Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Laws Concerning Israel's Kings

14 "When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ¹'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,'

15 you may indeed set a king over you ²whom the LORD your God will choose. One ³from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

16 Only he must not acquire many ⁴horses for himself or cause the people ⁵to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ⁶'You shall never return that way again.'

17 And he ⁷shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, ⁸nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

18 "And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, ⁹he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, ¹⁰approved by^[a] the Levitical priests.

19 And ¹¹it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, ¹²that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,

20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he ¹³may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, ¹⁴so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 17

This chapter begins with a caution not to sacrifice anything to the Lord that is blemished or ill favoured, De 17:1, an order is given to put to death men or women guilty of idolatry, where it is clearly proved upon them, De 17:2-7 and it is directed that when cases are too hard for inferior judges to determine, they should be brought to Jerusalem to the priests, Levites, and judges, which formed the great consistory there, whose sentence was to be adhered unto on pain of death, De 17:8-13, and rules are given about the choice of a king, and he is informed what he must not do, and what he should do, De 17:14-20.

Cross References

• 1. [1 Sam. 8:5, 19, 20]
• 2. [1 Samuel 9:15; 1 Samuel 10:24; 1 Samuel 16:12; 1 Chronicles 22:10]
• 3. [Jeremiah 30:21]
• 4. [1 Kings 4:26; 1 Kings 10:26, 28; 2 Chronicles 1:16; 2 Chronicles 9:28; Isaiah 2:7; Isaiah 31:1]
• 5. Isaiah 31:1; Ezekiel 17:15
• 6. Deuteronomy 28:68; Hosea 11:5; [Exodus 13:17; Exodus 14:13; Numbers 14:3, 4]; See Jeremiah 42:15-19
• 7. [1 Kings 11:3, 4; Nehemiah 13:26]
• 8. [Isaiah 2:7]
• 9. [2 Kings 11:12]
• 10. Deuteronomy 31:9, 26; 2 Kings 22:8; 2 Chronicles 34:14
• 11. Joshua 1:8
• 12. Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 14:23
• 13. Deuteronomy 5:32; 1 Kings 15:5
• 14. Deuteronomy 4:40

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew from before