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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Deuteronomy 19:14

You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Landmarks;   Property;   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Landmarks;   Real Estate;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Agriculture or Husbandry;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Landmark;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Farming;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Wealth;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Landmark;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Deuteronomy, the Book of;   Hedge;   Landmark;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Economic Life;   Field;   Landmark;   Neighbor;   Stone;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agriculture;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Landmark;   Stone;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Field;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Landmark;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Land-mark;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Landmark;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ancestors;   Crime;   Deuteronomy;   Hosea;   Landmark;   Palestine;   Trust, Breach of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Agriculture;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Agrarian Laws;   Boundaries;   Commandments, the 613;   ḥanina B. Pappa;   Police Laws;   Torah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Do not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, established at the start in the inheritance you will receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
Hebrew Names Version
You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess it.
King James Version
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Lexham English Bible
"You shall not move the boundary marker of your neighbor that former generations set up on your property in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it.
English Standard Version
"You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
New Century Version
Do not move the stone that marks the border of your neighbor's land, which people long ago set in place. It marks what you inherit in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.
New English Translation
You must not encroach on your neighbor's property, which will have been defined in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Amplified Bible
"You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the forefathers [who first divided the territory] have set, in the land which you will inherit in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
New American Standard Bible
"You shall not displace your neighbor's boundary marker, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not remooue thy neighbours marke, which they of olde time haue set in thine inheritance, that thou shalt inherite in the lande, which ye Lorde thy God giueth thee to possesse it.
Legacy Standard Bible
"You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess.
Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: In the land the Lord is giving you, there are already stones set up to mark the property lines between fields. So don't move those stones.
Complete Jewish Bible
(vi) "You are not to move your neighbor's boundary marker from the place where people put it long ago, in the inheritance soon to be yours in the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess.
Darby Translation
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have fixed in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess.
Easy-to-Read Version
"You must not move the stones that mark your neighbor's property. People put them there in the past to mark each person's property. These stones mark the land that the Lord your God gave you.
George Lamsa Translation
You shall not remove your neighbors landmark, which they of old time have set in your inheritance, which you shall inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.
Good News Translation
"Do not move your neighbor's property line, established long ago in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Literal Translation
You may not remove your neighbor's landmark, which those formerly have set in your inheritance, which you shall inherit in the land which Jehovah your God is giving you, to possess it.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not remoue thy neghbours marck, which they of olde tyme haue set in thine enheritaunce, that thou enheretest in the londe, which the LORDE thy God hath geuen the to possesse it.
American Standard Version
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Bible in Basic English
Your neighbour's landmark, which was put in its place by the men of old times, is not to be moved or taken away in the land of your heritage which the Lord your God is giving you.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt not remoue thy neyghbours marke, which they of olde time haue set in thine inheritaunce, that thou shalt inherite in the lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to enioy it.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
King James Version (1611)
Thou shalt not remooue thy neighbours land-marke, which they of old time haue set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherite, in the land that the Lord thy God giueth thee to possesse it.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not move the landmarks of thy neighbour, which thy fathers set in the inheritance, in which thou hast obtained a share in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee to inherit.
English Revised Version
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not take, and turne ouer the termes of thi neiybore, which the formere men settiden in thi possessioun, which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee in the lond, `which lond thou schalt take `to be weldid.
Young's Literal Translation
`Thou dost not remove a border of thy neighbour, which they of former times have made, in thine inheritance, which thou dost inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.
Update Bible Version
You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in thy inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
World English Bible
You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
New King James Version
"You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
New Living Translation
"When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone's land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property.
New Life Bible
"Do not move your neighbor's land-mark which the fathers of long ago have set in the land the Lord your God gives you for your own.
New Revised Standard
You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, set up by former generations, on the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou shall not move back the boundary of thy neighbour, by which they set bounds at first, - in thine inheritance which thou shall receive in the land which Yahweh thy God is giving thee to possess.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not take nor remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which thy predecessors have set in thy possession, which the Lord thy God will give thee in the land that thou shalt receive to possess.
Revised Standard Version
"In the inheritance which you will hold in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess, you shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set.
THE MESSAGE
Don't move your neighbor's boundary markers, the longstanding landmarks set up by your pioneer ancestors defining their property.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.

