Deuteronomy 17:8

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 

Deuteronomy 21:5

21:5 Then the Levitical priests ⁶  will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, ⁷  and to decide ⁸  every judicial verdict ⁹ )

[17:8]  ¹ tn Heb “between blood and blood.”

[17:8]  ² tn Heb “between claim and claim.”

[17:8]  ³ tn Heb “between blow and blow.”

[17:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:8]  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.

[21:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”

[21:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “in the name of the Lord.” See note on Deut 10:8. The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[21:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “by their mouth.”

[21:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”