And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
The declaration belongs to a public ceremony appointed for a murder whose perpetrator could not be found. It was spoken by the elders only after diligent efforts had been made to discover the killer. As they spoke, they washed their hands over the sacrificed heifer, solemnly disavowing that they had shed the blood or witnessed the crime.
The rite was no empty form to excuse neglect, but an open expression of abhorrence for murder. It affirmed the solemn responsibility resting on leaders to seek justice and to do all in their power to bring wrong to light. To shield the guilty through carelessness was to share in the wrong itself. Innocent blood left unavenged brought guilt upon those who failed to act.
The declaration belongs to a public ceremony appointed for a murder whose perpetrator could not be found. It was spoken by the elders only after diligent efforts had been made to discover the killer. As they spoke, they washed their hands over the sacrificed heifer, solemnly disavowing that they had shed the blood or witnessed the crime.
The rite was no empty form to excuse neglect, but an open expression of abhorrence for murder. It affirmed the solemn responsibility resting on leaders to seek justice and to do all in their power to bring wrong to light. To shield the guilty through carelessness was to share in the wrong itself. Innocent blood left unavenged brought guilt upon those who failed to act.