Deuteronomy 17:11-20

11 thou shalt follow the sentence of them; thou shalt not bow therefrom to the right side, either to the left.
12 For that man shall die, that is proud, and will not obey to the behest of the priest, that ministereth in that time to thy Lord God, and to the sentence of the judge, and thou shalt do away evil from the midst of Israel; (And the person shall die, who is proud, and will not obey the decision of the priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, or the sentence of the judge, and so thou shalt do away evil from the midst of Israel;)
13 and all the people shall hear, and dread, that no man from thenceforth swell with pride. (and all the people shall hear, and have fear, so that henceforth no one should swell with pride.)
14 When thou hast entered into the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee, and wieldest it, and dwellest therein, and sayest, I shall ordain a king on me, as all nations by compass have (and sayest, We shall ordain a king over us, like all the nations around us have);
15 thou shalt ordain him, whom thy Lord God chooseth, (out) of the number of thy brethren. Thou shalt not be able to make king a man of another folk, which man is not thy brother (Thou shalt not ordain a man from another nation to be your king, yea, a man who is not thy brother, that is, thy kinsman).
16 And when the king is ordained, he shall not multiply horses to him(self), neither he shall lead again the people into Egypt, neither he shall be raised into pride, or tyranny, by the number of knights, mostly since the Lord commanded to you, that ye turn no more again by the same way. (And when the king is ordained, he shall not multiply horses unto himself, nor shall he lead the people back to Egypt, in order to add to his horses, for the Lord hath commanded that ye never go back there.)
17 The king shall not have many wives, that draw his mind to lusts, neither he shall have great weights of silver and of gold. (The king shall not have many wives, who would draw away his mind to lust, or too much fleshliness, nor shall he have great quantities of silver and gold.)
18 Forsooth after that he hath set in the throne of his realm, he shall write to himself, that is, shall make to be written, the deuteronomy, that is, declaration, of this law in a book, and he shall take (the) exemplar of (the) priests of the kin of Levi; (And after that he hath sat on the throne of his kingdom, he shall have written for himself the deuteronomy, or the declaration, of this law in a book, and his copy shall be made from the original held by the levitical priests;)
19 and he shall have it with him, and he shall read it in all the days of his life, that he learn to dread his Lord God, and to keep his words and his ceremonies, that be commanded in the law; (and he shall have it with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he can learn to fear the Lord his God/so that he can learn to revere the Lord his God, and obey all his words and his statutes, that be commanded in the law;)
20 neither his heart be raised into pride on his brethren, neither bow he into the right side, either left side, that he reign long time, he and his sons on Israel. (and then his heart shall not be raised up in pride above his brothers, or his kinsmen, nor shall he turn from these commandments to the right, or to the left, and then he and his sons shall reign a long time over Israel.)

Deuteronomy 17:11-20 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.