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Deuteronomy Chapter
Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 18
This
chapter gives an account of the provision made for the priests and Levites
with the reason of it
Deuteronomy 18:1
of allowance of a country Levite to minister at Jerusalem
and take his portion
with the rest
Deuteronomy 18:6
and of several persons of bad practices not to be suffered among the people of
Israel
Deuteronomy 18:9
and of an extraordinary prophet that should be raised up among them
to whom
they should hearken
or it would be the worse for them
Deuteronomy 18:15
but a false prophet was to be put to death
of whom a sign is given by which he
might be known
Deuteronomy 18:20.
Deuteronomy 18:1 “The priests
the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no
part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire
and His portion.
YLT
1`There is not to the
priests the Levites -- all the tribe of Levi -- a portion and inheritance with
Israel; fire-offerings of Jehovah
even His inheritance
they eat
The priests
the Levites
and all the tribe of Levi
shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel
.... That is
in the land of Canaan
in the division of it among the tribes:
they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire
and his
inheritance; the meat offerings
see Leviticus 2:2
and
whatsoever of the sin offerings and peace offerings which were the Lord's; so
Ben Melech says
the flesh of the offerings which belonged to the priests was
called fire offerings
after part of it was consumed by fire. All these
with
other things
Numbers 18:8
were
given
as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it
for their inheritance
in lieu
of their having none in the land of Canaan.
Deuteronomy 18:2 2 Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren;
the Lord is their inheritance
as He said to them.
YLT
2and he hath no inheritance
in the midst of his brethren; Jehovah Himself [is] his inheritance
as He hath
spoken to him.
Therefore shall they have
none inheritance among their brethren
.... Neither of the field
nor of the vineyard
as the above Targum
because provision was made for them
otherwise
and especially because
the Lord is their inheritance
as he hath said unto them; see Gill on Numbers 18:20
which as it may be understood in a spiritual sense of their interest in God
as
their covenant God
and of their enjoyment of him
and communion with him; so
chiefly in a temporal sense of all those things in the sacrifices which the
Lord claimed to himself
and these he gave unto them; so the same Targum
interprets this of the twenty four gifts of the priesthood
enumerated Numbers 18:1.
Deuteronomy 18:3 3 “And this shall be the priest’s due from the people
from those who offer a sacrifice
whether it is bull or sheep: they
shall give to the priest the shoulder
the cheeks
and the stomach.
YLT
3`And this is the priest's
right from the people
from those sacrificing a sacrifice
whether ox or sheep
he hath even given to the priest the leg
and the two cheeks
and the stomach;
And this shall be the
priest's due from the people
from them that offer sacrifice
.... Not from
the priests
as Jarchi observes
but from those that bring the sacrifices to
the priests
particularly the peace offerings:
whether it be ox or sheep; the one of the herd
the
other of the flock
creatures used in sacrifice
and takes in goats and the
kids of them
rams and lambs:
and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder
and the two
cheeks
and the maw; the first of these designs the upper part of the arm that joins
to the neck and back
and the next the two cheeks with the tongue
as both
Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe
and indeed the whole head is meant; the maw
which the Septuagint interpreters call ενυστρον
and other writers ηνυστρον
is
according to the philosopherF16Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 2. c.
17.
the fourth and last ventricle or stomach
and which he thus
describes;"after the echinus or rough tripe is that which is called ηνυστρον
the maw
which is in
size larger than the echinus
and in form longer
and has many large and smooth
folds;'and ηνυστρον βοος
the maw of an ox
and the belly of a swine
are reckoned by the poetF17Aristophan.
Equites
Acts 1. Sc. 3. p. 307. & Acts 4. Sc. 1. p. 355. as delicious food.
Deuteronomy 18:4 4 The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and
your oil
and the first of the fleece of your sheep
you shall give him.
