Deuteronomy 21:3

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

and it shall be that the city that is nearest unto the slain, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in a yoke;

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
Aud let ye Elders of that citie, which is next vnto the slaine man, take out of the droue an heifer that hath not bene put to labour, nor hath drawen in the yoke.

Hebrew Names Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the Zakenim of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn't been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

Easy-to-Read Version
When you learn which town is nearest to the dead body, the leaders of that town must take a cow from their herds. It must be a cow that never had a calf and that has never been used for work.

English Standard Version
And the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer that has never been worked and that has not pulled in a yoke.

American Standard Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Bible in Basic English
And whichever town is nearest to the body, the responsible men of that town are to take from the herd a young cow which has never been used for work or put under the yoke;

Contemporary English Version
The leaders from that town will go to their cattle herds and choose a young cow that has never been put to work.

Complete Jewish Bible
After it has been determined which town is the closest, the leaders of that town are to take a young female cow that has never been put to work or yoked for use as a draft animal.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke.

King James Version (1611)
And it shall be that the citie which is next vnto the slaine man, euen the Elders of that citie shall take an heifer which hath not bene wrought with, and which hath not drawen in the yoke.

Amplified Bible
"It shall be that the elders of the city which is nearest to the dead man shall take a heifer of the herd, one which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not laboured, and which has not borne a yoke.

English Revised Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Berean Standard Bible
Then the elders of the city nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or used for work,

Lexham English Bible
And then the nearest city to the slain one, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked with in the field, that has not pulled a yoke,

Literal Translation
And it shall be, that the city nearest to the one slain, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke.

New Century Version
The elders of the city nearest the body must take a young cow that has never worked or worn a yoke,

New English Translation
Then the elders of the city nearest to the corpse must take from the herd a heifer that has not been worked—that has never pulled with the yoke—

New King James Version
And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke.

New Living Translation
When the nearest town has been determined, that town's elders must select from the herd a heifer that has never been trained or yoked to a plow.

New Life Bible
The leaders of the city that is nearest to the dead man will take a young cow from the cattle. The cow must never have been worked or pulled a plow.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the ancients of that city which they shall perceive to be nearer than the rest, shall take a heifer of the herd, that hath not drawn in the yoke, nor ploughed the ground,

George Lamsa Translation
And the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer which has never been used for work nor has pulled in the yoke,

Good News Translation
Then the leaders of the town nearest to where the body was found are to select a young cow that has never been used for work.

New American Standard Bible
"And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked and has not pulled in a yoke;

King James Version
And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Darby Translation
and the city that is nearest unto him that is slain, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer that hath not been wrought with, that hath not drawn in the yoke;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the eldre men of that citee, `which thei seen to be neer than othere, schulen take of the droue a cow calf, that `drow not yok, nether kittide the erthe with a schar;

Young's Literal Translation
and it hath been, the city which [is] near unto the slain one, even the elders of that city have taken a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in the yoke,

World English Bible
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn't been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

Revised Standard Version
and the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer which has never been worked and which has not pulled in the yoke.

Update Bible Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been wrought with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall be [that] the city [which is] next to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer which hath not been wrought with, [and] which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And let the elders of that citie which is next vnto the slayne man, take out of the droue an heyffer that hath not ben put to labour, nor hath drawen in the yoke:

Christian Standard Bible®
The elders of the city nearest to the victim are to get a young cow that has not been yoked or used for work.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Loke which cite is the nexte, ye Elders of the same shal take a yoge cowe, which hath not bene laboured, ner hath drawe in the yocke,

New Revised Standard
The elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked, one that has not pulled in the yoke;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;

Legacy Standard Bible
And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;

