About Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy contains Moses' final addresses to Israel, restating the Law and calling the new generation to covenant faithfulness.

Author: MosesWritten: c. 1406 BCReading time: ~3 minVerses: 20
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King James Version

Deuteronomy 17

20 verses with commentary

Idolatry and Justice

Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness : for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God. sheep: or, goat

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish</strong> (מוּם, <em>mum</em>)—a defect, flaw, or physical imperfection. Leviticus 22:20-25 elaborates: lameness, blindness, broken bones all disqualify. The Hebrew <strong>any evilfavouredness</strong> (דָּבָר רָע, <em>davar ra</em>) means 'any bad thing'—even minor flaws.<br><br>Why such strictness? B...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

XVII. (1) **Thou shalt not sacrifice . . .**—The law concerning the purity of victims is given in full in Leviticus 22:17-25. It takes its place there among the special laws of holiness. The same principle appears to unite the several topics treated here in Deuteronomy, as the holy days, the administration of justice, the absence of groves and images, with such a precept as this regarding the perf...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-9. the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera--**So sudden a change from a spoken discourse to a historical narrative has greatly puzzled the most eminent biblical scholars, some of whom reject the parenthesis as a manifest interpolation. But it is found in the most ancient Hebrew manuscripts, and, believing that all contained in this book was gi...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,

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KJV Study Commentary

Conditional case law: <strong>If there be found among you</strong>—the community must actively investigate covenant violations. <strong>Within any of thy gates</strong> (שְׁעָרֶיךָ, <em>she'arekha</em>) means 'your cities'—local jurisdiction, not distant rumors. Apostasy isn't private sin; it's public covenant-breaking.<br><br><strong>Wrought wickedness</strong> (עָשָׂה אֶת־הָרָע, <em>asah et-hara...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 17:2-7. **EVERY IDOLATER TO BE STONED.** (2) **If there be found . . . man or woman.**—This section differs slightly from the third section of Deuteronomy 13. The penalty there is directed against the teachers of idolatry, whether prophets, private individuals, or communities in Israel. Here the penalty of death is enacted for every individual, man or woman, found guilty of worshipping...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Served other gods, and worshipped them</strong> (עָבַד, <em>avad</em>; שָׁחָה, <em>shachah</em>)—two Hebrew verbs: 'served' (enslavement, working for) and 'bowed down' (physical prostration). Idolatry involves both internal allegiance and external ritual.<br><br>Specific examples: <strong>the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven</strong> (צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם, <em>tzeva hashamayim</em>)...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

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KJV Study Commentary

Due process requirements: <strong>it be told thee</strong> (formal accusation), <strong>thou hast heard of it</strong> (leadership awareness), <strong>enquired diligently</strong> (דָּרַשׁ הֵיטֵב, <em>darash hetev</em>—'searched thoroughly'). No rushed judgment—investigation must establish facts.<br><br><strong>Behold, it be true, and the thing certain</strong> (אֱמֶת נָכוֹן הַדָּבָר, <em>emet nak...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Bring forth that man or that woman</strong>—gender equality in covenant accountability. <strong>Unto thy gates</strong> (אֶל־שְׁעָרֶיךָ, <em>el-she'arekha</em>)—the city gate, where judicial proceedings occurred (Ruth 4:1; Deuteronomy 21:19). Public execution at the community center emphasized covenant solidarity.<br><br><strong>Stone them with stones, till they die</strong> (סָקַל אֲבָנִי...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

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KJV Study Commentary

Judicial requirement: 'At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.' Capital cases require multiple witnesses—minimum two, ideally three. One witness is insufficient regardless of credibility. This protects against false accusation and rushed judgment. The phrase 'at the mouth of' ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him</strong>—witnesses who testified must initiate execution, ensuring they stake their own integrity on their testimony. False witnesses thus risked exposure (Deuteronomy 19:16-19 prescribes reciprocal punishment). This deters perjury and frivolous accusations.<br><br><strong>Afterward the hands of all the people</strong>—communal participati...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 17 Chapter Outline All sacrifices to be perfect, Idolaters must be slain.(1-7) Difficult controversies.(8-13) The choice of a king, His duties.(14-20) **Verses 1-7** No creature which had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our ...
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Courts of Law

If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>A matter too hard for thee in judgment</strong> (יִפָּלֵא מִמְּךָ, <em>yippalei mimkha</em>)—'too difficult/extraordinary for you'—acknowledges limits of local judicial competence. Three categories: <strong>between blood and blood</strong> (capital vs. non-capital homicide? Different types of bloodguilt?), <strong>between plea and plea</strong> (דִּין לָדִין, <em>din ladin</em>—competing l...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 17:8-20. **THE SUPREMACY IN ISRAEL OF THE WRITTEN LAW OF GOD.** (8) **If there arise a matter too hard for thee.**—Literally, *too wonderful.* **Between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke.**—The “blood” and the “plea” seem to indicate criminal and civil cases. The word “stroke” is the common word for “plague” in the Pentateuch and elsewhere. It may po...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The priests the Levites</strong> (הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם, <em>hakohanim halviyim</em>)—Levitical priests serving at the central sanctuary possessed both theological training and judicial authority. <strong>The judge that shall be in those days</strong>—civil magistrate alongside priests, ensuring both religious and civil dimensions receive expertise.<br><br><strong>Enquire; and they shall ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