Contextual Overview

14You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.15A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 16If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, 17both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. 18The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, 19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. 20Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. 21You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shalt not remove: Before the extensive use of fences, landed property was marked out by stones or posts, set up so as to ascertain the divisions of family estates. It was easy to remove one of these landmarks, and set it in a different place; and thus a dishonest man might enlarge his own estate by contracting that of his neighbour. Hence it was a matter of considerable importance to prevent this crime among the Israelites; among whom, removing them would be equivalent to forging, altering, destroying, or concealing the title-deeds of an estate among us. Accordingly, by the Mosaic law, it was not only prohibited in the commandment against covetousness, but we find a particular curse expressly annexed to it in Deuteronomy 27:17. Josephus considers this law a general prohibition, intended not only to protect private property, but also to preserve the boundaries of kingdoms and countries inviolable. Deuteronomy 27:17, Job 24:2, Proverbs 22:28, Proverbs 23:10, Hosea 5:10

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.
Genesis 19:8
Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them whatever you want. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."
Genesis 19:12
Then the two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here-a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. "Get up," he said. "Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
Genesis 19:17
As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, "Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!"
Genesis 19:22
Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it." That is why the town was called Zoar.
Genesis 19:28
He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
Genesis 19:30
Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains-for he was afraid to stay in Zoar-where they lived in a cave.
Exodus 9:21
but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.
Exodus 12:31
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark,.... By which one man's land is distinguished from another; for so to do is to injure a man's property, and alienate his lands to the use of another, which must be a very great evil, and render those that do it obnoxious to a curse, Deuteronomy 27:17

which they of old have set in thine inheritance, which thou shall inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it; the land of Canaan: this is thought to refer to the bounds and limits set in the land by Eleazar and Joshua, and those concerned with them at the division of it; when not only the tribes were bounded; and distinguished by certain marks, but every man's estate, and the possession of every family in every tribe which though not as yet done when this law was made, yet, as it respects future times, might be said to be done of old, whenever there was any transgression of it, which it cannot be supposed would be very quickly done; and it is a law not only binding on the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, but all others, it being agreeably to the light and law of nature, and which was regarded among the Heathens, Proverbs 22:28.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As a man’s life is to be held sacred, so are his means of livelihood; and in this connection a prohibition is inserted against removing a neighbor’s landmark: compare the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 19:14. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark — Before the extensive use of fences, landed property was marked out by stones or posts, set up so as to ascertain the divisions of family estates. It was easy to remove one of these landmarks, and set it in a different place; and thus the dishonest man enlarged his own estate by contracting that of his neighbour. The termini or landmarks among the Romans were held very sacred, and were at last deified.

To these termini Numa Pompillus commanded offerings of broth, cakes, and firstfruits, to be made. And Ovid informs us that it was customary to sacrifice a lamb to them, and sprinkle them with its blood: -

Spargitur et caeso communis terminus agno.

FAST. lib. ii., ver. 655.


And from Tibullus it appears that they sometimes adorned them with flowers and garlands: -


Nam veneror, seu stipes habet desertus inagris,

Seu vetus in trivio florida serta lapis.

ELEG. lib. i., E. i., ver. 11.

"Revere each antique stone bedeck'd with flowers,

That bounds the field, or points the doubtful way."

GRAINGER.


It appears from Juvenal that annual oblations were made to them: -


-------------Convallem ruris aviti

Improbus, aut campum mihi si vicinus ademit,

Aut sacrum effodit medio de limite saxum,

Quod mea cum vetulo colult puls annua libo.

SAT. xvi., ver. 36.

"If any rogue vexatious suits advance

Against me for my known inheritance,

Enter by violence my fruitful grounds,

Or take the sacred landmark from my bounds,

Those bounds which, with procession and with prayer

And offer'd cakes, have been my annual care."

DRYDEN.


In the digests there is a vague law, de termino moto, Digestor. lib. xlvii., Tit. 21, on which Calmet remarks that though the Romans had no determined punishment for those who removed the ancient landmarks; yet if slaves were found to have done it with an evil design, they were put to death; that persons of quality were sometimes exiled when found guilty; and that others were sentenced to pecuniary fines, or corporal punishment.


 
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