Contextual Overview

¹ When there shall be found one slain on the soil which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee to possess, lying prostrate in the field, - it not being known who smote him, ² then shall thine elders and thy judges go forth, - and measure unto the cities that are round about the slain; ³ and it shall be that the city that is nearest unto the slain, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in a yoke; ⁴ and the elders of that city shall take down the heifer into a ravine with an everflowing stream, which is neither tilled nor sown, - and shall behead there the heifer in the ravine. ⁵ Then shall the priests the sons of Levi come near, for of them, hath Yahweh thy God made choice to wait upon him, and to bless in the name of Yahweh, - and at their bidding, shall be settled every controversy and every punishment; ⁶ and, all the elders of that city who are nearest unto the slain, shall bathe their hands over the heifer that hath boon beheaded in the ravine, ⁷ and shall respond, and say, - Our hands, shed not this blood, neither did, our eyes, see the deed . ⁸ Be propitious unto thy people Israel whom thou hast redeemed, O Yahweh, and do not impute innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. So shall they obtain propitiation for the guilt of shedding blood. ⁹ Thou, therefore shalt consume the guilt of shedding innocent blood out of thy midst, - when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an: Numbers 19:2, Jeremiah 31:18, Matthew 11:28-30, Philippians 2:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 4:15 - the elders

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
And God said - Truly, Sarah thy wife, is about to bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name, Isaac, - and I will establish my covenant with him as an age-abiding covenant, to his seed after him.

Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, A laughing, hath God made for me, - Everyone that heareth will laugh with me.

Genesis 21:12
And God said unto Abraham Let it not be grievous in thine eyes concerning the boy and concerning thy bondwoman, In all that Sarah may say unto thee, hearken to her voice, - For in Isaac, shall there be called to thee - a seed.

Genesis 22:2
And he said - Take, I pray thee, thy son, thine only one, whom thou lovest, even, Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah and cause him to ascend there as an ascending-sacrifice, on one of the mountains which I shall name unto thee.

Joshua 24:3
So I took your father, Abraham, from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, - and multiplied his seed, and gave unto him, Isaac;

Matthew 1:2
Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob, begat Judah and his brethren;

Acts 7:8
And he gave unto him a covenant of circumcision; and, thus, he begat Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.

Romans 9:7
Neither, because they are seed of Abraham, are all children, - but, In Isaac, shall there be called unto thee a seed.

Hebrews 11:18
Even him of whom it had been said - In Isaac, shall there be called to thee, a seed:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man,.... And so suspected, as the Targum of Jonathan, of the murder; or the murderer is in it, or however belonged to it:

even the elders of the city shall take an heifer; of a year old, as the same Targum, and so Jarchi; and in this the Jewish writers agree, that it must be a year old, but not two; though heifers of three years old were sometimes used in sacrifice, Genesis 15:9 a type of Christ, in his strength, laboriousness, and patience; see Numbers 19:2

which hath not been wrought with; in ploughing land, or treading out corn:

and which hath not drawn in the yoke, which never had any yoke put upon it; or however, if attempted to be put upon it, it would not come under it, and draw with it: no mention is made, as usual, that it should be without blemish: because though in some sense expiatory, yet was not properly a sacrifice, it not being slain and offered where sacrifices were; hence it is said in the Misnah q, that a blemish in it did not make it rejected, or unlawful for use: nevertheless, this heifer may be a type of Christ, whose sufferings, bloodshed, and death, atone for secret and unknown sins, as well as for open and manifest ones, even for all sin; and its being free from labour, and without a yoke, may signify the freedom of Christ from the yoke of sin, and the service of it, and from human traditions; that he was not obliged to any toil and labour he had been concerned in, or to bear the yoke of the law, had he not voluntarily undertaken it of himself; and that he expiated the sins of such who were sons of Belial, children without a yoke; and for the same reason, this heifer not being required to be without blemish, might be because Christ, though he had no sin of his own, was made sin for his people, and reckoned as if he had been a sinner; though indeed, had this been the design of the type, all the sacrifices which typified Christ would not have required such a qualification, to be without blemish, as they did.

q Ut supra, (Sotah, c. 9.) sect. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The requirements as regards place and victim are symbolic. The heifer represented the murderer, so far at least as to die in his stead, since he himself could not be found. As hearing his guilt the heifer must therefore be one which was of full growth and strength, and had not yet been ceremonially profaned by human use. The Christian commentators find here a type of Christ and of His sacrifice for man: but the heifer was not strictly a sacrifice or sin-offering. The transaction was rather figurative, and was so ordered as to impress the lesson of Genesis 9:5.