King James Version
Deuteronomy 18
22 verses with commentary
Provisions for Priests and Levites
The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel</strong> (לֹא־יִהְיֶה לַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כָּל־שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי חֵלֶק וְנַחֲלָה עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל)—God Himself is their <em>nachalah</em> (inheritance). Unlike the other tribes who received land territories, the Levites' portion was sacred service and divine provision through <strong>the offering...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XVIII.**
Deuteronomy 18:1-5.
**THE PBIESTS’ DUE.**
(1) **The priests the Levites, (and) all the tribe of Levi.**—The fact that there is no “and” here in the original, and the look of the sentence in English, might dispose a superficial reader to find some ground here for the theory that priest and Levite are not distinguished in Deuteronomy. No such idea occurred to Rashi. He says, *“*all the tr...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse establishes the unique inheritance of the Levitical priesthood. The Hebrew phrase <strong>וְנַחֲלָה לֹא־יִהְיֶה־לּוֹ</strong> (venachalah lo-yihyeh-lo, 'and inheritance shall not be to him') emphasizes total absence—no land allotment like the other tribes. The term <strong>נַחֲלָה</strong> (nachalah, 'inheritance') appears three times in this verse, creating deliberate emphasis through ...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>This shall be the priest's due from the people</strong> (וְזֶה יִהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַכֹּהֲנִים מֵאֵת הָעָם)—the word <em>mishpat</em> means ordained right, legal due, not optional generosity. God establishes mandatory provision so priests wouldn't depend on human whims. The specific portions—<strong>the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw</strong> (<em>hazero'a vehallechayayim vehaqeva...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep</strong> (רֵאשִׁית דְּגָנְךָ תִּירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ וְרֵאשִׁית גֵּז צֹאנְךָ)—<em>reshit</em> (firstfruit) appears twice, emphasizing priority. God claims the first and best, not leftovers. The agricultural triad—grain (<em>dagan</em>), new wine (<em>tirosh</em>), and oil (<em>yitshar<...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes</strong> (כִּי בוֹ בָּחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִכָּל־שְׁבָטֶיךָ)—<em>bachar</em> (chosen) emphasizes divine election, not human qualification. God sovereignly set apart Levi's tribe for perpetual ministry: <strong>to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever</strong> (<em>la'amod lesharet beshem-YHWH hu uvanav k...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out--**The physical features of Palestine present a striking contrast to those of the land of bondage. A widely extending plain forms the cultivated portion of Egypt, and on the greater part of this low and level country rain never falls. This natural want is supplied by the annual overflow...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned</strong> (וְכִי־יָבוֹא הַלֵּוִי מֵאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ)—this protects itinerant Levites' rights. Though Levites received 48 cities (Numbers 35:1-8), many lived scattered throughout Israel teaching the law. The phrase <strong>with all the desire of his mind</strong> (<em>bechol-avvat nafsho</em>) shows passionate devot...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6-8) **And if a Levite come.**—The Levites with the priests were to receive forty-eight cities in Israel, with the suburbs (Numbers 35:7). There was as yet no provision made by which all could serve in turn at the tabernacle. When David divided them all into courses, priests, Levites, singers (and porters?) alike, there was no longer any need for this provision. The institutions of David prove it...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out--**The physical features of Palestine present a striking contrast to those of the land of bondage. A widely extending plain forms the cultivated portion of Egypt, and on the greater part of this low and level country rain never falls. This natural want is supplied by the annual overflow...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God</strong> (וְשֵׁרֵת בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו)—the same privilege and authority given to all Levites. <strong>As all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD</strong> (<em>kechol-echav haleviyyim ha'omedim sham lifnei YHWH</em>) establishes equality. Geographic origin doesn't diminish calling or rights.<br><br>The ph...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out--**The physical features of Palestine present a striking contrast to those of the land of bondage. A widely extending plain forms the cultivated portion of Egypt, and on the greater part of this low and level country rain never falls. This natural want is supplied by the annual overflow...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony. that: Heb. his sale by the fathers
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They shall have like portions to eat</strong> (חֵלֶק כְּחֵלֶק יֹאכֵלוּ)—<em>chelek kechelek</em>, "portion like portion," emphasizes exact equality. Visiting Levites received the same shares from sacrificial portions as resident priests. <strong>Beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony</strong> (<em>levad mimkarav al-ha'avot</em>) protects personal inheritance rights.<br><br>T...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **They shall have like portions to eat, beside that.**—The Levite thus dedicated was to have the same allowance from tithes as the rest who served at the tabernacle, beside the proceeds of the patrimony which he would have had in his own Levitical city.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
Chapter Outline
A provision respecting Levites.(1-8)
The abominations of the Canaanites to be avoided.(9-14)
Christ the great Prophet.(15-22)
**Verses 1-8**
Care is taken that the priests entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life, nor enrich themselves with the wealth of this world; they have better things to mind. Care is likewise taken that they want ...
