Deuteronomy 13:17
in Deuteronomy 13Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And there shall cleave nought of the devoted thing to thy hand; that Jehovah may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
KJV
And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
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This verse in Deuteronomy 13
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing - As God did not permit them to take the spoils of these idolatrous cities, they could be under no temptation to make war upon them. It could only be done through a merely religious motive, in obedience to the command of God, as they could have no profit by the subversion of such places. How few religious wars would there ever have been in the world had they been regulated by this principle: “Thou shalt neither extend thy territory, nor take any spoils!”
This site's exposition
there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing
on Deuteronomy 13:17-18
The cursed thing is the devoted spoil of verse 16, and Joshua 7:1 has Achan taking of it and the anger of the Lord kindling against all Israel, which is this verse read from the other end. The chapter that has ordered three executions ends on mercy, compassion and multiplying, and the multiplying is the oath sworn to the fathers at Genesis 22:17. Verse 18 closes with doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God, the one place the book puts it in those words. Judges 21:25 ends its own book with the phrase turned around, every man doing that which was right in his own eyes.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It was a devoted thing, and dangerous to meddle with, as we find in the case of Achan. God enjoins this severity of show what a jealous God he is in the matters of his worship, and how great a crime it is to serve other gods. Let men know that God will not give his glory to another, nor his praise to graven images.
And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand,....
Though idolaters may escape punishment from men (nor is this law in the letter of it binding now, under the gospel), yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgements. The New Testament speaks of communion with idolaters as a sin which, above any other, provokes the Lord to jealousy, and dares him as if we were stronger than he, 1 Cor. x.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Certain men, the children of Belial--lawless, designing demagogues (Jud 19:22; 25:25), who abused their influence to withdraw the inhabitants of the city to idol-worship.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִדְבַּ֧ק | yidbak | it will cling | H1692 → | 54 times |
| בְּיָדְךָ֛ | beyadekha | to hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| מְא֖וּמָה | meumah | anything | H3972 → | |
| מִן־ | min- | of | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַחֵ֑רֶם | hacherem | the object[s] for destruction | H2764 → | 38 times |
| לְמַעַן֩ | lemaan | so that | H4616 → | 272 times |
| יָשׁ֨וּב | yashuv | he may turn | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| יְהוָ֜ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מֵחֲר֣וֹן | mecharon | from [the] burning of | H2740 → | |
| אַפּ֗וֹ | ʾapo | anger his | H639 → | 276 times |
| וְנָֽתַן־ | venatan- | and he will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְךָ֤ | lekha | to you | ||
| רַחֲמִים֙ | rachamim | compassion<s> | H7356 → | |
| וְרִֽחַמְךָ֣ | verichamkha | and he will have compassion on you | H7355 → | |
| וְהִרְבֶּ֔ךָ | vehirbekha | and he will increase you | H7235 → | 227 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נִשְׁבַּ֖ע | nishba' | he swore | H7650 → | 186 times |
| לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ | laavoteikha | to ancestors your | H1 → | 1212 times |
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִדְבַּ֧קit will cling
yidbakH1692 →54 times
בְּיָדְךָ֛to hand your
beyadekhaH3027 →1618 times
מְא֖וּמָהanything
meumahH3972 →
מִן־of
min-H4480 →1188 times
הַחֵ֑רֶםthe object[s] for destruction
hacheremH2764 →38 times
לְמַעַן֩so that
lemaanH4616 →272 times
יָשׁ֨וּבhe may turn
yashuvH7725 →1056 times
יְהוָ֜הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מֵחֲר֣וֹןfrom [the] burning of
mecharonH2740 →
אַפּ֗וֹanger his
ʾapoH639 →276 times
וְנָֽתַן־and he will give
venatan-H5414 →2011 times
לְךָ֤to you
lekha
רַחֲמִים֙compassion<s>
rachamimH7356 →
וְרִֽחַמְךָ֣and he will have compassion on you
verichamkhaH7355 →
וְהִרְבֶּ֔ךָand he will increase you
vehirbekhaH7235 →227 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
נִשְׁבַּ֖עhe swore
nishba'H7650 →186 times
לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃to ancestors your
laavoteikhaH1 →1212 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 26:24and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your…
it leads to
- Genesis 15:1
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
- Exodus 3:6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to…
- Genesis 17:7
I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Isaiah 43:1–2
Now this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your…
- Genesis 15:1
Through
Joshua 6:18But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and…
it leads to
- 1 John 5:21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
- Ephesians 5:11
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
- 1 John 5:21
Through
Genesis 26:4I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,
it leads to
- Acts 3:25
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
- Genesis 12:2–3
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
- Acts 3:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.