Deuteronomy 21:5

Verse

And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.

American Standard Version (1901)

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Jehovah thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be.

Bible in Basic English

Then the priests, the sons of Levi, are to come near; for they have been marked out by the Lord your God to be his servants and to give blessings in the name of the Lord; and by their decision every argument and every blow is to be judged:

Douay-Rheims 1899

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come, whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and to bless in his name, and that by their word every matter should be decided, and whatsoever is clean or unclean should be judged.

Free Bible Version

The Levitical priests must be there too, because the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to give blessings in his name, and to decide on legal disputes and cases of assault.

Geneva Bible 1599

Also the Priests the sonnes of Leui (whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister, and to blesse in the name of the Lord) shall come forth, and by their word shall all strife and plague be tried.

King James (Authorized) Version

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

One Unity Resource Bible

The priests the sons of Levi [United with] shall come near; for them Adonai your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in Adonai ’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.

Translation for Translators

The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.

Unlocked Literal Bible

The priests, descendants of Levi, must come forward, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to serve him and give blessing in the name of Yahweh and to decide every case of dispute and assault by their word.

Noah Webster Bible

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near (for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the name of the LORD) and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried ;

World English Bible

The priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in Yahweh’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.

Young's Literal Translation

'And the priests, sons of Levi, have come nigh — for on them hath Jehovah thy God fixed to serve Him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth is every strife, and every stroke —

Context

Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

⁴bring the heifer to a valley with running water that has not been plowed or sown, and break its neck there by the stream.⁵And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.⁶Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken,

Sermons

Commentary Notes - I Chronicles

Walter Beuttler

Summary

In this verse, the elders of the city are instructed to wash their hands over a heifer whose neck has been broken in a valley as part of a ritual to atone for an unsolved murder. This act symbolizes the community's innocence in the matter and serves as a plea for God's mercy. The ceremony underscores the value of human life and the importance of justice, even in cases where the perpetrator is unknown. It also highlights the communal responsibility to address and seek reconciliation for acts of violence within the society.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near,.... Who were clearly of the tribe of Levi, as Aben Ezra notes; about whom there could be no dispute; for it seems there sometimes were persons in that office, of whom there was some doubt at least whether they were of that tribe; these seem to be such that belonged to the court of judicature at Jerusalem; see Deu 17:9, who were to be present at this solemnity, to direct in the performance of it, and to judge and determine in any matter of difficulty that might arise: for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him; in the service of the sanctuary, by offering sacrifices, &c. and to bless in the name of the Lord; the people; see Num 6:23. and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried; every controversy between man and man respecting civil things, and every stroke or blow which one man may give another; and whatsoever came before them was tried by them, according to the respective laws given concerning the things in question, and were not determined by them in an arbitrary way, according to their own will and pleasure; see Deu 17:8.