Deuteronomy 18:9
in Deuteronomy 18When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
KJV
When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 18
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you
on Deuteronomy 18:9-11
Nine practices are named, and verse 9 forbids imitating the nations, so what is guarded against is transfer from the neighbours. 2 Kings 21:6 reports Manasseh doing nearly the whole list.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,....
Some particulars are specified; as, 1. The consecrating of their children to Moloch, an idol that represented the sun, by making them to pass through the fire, and sometimes consuming them as sacrifices in the fire,
A promise is given them of the spirit of prophecy to continue among them, and to centre at last in Christ the great prophet,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations--(See on Le 18:21; In spite of this express command, the people of Canaan, especially the Philistines, were a constant snare and stumbling block to the Israelites, on account of their divinations and superstitious practices. CHRIST THE PROPHET IS TO BE HEARD.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אַתָּה֙ | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| בָּ֣א | ba' | [have] gone | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| נֹתֵ֣ן | noten | [is] about to give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | to <the> you | ||
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִלְמַ֣ד | tilmad | you will learn | H3925 → | 85 times |
| לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת | laasot | to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖ת | ketoavot | according to [the] abominations of | H8441 → | 117 times |
| הַגּוֹיִ֥ם | hagoyim | the nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| הָהֵֽם׃ | hahem | <the> those | H1992 → | 553 times |
כִּ֤יif
kiH3588 →4482 times
אַתָּה֙you
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
בָּ֣א[have] gone
ba'H935 →2568 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יְהוָ֥הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
נֹתֵ֣ן[is] about to give
notenH5414 →2011 times
לָ֑ךְto <the> you
lakh
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִלְמַ֣דyou will learn
tilmadH3925 →85 times
לַעֲשׂ֔וֹתto do
laasotH6213 →2628 times
כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖תaccording to [the] abominations of
ketoavotH8441 →117 times
הַגּוֹיִ֥םthe nations
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
הָהֵֽם׃<the> those
hahemH1992 →553 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Leviticus 18:30You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”
it leads to
- Leviticus 20:23
You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
- Deuteronomy 18:9–12
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
- Leviticus 22:9
The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
- Leviticus 18:2–4
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.
- Leviticus 18:26–27
But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you.
- Leviticus 20:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies16
On this verse
On this chapter
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.