It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. It must remain with himThis phrase emphasizes the importance of the constant presence of God's Word in the life of a leader, specifically a king in the context of Deuteronomy. The Hebrew root for "remain" (הָיָה, hayah) implies a continuous state of being. The king is to have the law physically with him, symbolizing the need for God's commandments to be ever-present in his thoughts and actions. Historically, this underscores the unique role of the Israelite king, who was not to rule by his own wisdom but by divine guidance, setting a precedent for leaders to prioritize spiritual over secular authority. and he must read it
The act of reading (קָרָא, qara) in Hebrew is not merely a passive activity but an active engagement with the text. This requirement for the king to read the law daily signifies the necessity of personal interaction with Scripture. It is a call to internalize God's Word, allowing it to shape one's character and decisions. In a broader sense, this reflects the Judeo-Christian tradition of valuing literacy and education, particularly in the context of understanding and applying divine principles. all the days of his life
This phrase indicates the lifelong commitment required of the king to engage with God's Word. The Hebrew word for "life" (חַי, chai) encompasses not just physical existence but a holistic approach to living. The continuous nature of this command suggests that spiritual growth and understanding are ongoing processes. Historically, this was a radical concept, as it placed the king under the authority of the law, contrasting with other ancient Near Eastern monarchies where the king was often seen as above the law. so that he may learn
The Hebrew verb לָמַד (lamad) means to learn or to be taught, implying a process of gaining knowledge and wisdom. This learning is not merely intellectual but transformative, intended to shape the king's heart and mind. The phrase suggests that the purpose of reading the law is not just for knowledge but for personal and spiritual development, aligning the king's will with God's. to fear the LORD his God
The concept of fearing the LORD (יָרֵא, yare) in Hebrew encompasses reverence, awe, and respect. It is a foundational principle in the Old Testament, signifying a proper relationship with God. This fear is not about terror but about recognizing God's holiness and authority. For the king, this fear was crucial in ensuring that his rule was just and aligned with divine will, serving as a reminder that he was accountable to a higher power. by carefully observing
The phrase "carefully observing" (שָׁמַר, shamar) implies diligent and attentive adherence to God's commands. It suggests a proactive stance in maintaining the covenant relationship with God. This careful observation is a safeguard against neglect and disobedience, emphasizing the importance of intentionality in one's spiritual walk. For the king, it was a call to lead by example, demonstrating faithfulness to God's law. all the words of this law and these statutes
The comprehensive nature of "all the words" (כָּל־דִּבְרֵי, kol-divrei) highlights the totality of God's instructions. The law (תּוֹרָה, torah) and statutes (חֻקִּים, chuqqim) represent the divine guidelines given to Israel. This phrase underscores the importance of holistic obedience, not picking and choosing which commands to follow. It reflects the covenantal relationship between God and His people, where adherence to the law was a sign of faithfulness and devotion. For the king, it was a reminder that his authority was derived from and limited by God's law. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's laws and instructions to the Israelites. 2. IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, receiving the law as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. 3. The KingThe future leader of Israel, who is specifically instructed to keep a copy of the law. 4. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, whom the king is to fear and obey. 5. The LawThe commandments and statutes given by God, which the king is to read and follow. Teaching Points The Importance of Scripture in LeadershipLeaders, especially those in positions of authority, should immerse themselves in God's Word to lead with wisdom and integrity. Daily Engagement with God's WordRegular reading and meditation on Scripture are crucial for spiritual growth and understanding God's will. Fear of the LORDA healthy reverence for God is cultivated through consistent exposure to His Word, leading to obedience and a righteous life. Personal ResponsibilityEach believer, like the king, is responsible for their own spiritual growth by engaging with Scripture. Scripture as a Guide for LifeThe Bible provides the necessary guidance for living a life that honors God and aligns with His purposes. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the instruction for the king to read the law daily apply to modern-day believers in their personal Bible study habits? 2. In what ways can regular engagement with Scripture help cultivate a healthy fear of the LORD in our lives? 