And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
And they will answer and say, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, and our eyes did not see it happen.'
The elders are declaring their innocence, stating they had no part in the murder and didn't witness it.
📚 Historical Context
In ancient Israel, under the Mosaic Law given to Moses, if a slain person was found in the open fields and the murderer could not be identified, the elders of the nearest town were required to perform a ritual to remove bloodguilt from the community. This ceremony involved sacrificing a heifer and making a public declaration of innocence to affirm that neither they nor their community were involved in the crime. The statement in Deuteronomy 21:7 specifically served as a way to uphold justice and maintain the holiness of the land by denying any direct or indirect responsibility for the bloodshed.
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