Deuteronomy 18:12-22

12 For every one that does these things is an abomination to the Lord thy God; for because of these abominations the Lord will destroy them from before thy face.

13 Thou shalt be perfect before the Lord thy God.

14 For all these nations whose thou shalt inherit, they will listen to omens and divinations; but the Lord thy God has not permitted thee so .

15 The Lord thy God shall raise up to thee a prophet of thy brethren, like me; him shall ye hear:

16 according to all things which thou didst desire of the Lord thy God in Choreb in the day of the assembly, saying, We will not again hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and we will not any more see this great fire, and we shall not die.

17 And the Lord said to me, They have spoken rightly all that they have said to thee.

18 I will raise up to them a prophet of their brethren, like thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them as I shall command him.

19 And whatever man shall not hearken to whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.

20 But the prophet whosoever shall impiously speak in my name a word which I have not commanded him to speak, and whosoever shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

21 But if thou shalt say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?

22 Whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in the name of the Lord, and they shall not come true, and not come to pass, this the thing which the Lord has not spoken; that prophet has spoken wickedly: ye shall not spare him.

Deuteronomy 18:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 18

This chapter gives an account of the provision made for the priests and Levites, with the reason of it, De 18:1-5, of allowance of a country Levite to minister at Jerusalem, and take his portion with the rest, De 18:6-8, and of several persons of bad practices not to be suffered among the people of Israel, De 18:9-14, and of an extraordinary prophet that should be raised up among them, to whom they should hearken, or it would be the worse for them, De 18:15-19, but a false prophet was to be put to death, of whom a sign is given by which he might be known, De 18:20-22.