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Deuteronomy 13

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Warning Against False Prophets 1–5

1
If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder, ​
2
and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3
thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams: for Jehovah your God proveth you, to know whether ye love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ​
4
Ye shall walk after Jehovah your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5
And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he hath spoken rebellion against Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage, to draw thee aside out of the way which Jehovah thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. ​

Temptation from Family and Friends 6–11

6
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, that is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; ​
7
of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
8
thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: ​
9
but thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. ​
10
And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
11
And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee.

Dealing with the Apostate City 12–18

12
If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying,
13
Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of thee, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; ​
14
then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in the midst of thee, ​
15
thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
16
And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto Jehovah thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again. ​
17
And there shall cleave nought of the devoted thing to thy hand; that Jehovah may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; ​
18
when thou shalt hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 13

Verse 1

a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams — The nabi and the one who dreams (chalam) may each give 'a sign or a wonder'. Verse 2 allows that the sign 'come to pass' and still rules against him when he says 'Let us go after other gods'. Christ foretells the same: false prophets 'shall shew great signs and wonders' (Matt 24:24).

Verse 3

the LORD your God proveth you — 'Proveth' is nasah, to test, the verb of Deut 8:2, 'to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart'. What is tested is love 'with all your heart and with all your soul', the measure set in Deut 6:5. Paul writes in the same vein that 'they which are approved may be made manifest' (1 Cor 11:19).

Verse 5

shall be put to death — The prophet is condemned for having 'spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage'. 'Thrust' (nadach) is the verb of vv.10 and 13. The closing line, 'So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee', is repeated in 17:7.

Verse 6

thy friend, which is as thine own soul — Five persons are named: brother, son, daughter, wife and friend, each as close as the 'soul' (nephesh) itself; Jonathan loved David 'as his own soul' (1 Sam 18:1). 'Entice' is sut, to prick or persuade. Christ sets the same claim: 'He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me' (Matt 10:37).

Verse 8

neither shalt thou conceal him — Five refusals mark the response: do not consent, hearken, pity, spare or conceal. The same refusal of pity recurs in 7:16 and 19:13. 'Conceal' is kasah, to cover over. The loyalty is owed to the LORD who brought Israel out of Egypt (v.10).

Verse 9

thine hand shall be first upon him — 'Surely kill' doubles the verb harag. The first hand belongs to the one who was approached, and 'afterwards the hand of all the people'. The law of witnesses sets the same order: 'The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him' (Deut 17:7), and a death sentence needs 'two witnesses, or three' (Deut 17:6).

Verse 13

the children of Belial — Beliyya'al means worthlessness or wickedness. It marks the men of Gibeah, 'certain sons of Belial' (Judg 19:22), and the sons of Eli, who 'knew not the LORD' (1 Sam 2:12). Paul uses it as a name: 'what concord hath Christ with Belial?' (2 Cor 6:15). 'Withdrawn' is nadach, the verb of vv.5 and 10.

Verse 14

enquire, and make search, and ask diligently — Three verbs stand together: darash, to seek out, chaqar, to search, and sha'al, to ask. The penalty of vv.15–16 comes only after the report is found 'truth, and the thing certain'. Deut 17:4 gives the same test for a single offender, and 19:15 requires 'two witnesses, or… three'.

Verse 16

burn with fire the city… every whit — 'Every whit' is kalil, whole, the word for the 'whole burnt sacrifice' of Deut 33:10 and Ps 51:19. The city burns 'for the LORD thy God' and becomes 'an heap for ever', as Joshua made Ai 'an heap for ever' (Josh 8:28). The spoil is gathered in the street and burnt with it.

Verse 17

the cursed thing — Cherem is what is devoted to destruction. Achan took of it (Josh 7:1), and when it was removed 'the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger' (Josh 7:26), the words used here. The promise follows: mercy, compassion and increase, 'as he hath sworn unto thy fathers'.