Deuteronomy 13:5

13:1-5 Moses had cautioned against the peril that might arise from the Canaanites. Here he cautions against the rise of idolatry among themselves. It is needful for us to be well acquainted with the truths and precepts of the Bible; for we may expect to be proved by temptations of evil under the appearance of good, of error in the guise of truth; nor can any thing rightly oppose such temptations, but the plain, express testimony of God's word to the contrary. And it would be a proof of sincere affection for God, that, notwithstanding specious pretences, they should not be wrought upon the forsake God, and follow other gods to serve them.

And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death,.... Which death, according to the Targum of Jonathan, was to be killed with the sword: because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God; or "spoken revolt against the Lord" (l), high treason against him, delivering out doctrine that tends to cause his subjects to rebel against him, and revolt from him; and therefore he is justly deserving of death, to draw off a people from him he had been so good and kind unto; so that to apostasy would be added the sin of ingratitude: which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage; and so was not only their Lord by creation whom they ought to serve, but by redemption, which laid them under double obligation to serve him: to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in; not by external force, but by the power of persuasion, by enticing words and arguments: so shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee; the evil man, by putting him to death, and the evil of idolatry, by not listening to the words of the false prophet. (l) "apostasiam", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "defectionem", Tigurine version.

Deuteronomy 13:5 . Because he hath spoken — Taught, or persuaded you. To turn you away from the Lord — To induce you to forsake God and his worship. This shows that the most certain character of a true prophet is to be taken from his doctrine, rather than from his miracles. To thrust thee out of the way — This phrase denotes the great force and power of seducers to corrupt men’s minds. So shalt thou put the evil away — Thou shalt remove the guilt, by removing the guilty.

And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be {d} put to death; because he hath 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, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. (d) Being convicted by testimonies, and condemned by the judge.

He hath spoken, i.e. taught or persuaded you. To turn you away from the Lord; to forsake God and his worship. He shows that the chiefest and most certain character of a true prophet, is to be taken from his doctrine rather than from his miracles. To thrust thee out of the way: this phrase denotes the great force and power of seducers to corrupt men’s minds. Compare Deu 4:19 2 Kings 17:21 Matthew 24:2,14 . The evil; either 1. That evil thing, that wicked doctrine and practice. Or, 2. That wicked and scandalous man, that idolater and seducer.

The context and parallel passages (compare Deuteronomy 17:7 ; Leviticus 20:2 ) indicate that there was to be a regular judicial procedure, and that the manner of the execution was to be by stoning. In this the community was to take its part in order to show its horror at the crime, and to clear itself of complicity therein.

CHAPTER 13 De 13:1-5. Enticers to Idolatry to Be Put to Death. 1. If there arise among you a prophet—The special counsels which follow arose out of the general precept contained in De 12:32; and the purport of them is, that every attempt to seduce others from the course of duty which that divine standard of faith and worship prescribes must not only be strenuously resisted, but the seducer punished by the law of the land. This is exemplified in three cases of enticement to idolatry. a prophet—that is, some notable person laying claim to the character and authority of the prophetic office (Nu 12:6; 1Sa 10:6), performing feats of dexterity or power in support of his pretensions, or even predicting events which occurred as he foretold; as, for instance, an eclipse which a knowledge of natural science might enable him to anticipate (or, as Caiaphas, Joh 18:14). Should the aim of such a one be to seduce the people from the worship of the true God, he is an impostor and must be put to death. No prodigy, however wonderful, no human authority, however great, should be allowed to shake their belief in the divine character and truth of a religion so solemnly taught and so awfully attested (compare Ga 1:8). The modern Jews appeal to this passage as justifying their rejection of Jesus Christ.

Israel was to adhere firmly to the Lord its God (cf. Deuteronomy 4:4 ), and to put to death the prophet who preached apostasy from Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel out of the slave-house of Egypt. להדּיחך, "to force thee from the way in which Jehovah hath commanded thee to walk." The execution of seducers to idolatry is enjoined upon the people, i.e., the whole community, not upon single individuals, but upon the authorities who had to maintain and administer justice. "So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee." הרע is neuter, as we may see from Deuteronomy 17:7 , as comp. with Deuteronomy 13:2 . The formula, "so shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee," which occurs again in Deuteronomy 17:7 , Deuteronomy 17:12 ; Deuteronomy 19:19 ; Deuteronomy 21:21 ; Deuteronomy 22:21-22 , Deuteronomy 22:24 , and Deuteronomy 24:7 (cf. Deuteronomy 19:13 , and Deuteronomy 21:9 ), belongs to the hortatory character of Deuteronomy, in accordance with which a reason is given for all the commandments, and the observance of them is urged upon the congregation as a holy affair of the heart, which could not be expected in the objective legislation of the earlier books.

12 . beware ] give heed to thyself or be on guard with respect to thyself , apparently a common phrase from one person to another, Exodus 10:28 (J), etc.; addressed to Israel in the editorial passage, Exodus 34:12 and frequently in D: Deuteronomy 4:9 , Deuteronomy 8:11 (both followed, as here, by lest thou forget ), Deuteronomy 12:13 ; Deuteronomy 12:19 ; Deuteronomy 12:30 , Deuteronomy 15:9 , all Sg. and in the Pl. Deuteronomy 4:23 ; Deuteronomy 9:16 (cp. Deuteronomy 4:15 ). which brought thee , etc.] Once more an emphasis on the providence of Israel’s God. house of bondmen ] So in J, Exodus 13:3 ; Exodus 13:14 ; in Deut. only in Sg.: Deuteronomy 5:6 ; Deuteronomy 6:12 ; Deuteronomy 7:8 ; Deuteronomy 8:14 ; Deuteronomy 13:5 ; Deuteronomy 13:10 ; the slaves’ quarter (ergastulum). Deuteronomy 6:12

Deuteronomy 13:10 . stone him with stones ] Also in Deuteronomy 17:5 , Deuteronomy 21:21 , Deuteronomy 22:21 ; Deuteronomy 22:24 : cp. Joshua 7:25 . This form of capital punishment was natural because of the ready supply of stones on the soil of Palestine, because it was a form in which all the people responsible for its execution could share, and also because of the belief that by covering the corpses the spirits of the dead were also finally laid to rest. For a curious case of the stoning of women who had reviled (or blasphemed) the sun see Musil, Ethn. Ber. 312. to draw thee away ] See on Deuteronomy 13:5 . house of bondmen ] See on Deuteronomy 13:5 . Deuteronomy 13:11 . all Israel ] D’s usual phrase for the people: see on Deuteronomy 4:44 . shall hear, and fear ] Deuteronomy 17:13 , Deuteronomy 19:20 , Deuteronomy 21:21 . do no more ] Sam., LXX add still or again . There is no more reason for taking this verse as secondary (Steuern.) than for taking as such the corresponding clause in Deuteronomy 13:5 ( q.v. ).