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness. 2 Chronicles 6:23 then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness. Proverbs 18:5 Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice. Proverbs 24:24 Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; Isaiah 11:4 but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips. Job 27:7 May my enemy be like the wicked and my opponent like the unjust. Psalm 82:2-4 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah / Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed. / Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked. Romans 13:1-4 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. / Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. / For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. ... 1 Corinthians 6:1-6 If any of you has a grievance against another, how dare he go to law before the unrighteous instead of before the saints! / Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? / Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ... Matthew 5:25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Luke 18:2-8 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. / And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ / For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men, ... James 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Treasury of Scripture If there be a controversy between men, and they come to judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. Deuteronomy 16:18-20 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment… Deuteronomy 17:8,9 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; … Deuteronomy 19:17-19 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; … Jump to Previous Acquitting Argument Case Condemn Condemning Controversy Court Decide Decision Declared Dispute Innocent Judge Judged Judges Judgment Justify Justifying Law Resort Righteous Upright Wicked Wrong Wrongdoer Wrong-DoerJump to Next Acquitting Argument Case Condemn Condemning Controversy Court Decide Decision Declared Dispute Innocent Judge Judged Judges Judgment Justify Justifying Law Resort Righteous Upright Wicked Wrong Wrongdoer Wrong-DoerDeuteronomy 25 1. Punishment must not exceed forty lashes4. The ox is not to be muzzled 5. Of raising seed unto a brother 11. Of the immodest woman 13. Of unjust weights and measures 17. The memory of Amalek is to be blotted out If there is a dispute between men The Hebrew word for "dispute" is "רִיב" (riv), which implies a legal controversy or contention. This phrase sets the stage for a judicial process, emphasizing the importance of resolving conflicts through established legal systems. Historically, disputes were common in ancient Israel, a society governed by laws given by God through Moses. This reflects God's desire for order and justice among His people, ensuring that disagreements are settled fairly and peacefully. they are to go to court and the judges will hear their case and acquit the innocent and condemn the guilty Deuteronomy 25:1-3. HUMANITY IN PUNISHMENTS. (1) They shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.--"I will not justify the wicked" (Exodus 23:7). "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 17:15). It should be noticed that justify is here used forensically, not meaning to make righteous, but to treat as righteous. Those who object to this sense in St. Paul's Epistles, will find it hard to put any other sense upon the word in the rest of Holy Scripture. (2) If the wicked man be worthy to be beaten.--Literally, a son of beating, or of Haccoth, according to the Hebrew. The treatise called Maccoth, in the Talmud, describes the infliction of the punishment in later times, when "of the Jews five times" St. Paul "received forty stripes save one." The details have been described by Canon Farrar in an appendix to his Life of St. Paul. Shall cause him to lie down.--The Talmud interprets the position as not sitting nor standing, nor exactly lying, but with the body inclined. Before his face.--This is interpreted as on the front of his body. The thirty-nine stripes were given thirteen on one shoulder, thirteen on the other, and thirteen on the breast. (3) Forty stripes.--The Talmud says that they considered first what a man could bear, and flogged him according to their estimate. In some cases, if the whole punishment could not be administered at once, it was divided. It is contemplated as possibly fatal, however. . . . Verses 1-3. - The first and second verses should be read as one sentence, of which the protasis is in ver. 1 and the apodosis in ver. 2, thus: If there be a strife between men, and they come to judgment, and they (i.e. the judges) give judgment on them, and justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked, then it shall be, if the wicked deserve to be beaten (literally, be the son of blows), that the judge, etc. It is assumed that the judges shall pronounce just judgment, and apportion to the guilty party his due punishment; and then it is prescribed how that is to be inflicted. In the presence of the judge the man was to be cast down, and the adjudged number of blows were to be given him, not, however, exceeding forty, lest the man should be rendered contemptible in the eyes of the people, as if he were a mere slave or brute. This punishment was usually inflicted with a stick (Exodus 21:10; 2 Samuel 7:14, etc.), as is still the case among the Arabs and Egyptians; sometimes also with thorns (Judges 8:7, 16); sometimes with whips and scorpions, i.e. scourges of cord or leather armed with sharp points or hard knots (1 Kings 12:11, 14). Though the culprit was laid on the ground, it does not appear that the bastinado was used among the Jews as it is now among the Arabs; the back and shoulders were the parts of the body on which the blows fell (Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 19:29; Proverbs 26:3; Isaiah 1:6). According to his fault, by a certain number; literally, according to the requirement of his crime in number; i.e. according as his crime deserved. The number was fixed at forty, probably because of the symbolical significance of that number as a measure of completeness. The rabbins fixed the number at thirty-nine, apparently in order that the danger of exceeding the number prescribed by the Law should be diminished (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24); but another reason is assigned by Maimonides, viz. that, as the instrument of punishment was a scourge with three tails, each stroke counted for three, and thus they could not give forty, but only thirty-nine, unless they exceeded the forty (Maimon., 'In Sanhedrin,' 17:2).Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Ifכִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction there is יִהְיֶ֥ה (yih·yeh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be a dispute רִיב֙ (rîḇ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7379: Strife, dispute between בֵּ֣ין (bên) Preposition Strong's 996: An interval, space between men, אֲנָשִׁ֔ים (’ă·nā·šîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 582: Man, mankind they are to go וְנִגְּשׁ֥וּ (wə·nig·gə·šū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 5066: To draw near, approach to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to court הַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט (ham·miš·pāṭ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style to be judged, וּשְׁפָט֑וּם (ū·šə·p̄ā·ṭūm) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural | third person masculine plural Strong's 8199: To judge, pronounce sentence, to vindicate, punish, to govern, to litigate so that the innocent הַצַּדִּ֔יק (haṣ·ṣad·dîq) Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 6662: Just, righteous may be acquitted וְהִצְדִּ֙יקוּ֙ (wə·hiṣ·dî·qū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 6663: To be just or righteous and the guilty הָרָשָֽׁע׃ (hā·rā·šā‘) Article | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person condemned. וְהִרְשִׁ֖יעוּ (wə·hir·šî·‘ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 7561: To be, wrong, to disturb, violate Links Deuteronomy 25:1 NIVDeuteronomy 25:1 NLT Deuteronomy 25:1 ESV Deuteronomy 25:1 NASB Deuteronomy 25:1 KJV Deuteronomy 25:1 BibleApps.com Deuteronomy 25:1 Biblia Paralela Deuteronomy 25:1 Chinese Bible Deuteronomy 25:1 French Bible Deuteronomy 25:1 Catholic Bible OT Law: Deuteronomy 25:1 If there be a controversy between men (Deut. De Du) |