Deuteronomy chapter 13
People with non-Judaic beliefs.
PEOPLE WITH NON-JUDAIC BELIEFS
VERSE 1. If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
prophet. The Hebrew word is נָבִ֔יא (“nā·ḇî,”). It means spokesman, speaker, prophet.
dreamer. The Hebrew word is חֹלֵ֣ם (“ḥō·lêm”). It means dream.
of dreams. The Hebrew word is חֲל֑וֹם (“ḥă·lō·wm;”). It means a dream.
In ancient times, the LORD God sometimes made his guidance known to people in their dreams. Even today, this is still possible for the all-powerful LORD God. Read more »
sign. The Hebrew word is א֖וֹת (“’ō·wṯ”). It means a sign.
wonder. The Hebrew word is מוֹפֵֽת׃ (“mō·w·p̄êṯ.”). It means a wonder, sign, portent.
VERSE 2. and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let’s go after other gods” (which you have not known) “and let’s serve them,”
comes to pass. That is, it comes true.
VERSE 3. you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
you shall not listen. Even if a miraculous thing happens, you should not leave the LORD God.
that dreamer of dreams. In ancient times, the LORD God sometimes made his guidance known to people in their dreams. Even today, this is still possible for the all-powerful LORD God. Read more »
VERSE 4. You shall walk after the LORD your God, fear him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice. You shall serve him, and cling to him.
VERSE 5. That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which the LORD your God commanded you to walk in. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
shall be put to death. Moses imposed the death penalty for non-Judaic belief.
VERSE 6. If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods”—which you have not known, you, nor your fathers;
your friend, who is as your own soul. This could also be translated as “your intimate friend.”
VERSE 7. of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth—
VERSE 8. you shall not consent to him nor listen to him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him;
VERSE 9. but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people.
you shall surely kill him. Moses imposed the death penalty for non-Judaic belief.
Your hand shall be first. They were to kill the person with extreme prejudice.
VERSE 10. You shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
VERSE 11. All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more wickedness like this among you.
wickedness. To have a non-Judaic belief was seen as an evil.
VERSE 12. If you hear about one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell there, that
VERSE 13. certain wicked fellows have gone out from among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods,” which you have not known,
VERSE 14. then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination was done among you,
VERSE 15. you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, with all that is therein and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
destroying it utterly. This can be translated as “dooming it” to annihilation.
If a people-group have a non-Judaic belief, they are to be completely annihilated.
Both the people and their livestock are to be eradicated from the face of the earth.
VERSE 16. You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, with all of its plunder, to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
burn with fire. Not only are the people (and their livestock) to be killed en masse, but also their city is to be burned to ashes.
VERSE 17. Nothing of the devoted thing shall cling to your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy, and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers,
Nothing of the devoted thing shall cling to your hand. The LORD God forbids them from keeping anything whatsoever that was doomed to annihilation.
VERSE 18. when you listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to keep all his commandments which I command you today, to do that which is right in the LORD your God’s eyes.
DEUTERONOMY
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.