Deuteronomy17

Deuteronomy 17 outlines critical laws concerning worship, justice, and future kingship. It forbids blemished sacrifices and prescribes death by stoning for idolaters, requiring multiple witnesses for conviction. The chapter establishes a supreme judicial authority of priests and a judge for difficult cases, whose rulings must be obeyed. Finally, it sets forth specific regulations for a future king, emphasizing his divine selection, Israelite origin, and strict adherence to God's law.

Purity in Offerings and Worship

1
You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox, or a sheep, in which is a defect, or anything evil; for that is an abomination to the LORD your God. ​

Punishment for Idolatry and Apostasy

2
If there is found in your midst, within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you, a man or woman who does that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, in transgressing his covenant, ​
3
and has gone and served other gods, and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded;
4
and you are told, and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in Israel,
5
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. ​
6
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. ​
7
The hand of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall remove the evil from your midst. ​

The Central Judicial Authority

8
If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then you shall arise, and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses. ​
9
You shall come to the priests who are Levites, and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict. ​
10
You shall do according to the decisions of the verdict which they shall give you from that place which the LORD chooses. You shall observe to do according to all that they shall teach you:
11
according to the decisions of the law which they shall teach you, and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show you, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12
The man who does presumptuously, in not listening to the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or to the judge, even that man shall die. You shall put away the evil from Israel. ​
13
All the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

Laws Governing the King

14
When you have come to the land which the LORD your God gives you, and possess it, and dwell in it, and say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me”; ​
15
you shall surely set him king over yourselves, whom the LORD your God chooses. You shall set as king over you one from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. ​
16
Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because the LORD has said to you, “You shall not go back that way again.” ​
17
He shall not multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away. He shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. ​
18
It shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write himself a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites. ​
19
It shall be with him, and he shall read from it 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; ​
20
that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he not turn 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. ​

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 17

Verse 1

Prohibition against offering blemished animals reinforces the theological principle that worshipers must give God only the best, symbolizing dedication and respect (cf. Mal. 1:8). The term 'abomination' links improper worship directly to covenant violation.

Verse 2

Idolatry is defined as transgressing the covenant, the foundational offense against the relationship with Yahweh. Worshipping the 'host of heaven' (celestial bodies) was a common Canaanite and Mesopotamian practice explicitly forbidden in Israel.

Verse 5

Stoning was the prescribed method for capital religious offenses, symbolizing the community’s collective responsibility to remove the evil and maintain the purity of the land.

Verse 6

This legal safeguard requiring two or three witnesses is crucial, establishing a high legal standard for capital punishment and protecting the accused against malicious or mistaken single testimonies.

Verse 7

The witnesses laying hands on the person first affirmed their testimony and demonstrated their commitment to the judicial process, ensuring accountability for their accusation.

Verse 8

This section addresses the need for a centralized, final judicial body to handle difficult or complex legal disputes (e.g., homicide, assault, major civil suits), ensuring consistent application of covenant law across the tribes.

Verse 9

Legal authority is vested in both the Levitical priests (guardians of the Law) and the appointed judge, demonstrating the necessary integration of religious and civil governance in Israel.

Verse 12

The penalty for judicial insubordination is death. This severe enforcement ensured respect for the final ruling of the central court, preventing anarchy and maintaining the integrity of the legal system.

Verse 14

Moses anticipates Israel's future desire for a monarchy (cf. 1 Sam. 8), providing divine regulations for the office before it is established. This shows that the monarchy was permitted, but strictly regulated by God’s covenant.

Verse 15

The king must be chosen by Yahweh and must be an Israelite ('from among thy brethren'). This prevents foreign rulers from imposing alien customs or compromising the nation’s covenant identity.

Verse 16

The prohibition against multiplying horses (military buildup) and reliance on Egypt commands Israel to trust in God for security, rather than foreign alliances or military might.

Verse 17

Restrictions on wives (to prevent political compromise and spiritual straying, cf. Solomon) and excessive wealth ensure the king remains humble and focused on serving the covenant, not personal power.

Verse 18

The requirement that the king personally write a copy of the Law ensures he is intimately familiar with the covenant duties and understands that he, too, is subject to God’s rule.

Verse 19

Daily reading of the Law was crucial for the king's spiritual formation, ensuring he ruled based on fear of the LORD and adherence to the statutes, not personal whim or political expediency.

Verse 20

The ultimate goal of the king's adherence to the Law is longevity for his reign and stability for the nation, achieved through humility and strict obedience to the divine commandments.

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