Deuteronomy 17:8-13

Deuteronomy 17:8-13

[8] If there arise a matter  too hard  for thee in judgment,  between blood  between plea  and between stroke  being matters  of controversy  within thy gates:  and get thee up  into the place  which the LORD  thy God  shall choose;  [9] 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:  [10] 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: [11] 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.  [12] And the man  that will do  presumptuously,  and will not hearken  unto the priest  that standeth  to minister  thy God,  or unto the judge,  even that man  shall die:  and thou shalt put away  the evil  from Israel.  [13] And all the people  shall hear,  and fear,  and do no more presumptuously. 

What does Deuteronomy 17:8-13 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Deuteronomy 17:2 through7 explain a specific example of how the judges were to deal with a particular type of case. In these verses we see the legal procedure they were to follow in general.
When the priests would set up the tabernacle in the land, the nation was to establish a supreme court to provide judgment in cases too difficult for the local judges. The location of this legal center may have been at the tabernacle [1] , or it may have been at some other place. [2] Kline believed it was at the tabernacle and that this requirement reminded the people that the God who dwelt at the central sanctuary was Israel"s supreme Judge. [3]
At least two men would decide the case: a judge and a priest. The priest"s function was to clarify how the law of God related to the case. The decision of this court was final, and the people were to regard it as the will of God. People who rejected the decisions of this court were to die because to do so was to rebel against the will of God ( Deuteronomy 17:12).