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Deuteronomy 19 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
Justice
Another way justice would be maintained in Israel was by avoiding revenge killings. This chapter describes the establishment of special cities to protect those fleeing from revenge killings. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/avenge)
Witnesses
In the ancient Near East, it was common for a person to be punished by the testimony of a single person, especially if this was an important person. The rules in this chapter give protection to people, especially the poor by requiring multiple witnesses. This allowed justice to be done. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Law of retaliation
The chapter describes a famous law, often called the "law of retaliation." It is said, an "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." This does not mean a person who causes another person to lose their eye must have their own eye removed as punishment. This law is not about making all things equal. Instead, it is about limiting the punishment or the ability of a person to retaliate. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)