BibleWord.ai› Bible› Deuteronomy› Chapter 25› Verse 12

Deuteronomy 25:12

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 25:12 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.
Deuteronomy 25:12 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9then shall his brother`s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother`s house.
10And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.
11When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets;
12then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.
13Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small.
14Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small.
15A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
← Deuteronomy 25:11Deuteronomy 25:13 →
← Full Chapter 25 Deuteronomy Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then thou shall cut off her hand, etc.] Which was to be done not by the man that strove with her husband, or by any bystander, but by the civil magistrate or his order. This severity was used to deter women from such an immodest as well as injurious action, who on such an occasion are very passionate and inconsiderate. Our Lord is thought to refer to this law, (<400530>Matthew 5:30); though the Jewish writers interpret this not of actual cutting off the hand, but of paying a valuable consideration, a price put upon it; so Jarchi; and Aben Ezra compares it with the law of retaliation, “eye for eye”, (<022124>Exodus 21:24 <032420>Leviticus 24:20) (<051921>Deuteronomy 19:21); which they…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“This is the only mutilation prescribed by the Law of Moses, unless we except the retaliation prescribed as a punishment for the infliction on another of bodily injuries Leviticus 24:19-20. The act in question was probably not rare in the times and countries for which the Law of Moses was designed. It is of course to be understood that the act was willful, and that the prescribed punishment would be inflicted according to the sentence of the judges. return to 'Top of Page'”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Deu 19:13, Deu 19:21 Deuteronomy 25:13”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 25 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification