And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.
Deuteronomy is the second law or duplicate of the law, spoken by Moses just before his death as a review of the law for the new generation in chapters 5 to 26, and this verse stands within chapters 18 to 21 of that review. It is one of the laws recounted in Moses' appeal for Israel to serve God and turn away from sin. It belongs to the restriction on blood revenge, whose earlier form is seen in Genesis 4:14-15 and which later became part of the Mosaic code.
The law in verses 16-20 requires that when a witness is proved false in an accusation, the witness must receive the punishment intended for the accused. That penalty deters false testimony and guards people's lives. When the false witness is punished, those who remain hear of the judgment, fear, and henceforth commit no more such evil among them.
Deuteronomy is the second law or duplicate of the law, spoken by Moses just before his death as a review of the law for the new generation in chapters 5 to 26, and this verse stands within chapters 18 to 21 of that review. It is one of the laws recounted in Moses' appeal for Israel to serve God and turn away from sin. It belongs to the restriction on blood revenge, whose earlier form is seen in Genesis 4:14-15 and which later became part of the Mosaic code.
The law in verses 16-20 requires that when a witness is proved false in an accusation, the witness must receive the punishment intended for the accused. That penalty deters false testimony and guards people's lives. When the false witness is punished, those who remain hear of the judgment, fear, and henceforth commit no more such evil among them.