YLT
4the first of thy corn
of
thy new wine
and of thine oil
and the first of the fleece of thy flock
thou
dost give to him;
The firstfruit also of thy
corn
and of thy wine
and of thy oil
.... This is the
"terumah"
or heave offering
the offering of the firstfruits; what
the measure or quantity was is not declared
but is fixed by the Jews; See Gill
on Exodus 22:29
and the first of the fleece of thy sheep shall thou give him: concerning
which in the MisnahF18Cholin
c. 11. sect. 1
2. it is said
the
first of the fleece is used in the land and without the land
of which they
give the weight of five shekels in Judea
which are ten shekels in Galilee; and
they give white wool
and not defiled
enough to make of it a little garment.
He that buys a fleece of the sheep of a Gentile
he is free from the first of
the fleece; but if he buys it of his neighbour
if he leaves any of it
the
seller is bound
if none the buyer is bound; if there are two sorts
russet and
white
and he sells the russet but not the white
the males but not the
females
everyone gives for himself. It may be observed in this account
that
as much wool was to be given as would make a small garment; enough
says one of
the commentatorsF19Bartenora in ib.
to make a little garment to
minister in; and the least garment fit for a priest to minister in is a girdle.
Jarchi's paraphrase of it is
"when thou shearest thy flock every year
give the first of it to the priest; it does not determine the quantity
but our
Rabbins fix it to the sixtieth part;'with which agrees the observation of
another writerF20Ibid.
that there is no quantity fixed for the
first of the fleece from the law
but from the words of the Scribes it must not
be less than the sixtieth part. There is no obligation to the first of the
fleece until five sheep are shorn
and the fleece of everyone of the five must
not be less than twelve shekels' weight; but if there is one fleece of them
less than twelve shekels
though the five fleeces are more than sixty shekels
lo
this is free; so that
as MaimonidesF21In Misn. ib. says
the
first of the fleece is not less than the weight of a shekel.
Deuteronomy 18:5 5 For the Lord your God
has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of the Lord
him and his sons forever.
YLT
5for on him hath Jehovah thy
God fixed
out of all thy tribes
to stand to serve in the name of Jehovah
He
and his sons continually.
For the Lord thy God hath
chosen him out of all thy tribes
.... That is
has chosen
the tribe of Levi out of all the other tribes of Israel:
to stand to minister in the name of the Lord; the priests
to minister to the Lord by offering sacrifices
and the Levites to minister to
the priests in assisting them in their service; and both their ministry were in
the name of the Lord
and for his glory
and done standing; for there was no
sitting in the sanctuaryF23Maimon. in Misn. Zebachim
c. 2. sect. 1.
; the priestly ministry was only performed standingF24Bartenora in
ib.
whatever was done sitting was rejectedF25Misn. ib. ; see Hebrews 10:11
him and his sons for ever; Levi and his posterity
or the posterity of the tribe of Levi
were chosen by the Lord to this service
to be employed in it as long as the ceremonial law continued
on which stood
the Levitical priesthood; but both are now abolished by Christ
having their
accomplishment in him
Hebrews 7:11.
Deuteronomy 18:6 6 “So if a Levite comes from any of your gates
from where
he dwells among all Israel
and comes with all the desire of his mind to the
place which the Lord chooses
YLT
6`And when the Levite cometh
from one of thy cities out of all Israel
where he hath sojourned
and hath
come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which Jehovah doth choose
And if a Levite come from
any of thy gates out of Israel
where he sojourned
.... In any of
the cities through the land
for they were dispersed all over the country
and
employed in instructing and teaching the people; and
excepting the cities
which were given them to dwell in out of the various tribes
they were but
sojourners:
and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the
Lord shall choose; the city of Jerusalem
where the temple would be built
and
sacrifices offered
at which the Levites were assisting to the priests
and in
various parts of the service of the sanctuary; and to which they are supposed
to come with an hearty good will
with great eagerness of soul
and a vehement
desire of being employed in the work of the Lord. Though Jarchi interprets it
of a priest
that comes and offers his freewill offerings
or what he is
obliged to
and even in a ward not his own; or
as otherwise expressed
of the
priests that come to the feast
who offer in the ward
and serve in the
offerings that come by virtue of the feast
as the additions of the feast
though it is not in their own ward; and indeed every priest was a Levite
though every Levite was not a priest; and the description of him after given
as standing ministering in the name of the Lord
best agrees with a priest.
