Deuteronomy 13:6-10

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:6-11

Further provision is made by this branch of the statute against receiving the infection of idolatry from those that are near and dear to us. I. It is the policy of the tempter to send his solicitations by the hand of those whom we love, whom we least suspect of any ill design upon us, and whom we are desirous to please and apt to conform ourselves to. The enticement here is supposed to come from a brother or child that are near by nature, from a wife or friend that are near by choice, and are... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:6

If thy brother, the son of thy mother ,.... A brother by mother's side, which is generally supposed to be the nearest relation, at least most out of question, so more liable to be regarded as being beloved: or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom ; most dearly beloved by him, as indeed each of these relations are by a man, there being none nearer or dearer to him: or thy friend, which is as thine own soul ; as dear to him as himself, and so strictly united in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:7

Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you ,.... As of the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Phoenicians: nigh unto thee ; as the above were, being on the borders of their land: the Targum of Jonathan interprets this of the idols of the seven nations, that is, of the land of Canaan: or far off from thee ; as the Babylonians, Persians, and others: from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth ; which includes all the idols in the world,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:8

Thou shall not consent unto him ,.... To commit the idolatry enticed unto, or join with him in it: nor hearken to him ; not so much as patiently to hear him, but at once express an abhorrence of and indignation at what he recommends: neither shall thine eye pity him ; pitied he might be for his ignorance, stupidity, and wickedness, and on account of the miserable estate and condition he was in, and of those dreadful consequences which would follow upon it, if not converted from it;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:9

But thou shalt surely kill him ,.... Not privately and secretly, when and where he entices, nor the enticed himself by his own authority, but after being examined, judged, and condemned by the civil magistrate; and none might judge a false prophet but the sanhedrim at Jerusalem, the sanhedrim of seventy one F13 Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 1. sect. 7. ; see Luke 13:33 , but the difficulty is how such an one could be convicted, since the affair was transacted secretly, Deuteronomy 13:6 and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:10

And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die ,.... It was not sufficient to answer the end of the law to cast a few stones at him, but he was to be stoned to death: because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God ; to compel by force of argument, or the dint of persuasion, to relinquish the profession of the true God, faith in him, and the worship of him: which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage ; which aggravated the sin of the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 13:6

If thy brother - or thy son - The teacher of idolatry was to be put to death; and so strict was this order that a man must neither spare nor conceal his brother, son, daughter, wife, nor friend, because this was the highest offense that could be committed against God, and the most destructive to society; hence the severest laws were enacted against it. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 13:6

Verse 6 6If thy brother, the son of thy mother. The punishment which he had commanded to be inflicted on false teachers, is now extended to each one of the people. For although it is a lighter offense in a private individual to draw others with him into error, both because his ignorance is excusable, and the profession of a teacher does not increase his responsibility, yet a falling away from religion, from whencesoever it arises, is intolerable to God. Only, those two points, to which we have... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 13:7

Verse 7 7Namely, of the gods of the people. The sum of the matter is to this effect, that we should so acquiesce in the known truth, as that our ears may be closed to all the falsehoods by which it is opposed. Men’s neighborhood to each other commonly produces, by their intercommunication, a conformity of habits. Thus errors pass from one to the other; (60) and since we are generally prone to evil, the worse pervert the better. Since, then, the people of Israel were everywhere surrounded by... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 13:9

Verse 9 9But thou shalt surely kill him. He would not that every one should privately execute vengeance without a public trial; but he referred to the ordinary custom, that the witnesses should throw the first stone at condemned criminals, as we shall see elsewhere. For it was an admirable provision, that God would have those who had denounced the crime, to be the executors of its punishment, in order that they should be more cautious and moderate in giving their testimony. The reason, which is... read more

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