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Deuteronomy 17 Bible study: A king with a book
Israel's king was told what not to gather, horses, wives, silver and gold, and told to write out the law himself and read it all his life, "that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers" (17:18-20), and not to turn "to the right hand, or to the left" (17:20), as the people were told of the verdict (17:11).
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“It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Deuteronomy 17 says no one is to be put to death at the mouth of one witness.”
Is that in Deuteronomy 17, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Checked first, and never on one word
The law for anyone found serving other gods (17:2-3) starts with checking, not punishing: "and you are told, and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain" (17:4). Those are the words of chapter 13 for a city: "if it is true, and the thing certain" (13:14). Then a limit: "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death" (17:6). And the witnesses carry what they said: "The hands of the witnesses shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people" (17:7). Numbers had said it for murder: "one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies" (Numbers 35:30), and Deuteronomy says it again for any sin (19:15).
Where it leads to Jesus
As one who serves
Deuteronomy 17:20leads toLuke 22:26-27
The king was to read the law "that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers" (17:20). At the Passover meal, when "a dispute also arose among them, which of them was considered to be greatest" (Luke 22:24), Jesus said, "The kings of the nations lord it over them… But not so with you. Rather, the one who is greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves" (Luke 22:25-26), and "I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 22:27). Jesus doesn't cite Deuteronomy 17, so this is a reading. Some hear in his words the heart of this law, a ruler not above his brothers, lived out by the one speaking. Others read his words as answering the disciples' own dispute (Luke 22:24), with no look back to Deuteronomy 17.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Deuteronomy 17
That was a taste
The rest of Deuteronomy 17 is waiting in Favor
- A case too hard goes up
- A king, but a brother
- Not to the right hand or the left
- Silver, gold and a lifted heart, in chapter 8
- Not back that way again
- A copy from the priests' book
- 11 questions as you read
- 11 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Deuteronomy 17 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מִשְׁנֶהmishnehsay mish-NEH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "double, copy, second". Strong's: "properly, a repetition, i.e. a duplicate (copy of a document), or a double (in amount)". "He shall write himself a copy of this law in a book" (17:18). Deuteronomy uses it only twice; the other is 15:18, where the WEB gives it as "double". Joshua uses the same two words, mishneh torah, for what he wrote on the stones: "a copy of Moses’ law" (Joshua 8:32). The king isn't handed a copy; he writes it himself.
For your group
Deuteronomy 17 Bible study questions
- 1No one was to be put to death "at the mouth of one witness" (17:6), and a report had to be checked first (17:4). When you hear something bad about someone, how quickly do you believe it, and what would checking look like?
- 2The king was not to multiply horses, wives, or silver and gold (17:16-17), and of the wives the law says, "that his heart not turn away" (17:17). What are you most tempted to gather more of, and what does it do to your heart?
- 3The king was to read God's law "all the days of his life" (17:19). What would it take for you to read Scripture every day this week, and what gets in the way?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Deuteronomy 17 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Deuteronomy 17 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
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I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home