Deuteronomy 18:7 7 then he may serve in the name of the Lord his God as all his brethren the Levites do
who stand there
before the Lord.
YLT
7then he hath ministered in
the name of Jehovah his God
like all his brethren
the Levites
who are
standing there before Jehovah
And he shall minister in
the name of the Lord his God
.... The Targum of Jonathan is
"he
shall minister in the name of the Word of the Lord his God;'in the name of
Christ
as a type of him
as every priest and every sacrifice were: he was to
be allowed to officiate
though it was not his course or turn:
as all his brethren the Levites do
which stand there before the
Lord; daily offering the same sacrifices
and whatsoever are brought
unto them; who might be said to stand before the Lord
because they stood at
the altar of the Lord
and offered the sacrifices of the people to him; and a
country Levite or priest was to be admitted to do the same thing at Jerusalem
and in the temple there
as they did; and this shows that a priest is meant by
the Levite.
Deuteronomy 18:8 8 They shall have equal portions to eat
besides what
comes from the sale of his inheritance.
YLT
8portion as portion they do
eat
apart from his sold things
with the fathers.
They shall have like
portions to eat
.... Equal parts of the sacrifices with the priests that usually
ministered there; hence we learn
says Jarchi
that they divided the skins and
flesh of the sin offerings; perhaps even such as did not come by virtue of the
feast
as the daily sacrifices
and the additions of the sabbath
and the vows
and the freewill offerings:
beside that which cometh by the sale of his patrimony: for though
the priests and Levites had no inheritance divided to them in the land
yet
they might buy houses and fields
and leave them to their children
and this
may be called their patrimony; now it was not reasonable that they should
wholly live upon this
or spend what their fathers left them; but
besides the
income of that
were to have their part and portion with their brethren in the
sacrifices of the sanctuary. But some interpret these words in a different way
as if they had respect to the gifts and oblations in the several wards in which
the priests ministered
as they were ordered by their fathers
Eleazar
Ithamar
Samuel
David
and Solomon; so the Targums of Onkelos
Jonathan
and
Jarchi. In the times of Eleazar and Ithamar
there were only eight wards or
courses
which ministered in their turns
but in the days of David they were
divided into twenty four; See Gill on Luke 1:8; now the
ordering and fixing these in their turns is called a vendition or sale; and
these country priests might partake of all sacrifices at the feast
excepting
those which belonged to him whose course it was that week.
Deuteronomy 18:9 9 “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you
you shall not learn to follow the
abominations of those nations.
YLT
9`When thou art coming in
unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee
thou dost not learn to
do according to the abominations of those nations:
When thou art come into
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee
.... The land of Canaan
often thus described
to express the goodness of God in bestowing it on them
as a mere favour of his
without any desert of theirs; and so typical of the
heavenly Canaan
or eternal life
which is the free gift of God through Christ:
thou shall not learn to do after the abominations of these nations; the seven
nations which before inhabited it; they might learn
as Jarchi observes
to
know how corrupt their works were
and to show to their children
that they
might not do so; but they were not to learn them so as to practise them
but to
have them in the utmost abhorrence
as being abominable to God
and which
should be so to them; some of which are as follow.
Deuteronomy 18:10 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who
makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire
or one who
practices witchcraft
or a soothsayer
or one who interprets omens
or a
sorcerer
YLT
10there is not found in thee
one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire
a user of
divinations
an observer of clouds
and an enchanter
and a sorcerer
There shall not be found
among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire
.... To
Moloch
which was a sort of lustration by fire
two fires being made
and the
child led by a priest between them
and which was an initiation of him into the
religion of that deity
and devoting him to it; so Jarchi says
this is the
service of Moloch
making piles of fire here and there (on this side and on
that)
and causing (the children) to pass between them both. Besides this they
used to burn them with fire to this deity
perhaps after the performance of
this ceremony; see Deuteronomy 12:31
or that useth divination: according to Aben Ezra this is a general name
and so
Ben Melech
the particulars of which are what follow:
an observer of times
&c. Cicero saysF26De
Divinatione
l. 1. c. 8.
there are two sorts of divination
one is of art
the other of nature. What nation or what city is not moved by prediction
either by the entrails of beasts
or of those that interpret strange things and
lightnings
or of soothsayers
or astrologers
or of lots (for these are mostly
of art); or of dreams or prophecies
for these two are thought to be natural?
