Deuteronomy 13:6-16

6 ¹"If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or ²the wife you embrace^[a] or your friend ³who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,'⁴which neither you nor your fathers have known,

7 some ⁵of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,

8 you shall ⁶not yield to him or listen to him, nor ⁷shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.

9 But you shall kill him. ⁸Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

10 ⁹You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

11 And ¹⁰all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

12 "If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there,

13 that certain ¹¹worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known,

14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask ¹²diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,

15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction,^[b] all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword.

16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and ¹³burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a ¹⁴heap forever. It shall not be built again.

Deuteronomy 13:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 13

In this chapter the Israelites are taught how to discern a false prophet, shun and punish him, De 13:1-5, what to do with enticers to idolatry, not only not to consent to them, but, without favour and affection to them, endeavour to bring them to just punishment, and be the first that should inflict it on them, De 13:6-11 and how to behave towards a city drawn into idolatry, as to inquire the truth of it; then make war against it; destroy all in it, men, women, children, and cattle; and burn the spoil of it, and suffer not anything at all belonging to it to cleave unto them, De 13:12-18.

Cross References

• 1. Deuteronomy 17:2
• 2. Deuteronomy 28:54, 56; Micah 7:5
• 3. [1 Samuel 18:1, 3; 1 Samuel 20:17]
• 4. Deuteronomy 28:64
• 5. Deuteronomy 6:14
• 6. Proverbs 1:10
• 7. See Deuteronomy 7:16
• 8. Deuteronomy 17:7
• 9. Deuteronomy 17:5; See Joshua 7:25
• 10. Deuteronomy 17:13; Deuteronomy 19:20; Deuteronomy 21:21
• 11. Judges 19:22; 2 Samuel 20:13">2 Samuel 20:13; 1 Samuel 2:12; 1 Samuel 25:17; 2 Samuel 16:7; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 21:10, 13
• 12. Deuteronomy 17:4; Deuteronomy 19:18
• 13. Joshua 6:24
• 14. Joshua 8:28; Jeremiah 49:2; [Isaiah 17:1; Isaiah 25:2; Jeremiah 30:18]

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew the wife of your bosom
• [b]. That is, setting apart (devoting) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)