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Sunday, September 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Wycliffe Bible

Deuteronomy 21:6

And the grettere men in birthe of that citee schulen come to the slayn man, and thei schulen waische her hondis on the cow calf, that was slayn in the valei;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ablution;   Church;   Government;   Hand;   Heifer;   Homicide;   Innocency;   Inquest;   Purification;   Washing;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hands;   Washing;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blood;   Hands, the;   Murder;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Sacrifice;   Washing;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elder;   Priest;   Uncleanness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kinsman-Redeemer;   Leadership;   Murder;   Priest, Priesthood;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ablution;   Heifer;   Murder;   Purification;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Murder;   Unclean and Clean;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ablutions;   Blood;   Court Systems;   Crimes and Punishments;   Elder;   Gestures;   Heifer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and Unclean;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Hand;   Justice;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Gestures;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Elders;   Heifer;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Blood;   Elder;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Murder;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gesture;   Heifer;   Heifer, Red;   Homicide;   Prayer;   Salvation;   Wash;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ablution;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abrogation of Laws;   Charity and Charitable Institutions;   Eleazar B. Dinai;   Homicide;   Judge;   Nashim;   Saul;   Soá¹­ah;   Teḥina, Abba;  

Parallel Translations

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.
Hebrew Names Version
All the Zakenim of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
King James Version
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:
Lexham English Bible
And all of the elders of that city nearest to the slain person shall wash their hands over the heifer with the broken neck in the wadi.
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,
New Century Version
Then all the elders of the city nearest the murdered person should wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley.
New English Translation
and all the elders of that city nearest the corpse must 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;
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;
Geneva Bible (1587)
And all the Elders of that citie that came neere to the slayne man, shal wash their hands ouer the heifer that is beheaded 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;
Contemporary English Version
The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow
Complete Jewish Bible
All the leaders of the town nearest the murder victim are to wash their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the vadi.
Darby Translation
And all the elders of that city, that are nearest unto him that is slain, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck is broken in the watercourse,
Easy-to-Read Version
All the leaders of the town nearest the dead body must wash their hands over the cow that had its neck broken in the valley.
George Lamsa Translation
And 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;
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
Literal Translation
And all the elders of that city nearest to the one slain shall wash their hands by the stream, over the heifer whose neck was broken.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all the Elders of the same cite shall come forth vnto the slayne, & wash their handes ouer ye yonge cowe, whose heade is stricken of in the valley,
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;
Bible in Basic English
And all the responsible men of that town which is nearest to the dead man, washing their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the valley,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And all the elders of the citie that come foorth to the slayne man, shall washe their handes ouer the heyffer that is beheaded in the valley,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
And all the Elders of that city that are next vnto the slaine man, shal wash their hands ouer the heifer that is beheaded in the valley.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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;
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:
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,
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,
Update Bible Version
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;
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, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken 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 Living Translation
"The elders of the town must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken.
New Life Bible
All the leaders of that city nearest to the dead man will wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley.
New Revised Standard
All the elders of that town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
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,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And 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,
Revised 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;
New American Standard Bible (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;

Contextual Overview

1 Whanne the careyn of a man slayn is foundun in the lond which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee, and `the gilti of sleyng is vnknowun, 2 the grettere men in birthe and thi iugis schulen go out, and schulen mete fro the place of the careyn the spaces of alle citees `bi cumpas; 3 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; 4 and thei schulen lede that cow calf to a scharp `valey, and ful of stoonys, that was neuere erid, nether resseyuede seed; and in that valey thei schulen kitte the heed of the cow calf. 5 And the preestis, the sones of Leuy, schulen neiye, whiche thi Lord God chees, that thei mynystre to hym, and blesse in his name, and al the cause hange at `the word of hem; and what euer thing is cleene ethir vncleene, be demed. 6 And the grettere men in birthe of that citee schulen come to the slayn man, and thei schulen waische her hondis on the cow calf, that was slayn in the valei; 7 and thei schulen seie, Oure hondis schedden not out this blood, nether oure iyen sien. 8 Lord, be mercyful to thi puple Israel, whom thou `ayen brouytist, and arette thou not innocent blood in the myddis of thi puple Israel. And the gilt of blood schal be don awey fro hem. 9 Forsothe thou schalt be alien fro the blood of the innocent which is sched, whanne thou hast do that that the Lord comaundide.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wash their hands: Washing the hands was anciently a symbolical action, denoting that the person was innocent of the crime in question. Job 9:30, Psalms 19:12, Psalms 26:6, Psalms 51:2, Psalms 51:7, Psalms 51:14, Psalms 73:13, Jeremiah 2:22, Matthew 27:24, Matthew 27:25, Hebrews 9:10

Reciprocal: 1 Timothy 1:9 - manslayers

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Abraham felde doun on his face, and leiyede in his hert, and seide, Gessist thou, whethir a sone schal be borun to a man of an hundrid yeer, and Sara of nynti yeer schal bere child?
Genesis 21:12
and God seide to hym, Be it not seyn scharp to thee on the child, and on thin handmayde; alle thingis whiche Sare seith to thee, here thou hir vois, for in Isaac seed schal be clepid to thee;
Genesis 21:15
And whanne the watir in the botel was endid, sche castide awei the child vndur a tre that was there;
Genesis 21:21
and dwellide in the deseert of Faran; and his modir took to him a wijf of the lond of Egipt.
Genesis 21:22
In the same tyme Abymelech, and Ficol, prince of his oost, seide to Abraham, God is with thee in alle thingis whiche thou doist;
Genesis 21:27
And so Abraham took scheep and oxun, and yaf to Abymalech, and bothe smyten a boond of pees.
Genesis 21:28
And Abraham settide seuene ewe lambren of the flok asidis half.
Psalms 113:9
Which makith a bareyn womman dwelle in the hous; a glad modir of sones.
Psalms 126:2
Thanne oure mouth was fillid with ioye; and oure tunge with ful out ioiyng. Thanne thei schulen seie among hethene men; The Lord magnefiede to do with hem.
Isaiah 49:15
Whether a womman may foryete hir yonge child, that sche haue not merci on the sone of hir wombe? thouy sche foryetith, netheles Y schal not foryete thee.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the elders of that city that are next unto the slain man,.... The whole court of judicature belonging to it, all the magistracy of it; even though there were an hundred of them, Maimonides x says:

shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: in token of their innocence, and this they did not only for themselves, but for the whole city, being the representatives of it; see

Psalms 26:6. Some think that this is a confirmation of the sense embraced by some, that it was a strong stream to which the heifer was brought; and there might be a stream of water here, and a valley also; though it would be no great difficulty to get from the city, which was near, a sufficient quantity of water to wash the hands of the elders with. This may denote the purification of sin by the blood of Christ, when it is confessed over him; and shows that priests and elders, ministers of the word, as well as others, stand in need of it; and that even those concerned in the death of Christ shared in the benefits of it.

x Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 9. sect. 3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 21:6. Shall wash their hands over the heifer — Washing the hands, in reference to such a subject as this, was a rite anciently used to signify that the persons thus washing were innocent of the crime in question. It was probably from the Jews that Pilate learned this symbolical method of expressing his innocence.


 
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