Deuteronomy 21 · Verse 5

Deuteronomy 21:5

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:
Deuteronomy 21:5, King James Version

Deuteronomy 21:5 in other translations

BSBAnd 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.
WEBThe priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them the LORD your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the LORD’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.
ASVAnd 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.
YLT‘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--
DARBYand the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Jehovah thy God hath chosen to do service unto him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah; and according to their word shall be every controversy and every stroke.
BBEThen 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:
WebsterAnd 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;

What does Deuteronomy 21:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 21:1-6

De 21:1-9. Expiation of Uncertain Murder. 1-6. If one be found slain ... lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him--The ceremonies here ordained to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse show the ideas of sanctity which the Mosaic law sought to associate with human blood, the horror which murder inspired, as well as the fears that were felt lest God should avenge it on the country at…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 21:1-6 →

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 21:1-9

The first-born not to be disinherited for private affection. (15-17) A stubborn son to be stoned. (18-21) Malefactors not to be left hanging all night. (22-23) Verses 1-9 If a murderer could not be found out, great solemnity is provided for putting away the guilt from the land, as an expression of dread and detesting of that sin. The providence of God has often wonderfully brought to light these hidden works of…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 21:1-9 →

Deuteronomy 21:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְנִגְּשׁ֣וּve.ni.ge.Shuand they will draw nearH5066
הַכֹּהֲנִים֮ha.ko.ha.Nimthe priestsH3548
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] sons ofH1121
לֵוִי֒le.ViLeviH3878
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
בָ֗םVam<in> <the> them
בָּחַ֞רba.Charhe has chosenH977
יְהוָ֤הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430
לְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹle.Sha.re.Toto serve himH8334
וּלְבָרֵ֖ךְu.le.va.Rekhand to blessH1288
בְּשֵׁ֣םbe.Shemin [the] name ofH8034
יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וְעַל\־ve.'al-and onH5921
פִּיהֶ֥םpi.Hemmouth theirH6310
יִהְיֶ֖הyih.Yehit will beH1961
כָּל\־kol-everyH3605
רִ֥יבrivdisputeH7379
וְכָל\־ve.kholand everyH3605
נָֽגַע\׃Na.ga'woundH5061

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 21:5

  • 1 Chronicles 23:13

    The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.

  • Malachi 2:7

    For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

  • Deuteronomy 10:8

    At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

  • Deuteronomy 19:17

    Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

  • Numbers 6:22-27

    And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: …

  • Deuteronomy 18:5

    For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

  • Deuteronomy 17:8-12

    If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
for them.
10:8; 18:5; Nu 6:22-27; 1Ch 23:13
by their word.
17:8-12; Mal 2:7
word. Heb. mouth.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 21:4

    And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:

  • Deuteronomy 21:5

    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:

  • Deuteronomy 21:6

    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:

Read all of Deuteronomy 21

Deuteronomy 21:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces vendrán los sacerdotes hijos de Leví, porque á ellos escogió Jehová tu Dios para que le sirvan, y para bendecir en nombre de Jehová; y por el dicho de ellos se determinará todo pleito y toda llaga.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les sacrificateurs, fils de Lévi, s’approcheront; car ce sont eux que l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, a choisis pour faire son service et pour bénir au nom de l’ Éternel; et ce sont eux qui prononceront sur tout différend et sur toute blessure.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Priester, die Söhne Levis, sollen herzutreten; denn sie hat Jehova, dein Gott, erwählt, ihm zu dienen und im Namen Jehovas zu segnen; und nach ihrem Ausspruch soll bei jedem Rechtsstreit und bei jeder Verletzung geschehen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		accedentque sacerdotes filii Levi, quos elegerit Dominus Deus tuus ut ministrent ei, et benedicant in nomine ejus, et ad verbum eorum omne negotium, et quidquid mundum, vel immundum est, judicetur.