Again he saysF1Ibid.
the Phrygians
Pisidians
and Cilicians
pay
a great respect to the signs of birds--from the beginning of the world it was
that certain signs were forerunners of certain things; some in the entrails of
beasts
some in birds
others in lightnings
others in marvellous things
others in the stars; some in visions and dreams
and others in the words of
frantic persons. So the comedian remarksF2Terent Phormio
Act. 4.
Sc. 4. "introit in aedes"
&c.
that if a strange black dog
comes into a house
or a snake falls from the tiles through rain
or a hen
crows
these
are observed as ominous
by the diviner or soothsayer. Porphyry
saysF3De Abstinentia
l. 3. c. 4.
that soothsayers divine by the
noise of crows and ravens; and it is saidF4Philostrat. Vit. Apollon.
l. 1. c. 14. the Arabians
from birds as from oracles
divine what shall come
to pass; and that they attain to
as they say
by eating the heart and liver of
dragons. Jarchi on this place asks
who is the diviner? one that lays hold on
his staff
and says
shall I go? or shall I not go? that is
to such a place;
and according as it fell
so judgment was made; see Hosea 4:12. Now
such sort of diviners and divinations are cautioned against
as not to be
admitted among the people of Israel
and regarded by them:
or an observer of times: and such things the
Egyptians were very inquisitive about
what month or day belonged to the gods
what day any one was born on
what shall befall him
how he will die
and what
he shall be
as HerodotusF5Enterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 82. relates; and
such are they who are here meant
according to R. AkibaF6Apud R.
Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed
fol. 24. 1. that count times and hours
and say such a
time is beautiful (or seasonable) to go out in and trade; but the wise men say
as Jarchi observes
these are they that hold the eyes
cast a mist over
people's eyes
that they cannot perceive their juggling tricks. Some think the
word has the signification of clouds
and so designs such that observed them
and their motions
and made their conclusions according to them; see Leviticus 19:26
or an enchanter; according to Jarchi
one that remarks
things as ominous; as when a morsel falls out of a man's mouth
a roe stops him
in the way
or his staff falls out of his hands: the word has the signification
of a serpent in it
and so may signify one that enchants them; see Psalm 58:4 or makes
observations by them
as portending this and that
and the other
as before
observed of the snake falling from the tiles; and HoraceF7"Rumpat
et serpens iter institutum"
&c. Horat. Carmin. l. 3. Ode 27. speaks
of a serpent lying in the way
and frightening horses
as taken notice of by
soothsayers:
or a witch; of whom see Exodus 22:18.
Deuteronomy 18:11 11 or one who conjures spells
or a medium
or a
spiritist
or one who calls up the dead.
YLT
11and a charmer
and one
asking at a familiar spirit
and a wizard
and one seeking unto the dead.
Or a charmer
.... That
pretends to cure diseases by charms
or a charmer of serpents; according to
Jarchi
one that gathers together serpents and scorpions
and other animals
into one place; with which agree the Targums of Jonathan and
Jerusalem
"which bind serpents and scorpions
and all kind of creeping
things;'but
according to Aben Ezra
one that says certain words to gather
demons together:
or a consulter with familiar spirits; or the
inquirer of "Ob"
or the bottle
which the Jews interpret of Python
or one that has the spirit of Python; see Acts 16:16
a
ventriloquist
one that spoke or seemed to speak out of his belly
or from
under his armpits; so it is said in the MisnahF8Misn. Sanhedrin
c.
7. sect. 7. of Ob
this is Python
one that speaks out of his arm holes;
agreeably to which
Jarchi says
this is that sort of witchcraft which is
called Python
and he speaks from his arm holes
and brings up the dead
thither: of Baal Ob
or the master of the bottle
say some Jewish writers
one
way he uses is
he takes the skull of a dead man
the flesh of which is
consumed from it
and he hides it and burns incense to it
and mutters words by
it
and hears from it
as if from a dead manF11Maimon. &
Bartenora in ib. : or a wizard: a knowing one
as the word signifies
such an
one as we call a cunning man; See Gill on Leviticus 19:31.
or a necromancer that inquiries of the dead
or seeks
instruction from them
as the Targum of Jerusalem. Aben Ezra describes him as
one that goes to burying grounds
and takes the bone of a dead man
and because
of his wild imagination there appears to him the likeness of forms; or as
MaimonidesF12In ib.
better still
he is one that fasts and sleeps
in graveyards
and utters words; and
according to his imagination
sees future
things in dreams.
Deuteronomy 18:12 12 For all who do these things are an abomination
to the Lord
and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.
YLT
12`For the abomination of
Jehovah [is] every one doing these
and because of these abominations is
Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from thy presence.
For all that do these
things are an abomination to the Lord
.... Not that do all
these things
but whoever does any of them
as Jarchi notes; all such persons
that use such unlawful methods
or any of them
to gain knowledge; and likewise
all those that consult them
and make use of them; and especially it must be
very abominable in the people of Israel to encourage such persons and
practices
who had the knowledge of the true God
and him to consult on all
occasions; had his law and testimony to attend unto as the rule of their
conduct
and his prophets to advise with in matters of difficulty; see Isaiah 8:20.
and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them
out from before thee; as well as other sins mentioned in Leviticus 18:24
and
as before observed from Cicero
all nations have been addicted to the arts
of divination here condemned.
Deuteronomy 18:13 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.
YLT
13Perfect thou art with
Jehovah thy God
Thou shalt be perfect with
the Lord thy God. Sincerely serve and worship him
faithfully adhere to his word
laws
statutes
and ordinances
and walk uprightly before him.
Deuteronomy 18:14 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened
to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you
the Lord your God
has not appointed such for you.
YLT
14for these nations whom thou
art possessing
unto observers of clouds
and unto diviners
do hearken; and
thou -- not so hath Jehovah thy God suffered thee.
For those nations which
thou shall possess hearkened unto observers of times
and unto diviners
.... Such as
are before mentioned
and did as they directed them:
but as for thee
the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do; or
"but
thou not so"F13ואתה לא כן "et tu non sic"
Montanus. thou shouldest not do so
not hearken to such persons
but to the
Lord thy God
and to his law and testimony; nor art thou left to the deception
of such persons:
the Lord thy God hath given thee: his word and statutes
as a rule to go by
which he has not given to other nations: the Targum of
Jonathan adds
"the priests shall ask by Urim and Thummim
and a true
prophet shall the Lord your God give unto you;'so that they had no need to
hearken to such impostors and deceivers: or
"as for thee
not so are they
whom the Lord thy God giveth thee"F14"De teau tem non ita
sunt quos dat tibi Jehova Deus tuus"
Junius & Tremellius. ; that is
the prophets whom the Lord would give unto them would not be like the diviners
of the Heathens
who imposed on the people and deceived them; but would be men
sent and inspired by God
and true and faithful in the discharge of their
office; and to hearken to these they are encouraged by the promise of a very
eminent one
like to Moses
in the next verse.
Deuteronomy 18:15 15 “The Lord your God
will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst
from your brethren.
Him you shall hear
YLT
15`A prophet out of thy
midst
out of thy brethren
like to me
doth Jehovah thy God raise up to thee
-- unto him ye hearken;
The Lord thy God will
raise up unto thee a prophet
.... Not Joshua
as Aben Ezra
not Jeremiah
as Baal Haturim
nor DavidF15Herbanus in Disputat. cum Gregent. p.
13. col. 2.
as others; nor a succession of prophets
as Jarchi; for a single
person is only spoken of; and there is a dissimilitude between Moses and anyone
of the prophets
and all of them in succession
Deuteronomy 34:10
but the Messiah
with whom the whole agrees; and upon this the expectation of a
prophet among the Jews was raised
John 6:14 and is
applied to him
and referred to as belonging to him in Acts 3:22
who was
a prophet mighty in word and deed
and not only foretold future events
as his
own sufferings and death
and resurrection from the dead
the destruction of
Jerusalem
and other things; but taught and instructed men in the knowledge of
divine things
spake as never man did
preached the Gospel fully and
faithfully
so that as the law came by Moses
the doctrine of grace and truth
came by him; and he was raised up of God
called
sent
commissioned and
qualified by him for the office of a prophet
as well as was raised from the
dead as a confirmation of his being that extraordinary person:
from the midst of thee; he was of Israel
according to the flesh
of the tribe of Judah
and of the house of David
born
of a virgin in Bethlehem
preached only in Judea
and was raised from the dead
in the midst of them
and of which they were witnesses:
of thy brethren; the Israelites
of whom
as concerning the
flesh
Christ came
and to whom he was sent as a prophet
and among whom he
only preached:
like unto me; the Targum of Jonathan adds
"in the
Holy Spirit;'which he received without measure
and in respect of which was
superior to Moses
or any of the prophets: he was like to Moses in the faithful
discharge of his office
in his familiar converse with God
in the miracles
which he wrought; as well as in his being a Mediator
and the Redeemer of his
people
as Moses was a mediator between God and the people of Israel
and the
deliverer of them out of Egypt; and it is a saying of the JewsF16Midrash
Kohelet
fol. 63. 2. themselves
"as was the first redeemer
so is the
second:"
unto him ye shall hearken; externally attend on his
ministry
internally receive his doctrine
embrace and profess it; do what is
heard from him
hear him
and not another
always and in all things; see Matthew 17:5.
Deuteronomy 18:16 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly
saying
‘Let me not
hear again the voice of the Lord my God
nor let me see this great fire anymore
lest I die.’
YLT
16according to all that thou
didst ask from Jehovah thy God
in Horeb
in the day of the assembly
saying
Let me not add to hear the voice of Jehovah my God
and this great fire let me
not see any more
and I die not;
According to all that thou
desiredst of the Lord thy God at Horeb
.... This was promised
them
in answer to their request at Horeb or Mount Sinai
when the law was
delivered to them in the terrible manner it was: in the day of the assembly; in
which the tribes were gathered together to receive the law
when they were
assembled at the foot of the mount for that purpose:
saying
let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God; which was
such a voice of words
attended with so much terror
that they that heard
entreated the word might not be spoken to them any more
as the apostle says in
Hebrews 12:19
neither let me see this great fire any more
that I die not; out of which
the Lord spoke; the congregation of Israel is here represented speaking as if a
single person.
Deuteronomy 18:17 17 “And the Lord said to
me: ‘What they have spoken is good.
YLT
17and Jehovah saith unto me
They have done well that they have spoken;
And the Lord said unto me
.... Unto
Moses
who carried the above request to the Lord:
they have well spoken that which they have spoken; see Deuteronomy 5:28.
Deuteronomy 18:18 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among
their brethren
and will put My words in His mouth
and He shall speak to them
all that I command Him.