Read full commentary →Occult Practices Forbidden
When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations</strong> (כִּי אַתָּה בָּא אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא־תִלְמַד לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹת הַגּוֹיִם הָהֵם)—the verb <em>talmad</em> (learn, teach yourself) implies deliberate adoption, not accidental exposure. Israel would encounter Canaa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9-14) Certain forms of idolatry to be avoided, especially unlawful means of communication with the unseen world.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. the first rain and the latter rain--**The early rain commenced in autumn, that is, chiefly during the months of September and October, while the latter rain fell in the spring of the year, that is, during the months of March and April. It is true that occasional showers fell all the winter; but, at the autumnal and vernal seasons, they were more frequent, copious, and important; for the earl...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spell...
Read full commentary →There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire</strong> (לֹא־יִמָּצֵא בְךָ מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ־וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ)—child sacrifice to Molech, where children were burned alive or passed through fire as dedication. <em>Ma'avir ba'esh</em> literally "causing to pass through the fire." Archaeological evidence confirms this horrific practice in...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **To pass through the fire.**—See Leviticus 18:21.
**Useth divination**—(Numbers 22:7), possibly by sacrifices.
**Observer of times.**—This is the Rabbinical explanation of the word. In Hebrew the idea of “time” is not so clear. *It *seems to mean practising *hidden *arts. (See Leviticus 19:26.)
**Enchanter.**—Whisperer, or serpent charmer. (See Genesis 44:5.)
**Witch.**—One who uses charms o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle--**Undoubtedly the special blessing of the former and the latter rain [De 11:14] was one principal cause of the extraordinary fertility of Canaan in ancient times. That blessing was promised to the Israelites as a temporal reward for their fidelity to the national covenant [De 11:13]. It was threatened to be withdrawn on their disobedience or...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spell...
Read full commentary →Or a charmer , or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer .
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The forbidden practices continue: <strong>a charmer</strong> (חֹבֵר חָבֶר, <em>chover chaver</em>—one who binds spells, casts charms, uses incantations); <strong>a consulter with familiar spirits</strong> (שֹׁאֵל אוֹב, <em>sho'el ov</em>—one who inquires of spirits of the dead, a medium who claims contact with departed souls); <strong>a wizard</strong> (יִדְּעֹנִי, <em>yidde'oni</em>—a knowing one...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Charmer.**—Literally *one who ties knots, *used here for the first time in Old Testament.
**Consulter with familiar spirits.**—Literally, *one who consulteth ôb *(see Leviticus 19:31).
**A Wizard.**—One who *knows *or pretends to k*now *the secrets of the unseen world. (See Leviticus 19:31.)
**Necromancer.**—One who inquires of the dead. Four of the above practices are ascribed to king Mana...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle--**Undoubtedly the special blessing of the former and the latter rain [De 11:14] was one principal cause of the extraordinary fertility of Canaan in ancient times. That blessing was promised to the Israelites as a temporal reward for their fidelity to the national covenant [De 11:13]. It was threatened to be withdrawn on their disobedience or...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spell...