And thou shalt do according to the sentence , which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thou shalt do according to the sentence</strong> (עַל־פִּי הַדָּבָר, <em>al-pi hadavar</em>)—literally 'according to the mouth of the word'—emphasizing authoritative declaration. <strong>Which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee</strong>—the central sanctuary's decision is binding, not optional advice.<br><br><strong>Thou shalt observe to do according to all that...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee</strong> (עַל־פִּי הַתּוֹרָה, <em>al-pi hatorah</em>)—'according to the mouth of the Torah'—their teaching must align with revealed law, not personal opinion. <strong>According to the judgment which they shall tell thee</strong> (הַמִּשְׁפָּט, <em>hamishpat</em>)—their application of law to specific cases.<br><br><strong>Thou...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. and will: Heb. not to hearken

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the man that will do presumptuously</strong> (הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂה בְזָדוֹן, <em>ha'ish asher ya'aseh bezadon</em>)—<em>zadon</em> means deliberate rebellion, arrogant defiance of constituted authority, not mere error. This is contempt of court in its most serious form: rejecting the priestly-judicial verdict rendered at the central sanctuary.<br><br><strong>Will not hearken unto th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And all the people shall hear, and fear</strong> (וְכָל־הָעָם יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ, <em>vechol ha'am yishme'u veyira'u</em>)—public execution served a pedagogical purpose. <em>Yare</em> (fear) encompasses reverence, awe, and deterrent fear. The execution's publicity wasn't cruel spectacle but covenantal instruction, teaching that presumptuous defiance of God's judicial order destroys commu...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 8-13** Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise.

Laws Concerning a King

When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

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KJV Study Commentary

Moses prophetically addresses Israel's future desire for a king: 'When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me.' God anticipates Israel's request (fulfilled in 1 Samuel 8) and provides regulations for kingship. The phrase 'like all the nations' ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Deuteronomy 17:14-20. **THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM.** (14) **When thou art come unto the land.**—These are not the words of a legislator who is already in the land. Those who say that this law dates from later times must be prepared to assert that this clause is expressly framed to suit the lips of Moses, and is thus far a deliberate forgery. **And shalt possess it, and dwell therein**—*i.e., *shalt c...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
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Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

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KJV Study Commentary

Future kingship: 'Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.' This permits but regulates monarchy—future anticipation (v.14-20). The king must be God's choice, not popular election alone. He must be Israelite ('thy brethren'), not fo...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
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But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But he shall not multiply horses to himself</strong> (לֹא־יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ סוּסִים, <em>lo-yarbeh-lo susim</em>)—horses symbolized military might and Egyptian-style chariot warfare. <em>Yarbeh</em> (multiply) means accumulate excessively. God forbids royal militarism that trusts in armaments rather than divine protection.<br><br><strong>Nor cause the people to return to Egypt</strong> identif...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 11 De 11:1-32. An Exhortation to Obedience. **1. Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge--**The reason for the frequent repetition of the same or similar counsels is to be traced to the infantine character and state of the church, which required line upon line and precept upon precept. Besides, the Israelites were a headstrong and perverse people, impatient of cont...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
Read full commentary →

Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away</strong> (וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ נָשִׁים וְלֹא יָסוּר לְבָבוֹ, <em>velo yarbeh-lo nashim velo yasur levavo</em>)—polygamy, particularly royal polygamy, served political purposes in ancient Near Eastern diplomacy. Foreign wives sealed alliances but brought foreign gods. <em>Sur</em> (turn away) describes apostasy, covenan...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2-9. I speak not with your children which have not known ... But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did--**Moses is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of awful judgment which God had wrought in effecting their release from the tyranny of Pharaoh, as well as those which had taken place in the wilderness. He knew that he might dwell upon these, for he ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
Read full commentary →

And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

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KJV Study Commentary

God commands the future king: 'And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites.' The king must personally copy the Torah—not merely possess a copy but write it himself. This labor-intensive process ensures intimate familiarity with God's law. The king isn't above the law but un...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **He shall write him a copy of this law.**—This phrase is the source of the Greek title of the book, *Deuteronomion, *or in English, Deuteronomy. The word appears also in Joshua 8:32. The English conveys the right sense of the word, which primarily denotes repetition. In Hebrew it is *Mishneh, *the name afterwards given to the “text” of the Talmud, of which the idea is to repeat the law; thou...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2-9. I speak not with your children which have not known ... But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did--**Moses is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of awful judgment which God had wrought in effecting their release from the tyranny of Pharaoh, as well as those which had taken place in the wilderness. He knew that he might dwell upon these, for he ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
Read full commentary →

And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life</strong>—Israel's king must <em>personally own</em> a Torah copy (written by his own hand from the priests' master copy, v. 18), keep it <strong>with him</strong> continually, and <strong>read therein</strong> daily. Unlike ancient Near Eastern monarchs who claimed divine status, Israel's king submitted to written...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2-9. I speak not with your children which have not known ... But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did--**Moses is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of awful judgment which God had wrought in effecting their release from the tyranny of Pharaoh, as well as those which had taken place in the wilderness. He knew that he might dwell upon these, for he ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
Read full commentary →

That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren</strong>—The king's greatest danger: pride (לֵבָב, <em>levav</em>, heart lifted up). Daily Torah reading prevents this by reminding him he's a <strong>brother</strong> (אָח, <em>ach</em>)—a fellow covenant member, not a demigod. Solomon ignored this, <strong>his wives turned away his heart after other gods</strong> (1 Kings 11:4), leading ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children.**—Shows that the kingdom in Israel would be hereditary only so far as Jehovah willed it to be so. Again we may say that the striking fact that no dynasty except that of David ever continued for more than five generations, and only two dynasties for more than two generations, while David’s dynasty was perpetual by ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2-9. I speak not with your children which have not known ... But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did--**Moses is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of awful judgment which God had wrought in effecting their release from the tyranny of Pharaoh, as well as those which had taken place in the wilderness. He knew that he might dwell upon these, for he ...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 14-20** God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be electe...
Read full commentary →

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