John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 17:8
If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment ,.... This is spoken to inferior judges in cities in the country, who sometimes might have cases too wonderful and mysterious, as the word signifies, or secret and hidden, such as were out of their reach and beyond their capacity, and so be very difficult for them to determine what should be done: between blood and blood ; that is, whether a man is guilty of shedding innocent blood or not; when such a case is depending between a... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 17:8-13
Courts of judgment were ordered to be erected in every city (Deut. 16:18), and they were empowered to hear and determine causes according to law, both those which we call pleas of the crown and those between party and party; and we may suppose that ordinarily they ended the matters that were brought before them, and their sentence was definitive; but, 1. It is here taken for granted that sometimes a case might come into their court too difficult for those inferior judges to determine, who... read more