Deuteronomy 17

Deuteronomy 17 belongs to a section of regulations concerning the courts and leaders of the Israelite community. This section runs from Deuteronomy 16:18 through 18:22. The preceding chapter, Deuteronomy 16, ends with the command to appoint judges in every city and a prohibition of idolatry, and chapter 17 continues that material.

Outline

• Verse 1: The Israelites are not to sacrifice to the LORD any bullock or sheep that has a blemish or defect.
• Verses 2-7: If it is reported that a man or woman has served other gods or worshiped the sun, the moon, or any of the host of heaven, the matter is to be diligently investigated. If the report is confirmed, the offender is to be stoned outside the city gates. The testimony of two or three witnesses is required, and the witnesses are to be the first to raise their hands against the offender.
• Verses 8-13: If a dispute arises within a city that is too hard to judge, the parties are to go up to the place the LORD will choose. There they are to inquire of the priests the Levites and of the judge, and to act according to their verdict. Anyone who refuses to accept the verdict is to be put to death.
• Verses 14-20: If the people set a king over themselves, he must be one whom the LORD chooses, from among their brethren. The king is not to multiply horses, wives, or silver and gold. He is also to write a copy of the law in a book, keep it with him all his life, and read in it.

Key Verses

• Deuteronomy 17:6: "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death": This principle forbids punishment on the testimony of a single witness; it is echoed in Deuteronomy 19:15 and in the New Testament.
• Deuteronomy 17:18-19: "He shall write him a copy of this law in a book… and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life": This shows that the king, too, stands under the law.

People and Places

• The LORD: The one who gives the law and chooses the king.
• The priests the Levites: Those who minister at the sanctuary and decide difficult cases. See also the articles Levites and Priest.
• The judge: The official responsible for rendering verdicts at the time.
• Egypt: The place to which the king must not cause the people to return in order to acquire horses.
• The place the LORD will choose: The text does not name it. In later times it was understood to be Jerusalem.

Points for Reflection

• The Greek translation known as the Septuagint rendered "a copy of this law" in verse 18 with a term meaning "second law." This rendering is generally regarded as the source of the book's name, Deuteronomy.
• The law of the king is often read alongside 1 Samuel 8, where the people demand a king. The prohibition against multiplying horses, wives, and silver and gold stands in contrast to the conduct of Solomon (1 Kings 10-11).
• How the provisions for capital punishment by stoning should be viewed today depends on how a given theological tradition understands the law. The Westminster Confession of Faith (chapter 19) holds that the judicial laws of Israel expired together with the state of that people, while maintaining that the general equity they contain remains relevant.
• The principle of two or three witnesses reappears in the New Testament in Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19, and Hebrews 10:28. These passages are also cited as a basis for church discipline.