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the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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The NET Bible®

Deuteronomy 19:8

If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land he pledged to them,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Avenger of Blood;   Homicide;   Refuge;   Thompson Chain Reference - Enlargement;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Murder;   Refuge, Cities of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Motives;   Murder;   Punishment;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Easton Bible Dictionary - City;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Law;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Cities of Refuge;   Manslayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Kin;   Numbers, Book of;   Refuge, Cities of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Refuge;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Courts, Judicial;   Deuteronomy;   Homicide;   Law in the Old Testament;   Refuge, Cities of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Asylum;   Avenger of Blood;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If the Lord your God enlarges your territory as he swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land he promised to give them—
Hebrew Names Version
If the LORD your God enlarge your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and give you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
King James Version
And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
Lexham English Bible
Then if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory just as he swore to your ancestors and gives to you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors,
English Standard Version
And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers—
New Century Version
Carefully obey all these laws I'm giving you today. Love the Lord your God, and always do what he wants you to do. Then the Lord your God will enlarge your land as he promised your ancestors, giving you the whole land he promised to them. After that, choose three more cities of safety
Amplified Bible
"If the LORD your God enlarges your border, as He has sworn to your fathers to do, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers—
New American Standard Bible
"And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that He promised to give your fathers—
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the Lorde thy God enlargeth thy coastes (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and giueth thee all the lande which he promised to giue vnto thy fathers,
Legacy Standard Bible
"Now if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers—
Contemporary English Version
Israel, the Lord your God has promised that if you obey his laws and teachings I'm giving you, and if you always love him, then he will give you the land he promised your ancestors. When that happens, you must name three more Safe Towns in the new territory.
Complete Jewish Bible
"If Adonai your God expands your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, and gives you all the land he promised to give to your ancestors —
Darby Translation
And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers
Easy-to-Read Version
"The Lord your God promised your fathers that he would make your land larger. He will give you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors.
George Lamsa Translation
And when the LORD your God shall enlarge your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
Good News Translation
"When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he told your ancestors he would, and gives you all the land he has promised,
Literal Translation
And if Jehovah your God shall enlarge your border, as He has sworn to your fathers, and shall give to you all the land which He has spoken to give to your fathers,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the LORDE yi God enlargeth thy borders, as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers, & geueth the all the lode which he promysed thy fathers to geue
American Standard Version
And if Jehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
Bible in Basic English
And if the Lord your God makes wide the limits of your land, as he said in his oath to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he undertook to give to your fathers;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if the Lorde thy God enlarge thy coastes (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and geue thee all the lande which he sayde he woulde geue vnto thy fathers:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers--
King James Version (1611)
And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and giue thee all the lande which hee promised to giue vnto thy fathers:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if the Lord shall enlarge thy borders, as he sware to thy fathers, and the Lord shall give to thee all the land which he said he would give to thy fathers;
English Revised Version
And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
Berean Standard Bible
And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe whanne thi Lord God hath alargid thi termes, as he swoor to thi fadris, and hath youe to thee al the lond which he bihiyte to hem; if netheles thou kepist hise comaundementis,
Young's Literal Translation
`And if Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to thy fathers --
Update Bible Version
And if Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
Webster's Bible Translation
And if the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy limits, as he hath sworn to thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give to thy fathers;
World English Bible
If Yahweh your God enlarge your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and give you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;
New King James Version
"Now if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers,
New Living Translation
"And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised them,
New Life Bible
The Lord your God will give you even more land, as He has promised your fathers. He will give you all the land which He promised to give your fathers,
New Revised Standard
If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors—and he will give you all the land that he promised your ancestors to give you,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, if Yahweh thy God should enlarge thy heralds, as he aware unto thy fathers, - and should give thee all the land, which he spake of giving unto thy fathers;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he swore to the fathers, and shall give thee all the land that he promised them,
Revised Standard Version
And if the LORD your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers--
THE MESSAGE
When God , your God, enlarges your land, extending its borders as he solemnly promised your ancestors, by giving you the whole land he promised them because you are diligently living the way I'm commanding you today, namely, to love God , your God, and do what he tells you all your life; and when that happens, then add three more to these three cities so that there is no chance of innocent blood being spilled in your land. God , your God, is giving you this land as an inheritance—you don't want to pollute it with innocent blood and bring bloodguilt upon yourselves.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers—

