then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing to your gates, even that same man or woman; and you shall stone them to death with stones.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 5. Stoned, not far from the gates, where they received sentence. Thus the sabbath-breaker was stoned without the camp, (Numbers 15:35,) and S. Stephen out of the city of Jerusalem, Acts 7:57. When only a few were concerned, the twenty-three judges passed sentence: but if a whole tribe had been guilty, the cognizance of the affair was left to the Sanhedrim. When a city was infected with this abomination, it was wholly destroyed. But no one was punished, except two witnesses (verse 6,) attested that formal idolatry, by sacrifice, and so forth had been committed. Seld. Syned. iii. 4.