Deuteronomy 13:6

False Prophets in the Family

13:6 Suppose your own full brother, ¹  your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods ²  that neither you nor your ancestors ³  have previously known, ⁴ 

Deuteronomy 13:9

13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! ⁵  Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ⁶  and then the hands of the whole community.

Deuteronomy 13:13

13:13 some evil people ⁷  have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, ⁸  saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). ⁹ 

Deuteronomy 13:15

13:15 you must by all means ¹⁰  slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate ¹¹  with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock.

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¹ tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.

² tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”

³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).

⁴ tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).

⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).

⁶ tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.

⁷ tn Heb “men, sons of Belial.” The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל (bÿliyya’al) has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 133-34 s.v.). Cf. NAB, NRSV “scoundrels”; TEV, CEV “worthless people”; NLT “worthless rabble.”

⁸ tc The LXX and Tg read “your” for the MT’s “their.”

⁹ tn The translation understands the relative clause as a statement by Moses, not as part of the quotation from the evildoers. See also v. 2.

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “by all means.” Cf. KJV, NASB “surely”; NIV “certainly.”

¹¹ tn Or “put under divine judgment. The Hebrew word (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to placing persons or things under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction.Though primarily applied against the heathen, this severe judgment could also fall upon unrepentant Israelites (cf. the story of Achan in Josh 7). See also the note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.