Deuteronomy 18:5-15

5 The Lord chose from all your tribes the tribe of Levi to serve him as priests forever.

6 "Any Levite who wants to may come from any town in Israel to the one place of worship

7 and may serve there as a priest of the Lord his God, like the other Levites who are serving there.

8 He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests, and he may keep whatever his family sends him.

9 "When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, don't follow the disgusting practices of the nations that are there.

10 Don't sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars; and don't let your people practice divination or look for omens or use spells ¹

11 or charms, and don't let them consult the spirits of the dead. ²

12 The Lord your God hates people who do these disgusting things, and that is why he is driving those nations out of the land as you advance.

13 Be completely faithful to the Lord." ³

14 Then Moses said, "In the land you are about to occupy, people follow the advice of those who practice divination and look for omens, but the Lord your God does not allow you to do this.

15 Instead, he will send you a prophet like me from among your own people, and you are to obey him. ⁴

Deuteronomy 18:5-15 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.

Cross References

• 1. 18.10 aLeviticus 19.26; bExodus 22.18.
• 2. 18.11Leviticus 19.31.
• 3. 18.13Matthew 5.48.
• 4. 18.15Acts 3.22; 7.37.

Footnotes

• [a]. [Probable text] and he may keep . . . sends him; [Hebrew unclear.]
• [b]. a prophet . . . him; [or] prophets . . . them.