This chapter contains an order to separate three cities of refuge in the land of Canaan, for such that killed a man unawares to flee to, of which those who were guilty of murder purposely were to have no benefit, Deut. 19:1–13, a law is given against removing landmarks, Deut.

When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee The seven nations of the land of Canaan, whose destruction was of the Lord for their sins, and whose land was a gift of him that had a right to dispose of it to the children of Israel; see and thou succeedest…

Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land From the cities they took possession of and dwelt in; and indeed from the cities of the Levites, which were given to them to inhabit; three were before ordered to be separated from those inhabited by the tribes of Reuben and Gad,…

Thou shalt prepare thee a way A road, an highway to those cities: on the first of Adar, or February, the magistrates used to meet, and proclaimed, or ordered to be proclaimed, that the ways be repaired [[16]], particularly those leading to the cities of refuge; which was done by making them smooth…

And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live It was not any slayer that might have protection in these cities, but such who were thus and thus circumstanced, or whose case was as follows: whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly; without intention, as the Targum of…

As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood A wood is a place common to men, and cutting down wood a business which any man might do; whereas a private place, where a man had no right to be, and doing what he had no business with, rendered a case suspicious, and such a man was…

Lest the avenger of blood pursue the slayer These words are to be connected with , where it is ordered to prepare the way to the cities of refuge, and to divide the land into three parts, for the convenience of the slayer to flee thither, lest he that was next of kin, and incensed against the…

Wherefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt separate three cities for thee. ] This was to be done immediately, as soon as they were settled in the land of Canaan, and established in the possession of it, the inhabitants being cut off, or driven out, or however subdued.

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, 1 Kings 4:24) .

If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day A phrase often met with before, and signifies the putting in practice the several laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial, which Moses was now making a repetition of, and enjoining the observance of them by a divine…

That innocent blood be not shed As it would be if such a slayer as before described was killed by the avenger of blood, before he could get to one of these cities of refuge, or supposing that they had not bean appointed, or a sufficient number of them: which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an…

But if any man hate his neighbour Has conceived enmity in his heart against him, bears him a mortal hatred, and has formed a scheme in his mind to take away his life: and lie in wait for him knowing and expecting he will come by in such a way at such a time: and rise up against him; out of the…

Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, &c.] The Targum of Jonathan is, “the wise men of his city,” the sanhedrim, or court of judicature, or at least the civil magistrates of that city, to which such a murderer belonged, had a power to send to the city of refuge whither he was…

Thine eye shall not pity him This is not said to the avenger of blood, who is not to be supposed to have any pity or compassion on such a person, but to the elders, judges, and civil magistrates of the city to which he belonged, who took cognizance of his case; these were to show him no favour on…

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, which they of old have…

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth Whether capital sins, or pecuniary debts; or whatsoever sins a man may be guilty of whether sins against the first or second table of the law, whether greater or lesser sins, whether in moral or…

If a false witness rise up against any man In a court of judicature: to testify against him: that which is not true of him, let it be in what case it will; Aben Ezra instances in idolatry, but it holds good of any other.

Then both the men between whom the controversy is The man that bears the false witness, and the man against whom it is borne: shall stand before the Lord; as in the presence of him, the omniscient God, and as represented by judges and civil magistrates, whose vicegerents they are; so it seems to be…

And the judges shall make diligent inquisition Into the case before them, into the nature of the evidence and proof that each witness brings for or against; so the Targum of Jonathan, “the judges shall interrogate the witness, by whom these things are said, well;” shall thoroughly examine the…

Then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother Inflict the same fine or punishment on him he thought to have brought his brother under by his false testimony of him; whether any pecuniary fine, or whipping and scourging, or the loss of a member, or the value of it, or…

And those which remain shall hear, and fear Those which survive the false witness shall hear of the punishment inflicted on him, and fear to commit the like sin, lest they should be punished in like manner.

And thine eye shall not pity The false witness when convicted; this is directed to the judges, who should not spare such an one through favour or affection, but pronounce a righteous sentence on him, and see it executed, in proportion to the crime, and that according to the law of retaliation: but…