3. How can leaders today, whether in the church or other spheres, benefit from the principle of immersing themselves in God's Word? 4. What are some practical steps you can take to ensure that God's Word remains central in your daily life? 5. How do the connections to other scriptures, such as Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2, reinforce the message of Deuteronomy 17:19? Connections to Other Scriptures Joshua 1:8Emphasizes the importance of meditating on the law day and night for success and prosperity. Psalm 1:2Highlights the blessedness of delighting in and meditating on God's law. 2 Timothy 3:16-17Affirms the usefulness of Scripture for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. James 1:22-25Encourages believers to be doers of the word, not just hearers, to avoid self-deception. Psalm 119:11Speaks of hiding God's word in one's heart to avoid sinning against Him. People Levites, MosesPlaces Beth-baal-peor, EgyptTopics Carefully, Decrees, Fear, Follow, Keeping, Law, Laws, Learn, Observing, Reading, Revere, Statutes, Teaching, Therein, TrainedDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 17:14-20 5366 king Deuteronomy 17:16-20 7735 leaders, political Deuteronomy 17:18-19 7263 theocracy Deuteronomy 17:18-20 1614 Scripture, understanding Deuteronomy 17:19-20 5896 irreverence Library Bethphage
There is very frequent mention of this place in the Talmudists: and, certainly, a more careful comparison of the maps with those things which are said by them of the situation of this place is worthy to be made; when they place it in mount Olivet, these make it contiguous to the buildings of Jerusalem. I. In the place cited in the margin, the case "of a stubborn judge" (or elder) is handling. For when, by the prescript of the law, difficult matters, and such things as concerning which the lower councils …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and HebraicaThe Reign of Saul.
I Sam. 8-31; I Chron. 10 The Demand for a King. The last period saw one tribe after another come to the front and assert itself through some leading man as an emergency arose, but now the tribes are to be united into a monarchy and this, too, at their own request made in the form of a desire for a king. Several things no doubt influenced them to make this request. (1) From the days of Joshua there had been no strong national bond. They were only held together by the law of Moses and the annual assemblages …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period 'Make us a King'
'Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel, onto Ramah, 5. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Adonijah
BY REV. ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. It is notorious that the sons of devout men sometimes prove a curse to their parents, and bring dishonour on the cause of God. When Eve rejoiced over her first-born, she little suspected that passions were sleeping within him which would impel him to slay his own brother; and the experience of the first mother has been repeated, though in different forms, in all lands and in all ages. Isaac's heart was rent by the deceit of Jacob, and by the self-will of Esau. …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known Jehoiada and Joash
'And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. 4. And the seventh year Jehoiada …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Bible in the Days of Jesus Christ
[Illustration: (drop cap S) Reading from a Roll--old Roman Painting] Slowly but surely, as time went on, God was adding to His Book, until about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ the Old Testament Scriptures, in their present shape, were completed. Many questions have been asked as to how the canon of the Old Testament was formed--that is, how and when did the Jews first begin to understand that the Books of the Old Testament were inspired by God. About the first five Books--the …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII The Story of the Adulteress.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John VII. 53-VIII. 11. [This section is wanting in nearly all older manuscripts, but Jerome (a.d. 346-420) says that in his time it was contained in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts," and these must have been as good or better than the best manuscripts we now possess. But whether we regard it as part of John's narrative or not, scholars very generally accept it as a genuine piece of history.] ^d 53 And they went every man unto his own house [confused by the question of Nicodemus, …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.
(Palace of Caiaphas. Friday.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 57, 59-68; ^B Mark XIV. 53, 55-65; ^C Luke XXII. 54, 63-65; ^D John XVIII. 24. ^d 24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. [Foiled in his attempted examination of Jesus, Annas sends him to trial.] ^b and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. ^a 57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, ^c and brought him into the high priest's house. ^a where …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Easter Tuesday
Second Sermon. Same Text. Acts 13, 26-39. THE WORD AND THE RESURRECTION.[1] [Footnote 1: This sermon appeared first in the Church Postil, the Explanation of the Epistle and Gospel Texts from Easter to Advent. Printed by Hans Lufft, Wittenberg, 1559.] 1. This sermon was preached by Paul in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, where were gathered with the Jews some Greek converts. Wherever in a city Jews were to be found, there also were their synagogues in which they taught and preached; and many …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 17:19 NIVDeuteronomy 17:19 NLTDeuteronomy 17:19 ESVDeuteronomy 17:19 NASBDeuteronomy 17:19 KJV
Deuteronomy 17:19 Commentaries
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