Deuteronomy 17:14 kjv
When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Deuteronomy 17:14 nkjv
"When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,'
Deuteronomy 17:14 niv
When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,"
Deuteronomy 17:14 esv
"When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,'
Deuteronomy 17:14 nlt
"You are about to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, 'We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.'
Deuteronomy 17 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 8:5 | "...Now appoint a king for us to govern us like all the other nations." | Israel's direct fulfillment of Deut 17:14. |
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "The Lord told him, 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; for it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.'" | God views their demand as rejection of His rule. |
| Exod 19:6 | "...you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." | Israel's intended distinct identity. |
| Lev 18:3 | "You must not do as they do in Egypt...or as they do in Canaan...do not follow their practices." | Command to not imitate other nations. |
| Deut 17:15 | "...be sure to appoint over you a king whom the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers; you must not place a foreigner over you..." | God's specific conditions for a king. |
| Judges 17:6 | "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." | Describes societal chaos due to lack of central rule, setting context for desire for king. |
| Judges 21:25 | "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." | Reinforces the period of internal chaos and need for order. |
| Psa 72:1-19 | A prayer for the king's righteous and just rule, often seen as Messianic. | Vision of an ideal, righteous king. |
| Isa 9:6-7 | "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given...He will reign on David’s throne..." | Prophecy of the ultimate Messianic King. |
| Jer 10:2 | "This is what the Lord says: 'Do not learn the ways of the nations...'" | Warning against adopting foreign customs. |
| Ezkl 11:21 | "...I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, for they followed their detestable customs..." | Consequence of following nations' ways. |
| Luke 19:27 | "But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me." | Parable reflecting rejection of King, Christ's reign. |
| Zech 9:9 | "Rejoice greatly...your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey..." | Prophecy of Christ, the humble King. |
| Psa 146:10 | "The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations." | God as the ultimate eternal King. |
| 1 Chr 29:11 | "Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." | Acknowledges God's supreme kingship. |
| Deut 1:19-20 | "Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that vast and dreadful wilderness...the Lord our God said to us, 'You have reached the hill country of the Amorites...'" | Entering the land as part of God's promise. |
| Josh 1:3-4 | "Every place where you set your foot I will give you, as I promised Moses...from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west." | Confirmation of the land given by God. |
| John 18:36 | "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world...'" | Contrast between worldly and spiritual kingship. |
| Phil 2:9-11 | "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place...every knee should bow...and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord..." | Jesus as the universally acknowledged King. |
| Rev 11:15 | "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." | Ultimate fulfillment of Christ's kingdom. |
| Psa 89:20 | "I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him." | David as God's chosen king, prefiguring Christ. |
Deuteronomy 17 verses
Deuteronomy 17 14 Meaning
Deuteronomy 17:14 is a prophetic passage where Moses anticipates Israel's future desire, once settled in the promised land, to establish a human king for themselves. The core of this anticipated request is driven by a desire to imitate the surrounding nations rather than maintaining their unique identity under God's direct rule. While God foreknows this request and permits the institution of human kingship, He immediately provides strict guidelines in the subsequent verses to ensure that such a king rules according to divine law and not like pagan monarchs.
Deuteronomy 17 14 Context
Deuteronomy 17 forms part of Moses' farewell speeches to the second generation of Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. This chapter, within the larger "Deuteronomic Code," lays out laws for future Israelite society. Specifically, it addresses topics like justice in courts (vv. 8-13), the institution of a king (vv. 14-20), and guidelines for priests and Levites (vv. 9-13). Verse 14 initiates the "Law of the King," which remarkably pre-empts Israel's eventual desire for a human monarch, a desire that would historically materialize centuries later during Samuel's time. This anticipatory law highlights God's sovereignty and foreknowledge. Historically, Israel was about to transition from a tribal confederation directly led by God (theocracy) to a settled nation, surrounded by highly structured monarchical states in the ancient Near East, which had established kings who often claimed divine status or absolute power. This verse therefore prepares Israel for their future state, while subtly challenging the prevalent cultural norms of kingship in neighboring lands.
Deuteronomy 17 14 Word analysis
- When you come to the land: (Hebrew: כִּי-תָבוֹא אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, ki tavo el-ha'aretz). This phrase is prophetic, signaling a future event after Israel has settled in Canaan. It indicates divine foreknowledge and provision for anticipated developments.
- that the Lord your God is giving you: (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ, asher Yahweh Eloheykha noten lakh). Emphasizes that the land is a divine gift, not something earned by conquest alone. It reiterates God's covenant faithfulness and active involvement in Israel's future.
- and you possess it and dwell in it: (Hebrew: וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ, vireshtah veyashavta bah). This signifies a complete settlement, a permanent residency, not merely a temporary encampment. It suggests the establishment of a stable, long-term society where the need for governmental structures like a kingship would naturally arise.
- and say: (Hebrew: וְאָמַרְתָּ, ve'amarta). This signifies Israel's voiced desire and human choice. It anticipates a specific articulated request, as seen later in 1 Samuel 8.
- ‘I will set a king over me’: (Hebrew: אָשִׂימָה עָלַי מֶלֶךְ, asima alay melekh). This expresses a conscious decision to establish human leadership. The phrase "over me" (`alay`) implies self-determination in desiring this institution, rather than a divinely commanded initiative at this point.
- like all the nations that are around me’: (Hebrew: כְּכָל-הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתָי, kekhol-hagoyim asher sevivotai). This is the crucial comparative clause. It reveals the primary motivation behind their future desire: a longing for conformity and similarity with the surrounding pagan nations. This phrase highlights a tension: Israel was called to be distinct (a "holy nation," Exod 19:6), but often yearned to be like others, neglecting their unique covenant relationship with God as their true King. This sets up a subtle polemic against the "pattern" of pagan kingship that Israel should not emulate.
Deuteronomy 17 14 Bonus section
This verse embodies a deep theological principle: God’s accommodation of human will within His divine sovereignty. He does not force Israel into a perfect theocracy but provides guidelines even for their less-than-ideal choices. It showcases divine wisdom that knows human tendencies and pre-empts potential failures with cautionary laws. This passage demonstrates a distinction between a king chosen by Israel out of conformity and a king chosen by God (as elaborated in Deut 17:15). This anticipation and the subsequent laws prevented Israel from adopting the tyrannical, idolatrous models of ANE kingship, serving as a critical standard against which future Israelite monarchs would be judged, often found wanting.
Deuteronomy 17 14 Commentary
Deuteronomy 17:14 serves as a remarkable display of divine foresight and gracious concession. God, through Moses, anticipates Israel's eventual human desire for a king, driven by a worldly aspiration to conform to the surrounding nations rather than remain distinctive under direct divine governance. While seemingly allowing for human autonomy in governance, the verse immediately sets the stage for stringent divine regulations. It's not the mere existence of a king that concerns God, but the reason for desiring one and the nature of that kingship. This passage implicitly critiques any form of human rule that prioritizes worldly standards or rejects God's supreme authority, even while accommodating human institutional preferences, thus guiding Israel towards a kingdom that would reflect divine order rather than pagan power. This anticipation and regulation ultimately point to the true King, the Messiah, whose reign aligns perfectly with God's perfect law and righteousness.