Deuteronomy 17:8-10

Appeal to a Higher Court

17:8 If a matter is too difficult for you to judge – bloodshed, ¹  legal claim, ²  or assault ³  – matters of controversy in your villages ⁴  – you must leave there and go up to the place the Lord your God chooses. ⁵  17:9 You will go to the Levitical priests and the judge in office in those days and seek a solution; they will render a verdict. 17:10 You must then do as they have determined at that place the Lord chooses. Be careful to do just as you are taught.

Exodus 18:18

18:18 You will surely wear out, ⁶  both you and these people who are with you, for this is too ⁷  heavy a burden ⁸  for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.

Exodus 18:22

18:22 They will judge ⁹  the people under normal circumstances, ¹⁰  and every difficult case ¹¹  they will bring to you, but every small case ¹²  they themselves will judge, so that ¹³  you may make it easier for yourself, ¹⁴  and they will bear the burden ¹⁵  with you.

Exodus 18:26

18:26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring ¹⁶  to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.

¹ tn Heb “between blood and blood.”

² tn Heb “between claim and claim.”

³ tn Heb “between blow and blow.”

⁴ tn Heb “gates.”

⁵ tc Several Greek recensions add “to place his name there,” thus completing the usual formula to describe the central sanctuary (cf. Deut 12:5, 11, 14, 18; 16:6). However, the context suggests that the local Levitical towns, and not the central sanctuary, are in mind.

⁶ tn The verb means “to fall and fade” as a leaf (Ps 1:3). In Ps 18:45 it is used figuratively of foes fading away, failing in strength and courage (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 166). Here the infinitive absolute construction heightens the meaning.

⁷ tn Gesenius lists the specialized use of the comparative min (מ) where with an adjective the thought expressed is that the quality is too difficult for the attainment of a particular aim (GKC 430 §133.c).

⁸ tn Here “a burden” has been supplied.

⁹ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive, making it equivalent to the imperfect of instruction in the preceding verse.

¹⁰ tn Heb “in every time,” meaning “in all normal cases” or “under normal circumstances.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.

¹¹ tn Heb “great thing.”

¹² tn Heb “thing.”

¹³ tn The vav here shows the result or the purpose of the instructions given.

¹⁴ tn The expression וְהָקֵל מֵעָלֶיךָ (vÿhaqel me’aleykha) means literally “and make it light off yourself.” The word plays against the word for “heavy” used earlier – since it was a heavy or burdensome task, Moses must lighten the load.

¹⁵ tn Here “the burden” has been supplied.

¹⁶ tn This verb and the verb in the next clause are imperfect tenses. In the past tense narrative of the verse they must be customary, describing continuous action in past time.