The Meaning of Deuteronomy 17:7 Explained

Deuteronomy 17:7

KJV: The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

YLT: the hand of the witnesses is on him, in the first place, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst.

Darby: The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.

ASV: The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The hands  of the witnesses  shall be first  upon him to put him to death,  and afterward  the hands  of all the people.  So thou shalt put  the evil  away  from among  you. 

What does Deuteronomy 17:7 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 17

1  The things sacrificed must be sound
2  Idolaters must be slain
8  Hard controversies are to be determined by the priests and judges
12  The one who shows contempt for the judge must die
14  The election
16  and duty of a king

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 17:7 mean?

The hands of the witnesses shall be him against the first to put him to death and the hands of all the people Afterward so you shall put away the evil from among you -
יַ֣ד הָעֵדִ֞ים תִּֽהְיֶה־ בּ֤וֹ בָרִאשֹׁנָה֙ לַהֲמִית֔וֹ וְיַ֥ד כָּל־ הָעָ֖ם בָּאַחֲרֹנָ֑ה וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ פ

יַ֣ד  The  hands 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הָעֵדִ֞ים  of  the  witnesses 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֵד  
Sense: witness.
תִּֽהְיֶה־  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בָרִאשֹׁנָה֙  against  the  first 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.
לַהֲמִית֔וֹ  to  put  him  to  death 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וְיַ֥ד  and  the  hands 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
כָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָ֖ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בָּאַחֲרֹנָ֑ה  Afterward 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: אַחֲרֹון  
Sense: behind, following, subsequent, western.
וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥  so  you  shall  put  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
הָרָ֖ע  the  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ  from  among  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation