Deu 13:9 | NETfull | STEP | Instead, you must kill him without fail! Your own hand must be the first to strike him, and then the hands of the whole community.

Deuteronomy 13:9

9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! ^{▼▼ The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).} Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ^{▼▼ Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.} and then the hands of the whole community.