Deuteronomy 17:16
in Deuteronomy 17But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
KJV
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 17
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHe shall not multiply horses - Tho' he might have horses for his own use, yet he was not to have many horses for his officers and guard, much less for war, lest he should trust in them. The multiplying horses is also forbidden, lest it should raise too great a correspondence with Egypt which furnished Canaan with them.
This site's exposition
But he shall not multiply horses to himself
The first prohibition has two halves, the horses and the road they would be fetched along. Egypt was the horse market of the region, and 1 Kings 10:28-29 says Solomon's horses were brought out of Egypt, a chariot at six hundred shekels of silver and a horse at a hundred and fifty. The clause forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you points back to Exodus 14:13, where Israel was told it would see the Egyptians again no more for ever. Adam Clarke gives two grounds for the rule, the traffic with Egypt itself and the confidence a mounted army invites, which is what Psalm 20:7 and Isaiah 31:1 press.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
28, 29 ) than it was fit the Israel of God should have, who were brought thence with such a high hand: You shall return no more that way, for fear of being infected with the idolatries of Egypt ( Lev. xviii. 3 ), to which they were very prone. Note, We should take heed of that commerce or conversation by which we are in danger of being drawn into sin.
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But he shall not multiply horses to himself,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he shall not multiply horses to himself--The use of these animals was not absolutely prohibited, nor is there any reason to conclude that they might not be employed as part of the state equipage.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
He shall not multiply horses - As horses appear to have been generally furnished by Egypt, God prohibits these, 1. Lest there should be such commerce with Egypt as might lead to idolatry. 2. Lest the people might depend on a well-appointed cavalry as a means of security, and so cease from trusting in the strength and protection of God. And,
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The horse was not anciently used in the East for purposes of agriculture or traveling, but ordinarily for war only. He appears constantly in Scripture as the symbol and embodiment of fleshly strength and the might of the creature (compare Psa 20:7; Psa 33:16-17; Psa 147:10; Job 39:19 ff), and is sometimes significantly spoken of simply as “the strong one” (compare Jer 8:16). The spirit of the prohibition therefore is that the king of Israel must not, like other earthly potentates, put his trust in costly and formidable preparations for war (compare Hos 1:7). Egypt was the principal source from where the nations of western Asia drew their supplies of this animal (compare Exo 14:5 ff; 1Ki 10:28-29; 2Ki 7:6); but contact, traffic, or alliance which would “cause the people to return to Egypt” would be to reverse that great and beneficent wonderwork of God which inaugurated the Mosaic covenant, the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt; and to bring about of set purpose that which God threatened Deu 28:68 as the most severe punishment for Israel’s sin.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
THOU SHALT BY ALL MEANS SET HIM KING OVER THEE, WHOM THE ETERNAL THY G-D SHALL CHOOSE. In the opinion of the commentators. Ibn Ezra in the verse before us.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רַק֮ | rak | only | H7535 → | 109 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַרְבֶּה־ | yarbeh- | he will increase | H7235 → | 227 times |
| לּ֣וֹ | lo | for <the> himself | ||
| סוּסִים֒ | susim | horses | H5483 → | 140 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָשִׁ֤יב | yashiv | he will make return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָעָם֙ | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| מִצְרַ֔יְמָה | mitzraymah | Egypt towards | H4714 → | 641 times |
| לְמַ֖עַן | lemaan | so as | H4616 → | 272 times |
| הַרְבּ֣וֹת | harbot | to increase | H7235 → | 227 times |
| ס֑וּס | sus | horse[s] | H5483 → | 140 times |
| וַֽיהוָה֙ | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אָמַ֣ר | ʾamar | he has said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָכֶ֔ם | lakhem | to <the> you | ||
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֹסִפ֗וּן | tosifun | you will repeat ! | H3254 → | 212 times |
| לָשׁ֛וּב | lashuv | to return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ | baderekh | on the way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| הַזֶּ֖ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| עֽוֹד׃ | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
רַק֮only
rakH7535 →109 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יַרְבֶּה־he will increase
yarbeh-H7235 →227 times
לּ֣וֹfor <the> himself
lo
סוּסִים֒horses
susimH5483 →140 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יָשִׁ֤יבhe will make return
yashivH7725 →1056 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָעָם֙the people
haamH5971 →1873 times
מִצְרַ֔יְמָהEgypt towards
mitzraymahH4714 →641 times
לְמַ֖עַןso as
lemaanH4616 →272 times
הַרְבּ֣וֹתto increase
harbotH7235 →227 times
ס֑וּסhorse[s]
susH5483 →140 times
וַֽיהוָה֙and Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
אָמַ֣רhe has said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
לָכֶ֔םto <the> you
lakhem
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֹסִפ֗וּןyou will repeat !
tosifunH3254 →212 times
לָשׁ֛וּבto return
lashuvH7725 →1056 times
בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְon the way
baderekhH1870 →707 times
הַזֶּ֖ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
עֽוֹד׃again
odH5750 →490 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
Psalms 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
it leads to
- Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy…
- Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
- Proverbs 21:31
A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
- Psalms 33:16–17
No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
- 2 Chronicles 32:8
With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah…
- Isaiah 31:1
Through
Deuteronomy 28:68The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but…
it leads to
- Hosea 8:13
Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins: They will return to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Hosea 9:3
They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 44:12
And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have resolved to go to the land of Egypt to reside there; they will meet their end. They will all fall by the sword…
- Hosea 8:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Deuteronomy
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.