Contextual Overview

1 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses, 2 you must set apart for yourselves three cities in the middle of your land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession. 3 You shall build a roadway and divide into thirds the whole extent of your land that the Lord your God is providing as your inheritance; anyone who kills another person should flee to the closest of these cities. 4 Now this is the law pertaining to one who flees there in order to live, if he has accidentally killed another without hating him at the time of the accident. 5 Suppose he goes with someone else to the forest to cut wood and when he raises the ax to cut the tree, the ax head flies loose from the handle and strikes his fellow worker so hard that he dies. The person responsible may then flee to one of these cities to save himself. 6 Otherwise the blood avenger will chase after the killer in the heat of his anger, eventually overtake him, and kill him, though this is not a capital case since he did not hate him at the time of the accident. 7 Therefore, I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities. 8 If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestors and gives you all the land he pledged to them, 9 and then you are careful to observe all these commandments I am giving you today (namely, to love the Lord your God and to always walk in his ways), then you must add three more cities to these three. 10 You must not shed innocent blood in your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, for that would make you guilty.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 11:24, Deuteronomy 11:25, Deuteronomy 12:20, Genesis 15:18-21, Genesis 28:14, Exodus 23:31, Exodus 34:24, 1 Kings 4:21, Ezra 4:20

Reciprocal: Numbers 35:14 - three cities

Cross-References

Genesis 18:5
And let me get a bit of food so that you may refresh yourselves since you have passed by your servant's home. After that you may be on your way." "All right," they replied, "you may do as you say."
Genesis 19:31
Later the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to have sexual relations with us, according to the way of all the world.
Genesis 19:38
The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben Ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
Genesis 42:37
Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care and I will bring him back to you."
Exodus 32:22
Aaron said, "Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people, that they tend to evil.
Judges 9:15
The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'
Judges 19:24
Here are my virgin daughter and my guest's concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. But don't do such a disgraceful thing to this man!"
Isaiah 58:7
I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood!
Mark 9:6
(For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.)
Romans 3:8
And why not say, "Let us do evil so that good may come of it"?—as some who slander us allege that we say. (Their condemnation is deserved!)

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast,.... Extend it further than it was upon their first settlement, even carry it as far as the river Euphrates, as in the times of Solomon, 1 Kings 4:21. Jarchi interprets it of such an enlargement as to give them the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites and Kadmonites:

(as he hath sworn unto thy fathers), and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy, fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; see

Genesis 15:19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This and the next two chapters contain enactments designed to protect human life, and to impress its sanctity on Israel.

In Deuteronomy 19:1-13 the directions respecting the preparation of the roads to the cities of refuge, the provision of additional cities in case of an extension of territory, and the intervention of the elders as representing the congregation, are unique to Deuteronomy and supplementary to the laws on the same subject given in the earlier books (compare the marginal reference).

Deuteronomy 19:1, Deuteronomy 19:2

The three cities of refuge for the district east of Jordan had been already named. Moses now directs that when the territory on the west of Jordan had been conquered, a like allotment of three other cities in it should be made. This was accordingly done; compare Joshua 20:1 ff,

Deuteronomy 19:3

Thou shalt prepare thee a way - It was the duty of the Senate to repair the roads that led to the cities of refuge annually, and remove every obstruction. No hillock was left, no river over which there was not a bridge; and the road was at least 32 cubits broad. At cross-roads there were posts bearing the words Refuge, Refuge, to guide the fugitive in his flight. It seems as if in Isaiah 40:3 ff the imagery were borrowed from the preparation of the ways to the cities of refuge.

Deuteronomy 19:5

With the axe - literally, “with the iron.” Note the employment of iron for tools, and compare Deuteronomy 3:11 note.

Deuteronomy 19:8, Deuteronomy 19:9

Provision is here made for the anticipated enlargement of the borders of Israel to the utmost limits promised by God, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18, note; Exodus 23:31, note). This promise, owing to the sins of the people, did not receive its fulfillment until after David had conquered the Philistines, Syrians, etc.; and this but a transient one, for many of the conquered peoples regained independence on the dissolution of Solomon’s empire.


 
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