Deuteronomy 27 17

Deuteronomy 27:17 kjv

Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:17 nkjv

'Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor's landmark.' "And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'

Deuteronomy 27:17 niv

"Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor's boundary stone." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

Deuteronomy 27:17 esv

"'Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Deuteronomy 27:17 nlt

'Cursed is anyone who steals property from a neighbor by moving a boundary marker.' And all the people will reply, 'Amen.'

Deuteronomy 27 verses

Deuteronomy 27 17 Meaning

Deuteronomy 27:17 pronounces a curse upon anyone who surreptitiously or unlawfully shifts their neighbor’s boundary marker. This act of injustice, often done secretly and against the vulnerable, was a serious violation of property rights established by divine providence and tribal allocation. It represents a deceptive appropriation of land, threatening the integrity of families and the stability of the Israelite communal structure, undermining the God-given inheritance.

Deuteronomy 27 17 Context

Deuteronomy 27 presents a foundational covenant renewal ceremony to be enacted once Israel entered the promised land. On Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, half the tribes would pronounce blessings and the other half curses. The curses in verses 15-26 address actions that were often secret, done against the vulnerable, or difficult to prove in court. For each curse, the people were to collectively affirm "Amen," signifying their acceptance of divine judgment for such violations. Moving a landmark, in particular, was a significant offense because land allocation by Joshua (Joshua 13-19) was understood as a direct divine distribution to the tribes and families, representing their God-given inheritance. This act challenged not only human justice but also God's providential ordering of Israelite society and economy, especially in an agrarian culture where land was wealth and sustenance.

Deuteronomy 27 17 Word analysis

• Cursed (אָרוּר, arur): This word denotes a state of divine disapproval, a judicial pronouncement of separation from blessing and subjecting to negative consequences. It is a severe condemnation from God, not merely human disapproval. In the context of Deuteronomy 27, it highlights the solemnity of the covenant violations.
• be he who removes (מַסִּיג, massîg): Derived from the root נָסַג (nasag), meaning "to move back," "to retreat," or in this context, "to dispossess" or "to shift." The intensive stem indicates an active, deliberate, and perhaps persistent act of displacement. This isn't an accidental removal but a purposeful, usually deceptive, shifting.
• his neighbor's (רֵעֵהוּ, re'ehu): From the common Hebrew term for "neighbor," "friend," or "companion." This emphasizes that the victim is a fellow member of the Israelite community, bound by covenant and social trust. The violation is not just against property, but against communal relationship.
• landmark (גְּבוּל, gevul): This Hebrew term refers to a "boundary," "border," or specifically a "landmark" stone or marker. These markers established the limits of tribal, clan, or family land allotments in Canaan. Given that land was distributed by lot, a divine process, moving a landmark was an affront to God's ordained order and to the family's inheritance. Its stability ensured generational prosperity and identity.
• who removes his neighbor’s landmark: This phrase encapsulates the core violation: a fraudulent and underhanded act that expands one's own territory by illegally diminishing a neighbor's. It often exploited the weak, the orphaned, or the widow, who might lack the power or means to defend their claim. This act directly undermined the social equity intended by God's land distribution and violated the trust inherent in communal living. It's a covetous act, denying another their divinely granted portion, and often unseen and therefore not prosecutable by human courts, hence the direct divine curse.

Deuteronomy 27 17 Bonus section

The strong emphasis on the boundary marker (landmark) across various biblical books highlights its symbolic importance beyond mere physical demarcation. It represents the permanence and integrity of God's covenant blessings and human inheritance. Any tampering with it was seen as undermining the divine order and attacking the very fabric of society established by God. The direct curse signifies that this act was considered a serious offense against foundational justice and covenant faithfulness. It was a silent form of violence against family livelihood, community stability, and God's providential care.

Deuteronomy 27 17 Commentary

Deuteronomy 27:17 articulates a potent curse against those who unlawfully shift boundary markers. In ancient Israel, land was God's gift, allocated to tribes and families by divine instruction, making these landmarks sacred. To move them was not merely property theft but an act of deep spiritual rebellion and social injustice. Such an act exploited the vulnerable, often secretly, thus circumventing legal recourse. The "Amen" response to this curse signified the community's acknowledgment of God's sovereign judgment over even hidden sins, reinforcing communal responsibility for upholding divine law and justice, particularly regarding a foundational element of their agrarian society and identity. It underscores that defrauding a neighbor of their inheritance is an offense against both man and God, incurring severe divine condemnation because it disrupted God's divinely ordered system of provision and social structure.