Read full commentary →For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD</strong>—The Hebrew <em>to'evah</em> (abomination) denotes something utterly detestable and morally repugnant to God's holy nature. This term appears throughout the Mosaic law for practices that fundamentally violate covenant relationship with YHWH. The phrase <strong>all that do these things</strong> refers back to the catalogu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle--**Undoubtedly the special blessing of the former and the latter rain [De 11:14] was one principal cause of the extraordinary fertility of Canaan in ancient times. That blessing was promised to the Israelites as a temporal reward for their fidelity to the national covenant [De 11:13]. It was threatened to be withdrawn on their disobedience or...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spell...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. perfect: or, upright, or, sincere
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God</strong>—The Hebrew <em>tamim</em> (perfect) means whole, complete, blameless, or having integrity—not sinless perfection but wholehearted devotion without divided loyalties. This is covenant faithfulness language: complete allegiance to YHWH alone, rejecting the syncretistic compromise of mixing His worship with occult practices. The preposition...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.**—Rashi’s note on this is worth preserving: “Thou shalt walk with Him in sincerity, and wait for Him. And thou shalt not pry into the future. But whatsoever cometh upon thee, take it with simplicity, and then thou shalt *be with Him, *and be His portion.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spell...
Read full commentary →For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. possess: or, inherit
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners</strong>—<em>Me'onenim</em> (observers of times) likely refers to those who interpreted omens from clouds or practiced astrology. <em>Qosemim</em> (diviners) encompasses various techniques for discerning the future or the will of deities—examining animal entrails, casting lots, observing bird ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **The Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.**—More literally, *As for thee, not so hath Jehovah thy God given unto thee. A prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, will Jehovah thy God raise up unto thee. Him shall ye hear. *The contrast between the miserable resources of idolatrous nations in their anxiety, and the light and comfort promised to Israel and to us,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-14**
Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spell...
Read full commentary →The Prophet Like Moses
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
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KJV Study Commentary
The Prophet to come: 'The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.' This promises a prophet 'like Moses'—lawgiver, mediator, deliverer. The Hebrew uses singular 'Prophet' (נָבִיא, <em>navi</em>), suggesting ultimate fulfillment in one person, though intermediate prophets also came. The command 'unto him ye shal...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Deuteronomy 18:15-20. **THE ONE MEDIATOR.**
The connection between these verses and the preceding is well illustrated by Isaiah’s question (Deuteronomy 8:19): “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” Or, as the angels turned the phrase on Easter mo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb</strong>—This recalls the theophany at Sinai (Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 5:23-27) when Israel, terrified by the direct divine presence, begged Moses to serve as mediator. <strong>Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not</strong>—The people's fear was appro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken</strong>—God affirms Israel's request for prophetic mediation as wise and appropriate. The Hebrew <em>hetiv</em> (well) indicates approval; their recognition of need for a mediator demonstrated healthy fear of God and realistic assessment of their sinful condition. This divine affirmation establishes the principle...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee</strong>—The singular <em>navi</em> (Prophet) is messianic, pointing beyond the prophetic office generally to one ultimate Prophet. <strong>Like unto thee</strong> (Moses) indicates similarity in mediatorial function, authoritative teaching, covenant administration, and miraculous attestation. <strong>And will put my ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name</strong>—The Prophet speaks <em>in my name</em> (God's), meaning with divine authority and as God's representative. <em>Shama</em> (hearken) means to hear and obey, not merely acknowledge. <strong>I will require it of him</strong>—<em>Darash</em> (require) is judicial language for holding someone accountable, demandin...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
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KJV Study Commentary
False prophecy test: 'But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.' False prophets fall into two categories: (1) presumptuous—claiming divine authority without divine commission ('which I have not commanded'), (2) idolatrous—speaking for other gods. Both merit de...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--**(See on De 6:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?</strong> This verse addresses a critical question for God's covenant people: how to discern true prophecy from false. The Hebrew construction suggests an internal dialogue—<em>ki tomar bilvavekha</em> ("if/when you say in your heart")—acknowledging that this question naturally arises in the mind of t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-32. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse--**(See on De 27:11).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken</strong>—God provides an empirical test: unfulfilled prophecy proves false prophecy. The standard is 100% accuracy (not 'mostly right')—even one failure disqualifies the prophet. This protected Israel from manipulation by would-be seers claiming divin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **If the thing follow not, nor come to pass.—**This is one form of our Lord’s test for all prophets, “*By their fruits *(*i.e., *the ‘results,’ of their teaching, not its first impressions) *ye shall know them.”*
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-32. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse--**(See on De 27:11).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 15-22**
It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In ...
Read full commentary →