YLT
18a prophet I raise up to
them
out of the midst of their brethren
like to thee; and I have given my
words in his mouth
and he hath spoken unto them all that which I command him;
I will raise them up a
prophet from among their brethren like unto thee
.... So that it seems
this promise or prophecy was first made at Mount Sinai
but now renewed and
repeated
and which is nowhere else recorded; see Deuteronomy 18:15
when they were not only made easy for the present by appointing Moses to
receive from the Lord all further notices of his mind and will
but were
assured that when it was his pleasure to make a new revelation
or a further
discovery of his mind and will
in future times
he would not do it in that
terrible way he had delivered the law to them; but would raise up a person of
their own flesh and blood
by whom it should be delivered
which was sufficient
to prevent their fears for the future:
and will put my word in his mouth; the doctrines of the
Gospel
which come from God
and are the words of truth
faith
righteousness
peace
pardon
life
and salvation; and which Christ says were not his own
as
man and Mediator
but his Father's
which he gave unto him
and put into his
mouth
as what he should say
teach
and deliver to others; see John 7:16.
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him; nor did he
keep back
but faithfully declared the whole counsel of God; and as he gave him
a commandment what he should say
and what he should speak
he was entirely
obedient to it; see John 12:49.
Deuteronomy 18:19 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My
words
which He speaks in My name
I will require it of him.
YLT
19and it hath been -- the man
who doth not hearken unto My words which he doth speak in My name
I require
[it] of him.
And it shall come to pass
that whosoever will not hearken unto my words
.... To the doctrines of
the Gospel
but slight and despise them:
which he shall speak in my name; in whose name he came
and whose words or doctrines he declared them to be; not as his own
but his
Father's
John 5:43.
I will require it of him; or
as the Targums of
Onkelos and Jonathan
"my Word shall require it of him
or take vengeance
on him;'as Christ the Word of God did in the destruction of the Jewish nation
city
and temple; see Luke 19:27.
Deuteronomy 18:20 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My
name
which I have not commanded him to speak
or who speaks in the name of
other gods
that prophet shall die.’
YLT
20`Only
the prophet who
presumeth to speak a word in My name -- that which I have not commanded him to
speak -- and who speaketh in the name of other gods -- even that prophet hath
died.
But the prophet which
shall presume to speak in my name
.... Pretending a mission
and commission from God
and yet was never sent by him
like the prophets in Jeremiah 23:21
which I have not commanded him to speak; which though
true was not to be spoken in a public manner
by assuming a public office
without a divine authority or a commission from God
and much less what was
false
and never commanded to be spoken at all by any:
or
that shall speak in the name of other gods; the idols of
the people
as the Targum; as if any should affirm they were sent by Jove
or
inspired by Apollo
as some are said to prophesy by Baal
as if they had
received their orders and instructions from him
and were inspired by him
Jeremiah 2:8.
even that prophet shall die; the Targum of Jonathan
is
be killed by the sword
but the JewsF17Misn. Sanhedrin
c. 10.
sect. 1. Bartenora in ib sect. 5. and Jarchi in loc. generally interpret it of
strangling.
Deuteronomy 18:21 21 And if you say in your heart
‘How shall we know the
word which the Lord has not spoken?’—
YLT
21`And when thou sayest in
thy heart
How do we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? –
And if thou say in thine
heart
&c. Such a thought arises in the mind
and it appears to be
a difficulty
and a query is made upon it:
how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? What marks
signs
and criterions are those by which it may be known that it is not a word
that comes from the Lord?
Deuteronomy 18:22 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord
if the thing does not happen or come to pass
that is the
thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall
not be afraid of him.
YLT
22that which the prophet
speaketh in the name of Jehovah
and the thing is not
and cometh not -- it
[is] the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet
spoken it; -- thou art not afraid of him.
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord
.... Says he
comes from God
is sent by him
and has a commission from him to say so:
if the thing follow not
nor come to pass; as the
prophecy of Hananiah
Jeremiah 28:3 that
is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken; or otherwise it would have come to
pass
unless when a condition is either expressed or implied
as the repentance
or disobedience of a people; see Jeremiah 18:7.
but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; in a bold and
daring manner
with great impiety and impudence
out of his own head and heart
being a mere device and imagination of his own
which
not having the fear of
God
he delivered as coming from the Lord:
thou shall not be afraid of him; not only to reprove him
for his wickedness
but also to punish him for it; showing no regard to the
high character he assumes
nor to the great pretensions he makes to sanctity
knowledge
and familiarity with God.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》