Deuteronomy

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Deuteronomy 17 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Deuteronomy 17 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

(17:1) "Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God."
Don't sacrifice an animal with a blemish. It is an abomination to God. (He's very picky about his bloody animal sacrifices!)

How can you bring to a perfect God something that is less than perfect? And what kind of sacrifice would it be, to bring something you would not want to keep yourself anyway, something you would throw out of your flock?

2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,

3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

7 The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

(17:2-7) "If there be found among you ... man or woman, that ... hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them ... Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman ... and shalt stone them with stones, till they die."
Kill everyone who has religious beliefs that are different from your own.
What the Bible says about stoning

Israel was a special place, given by God to the Israelites, and should be clean from false religion. But note that this section is not simply about anonymous government agencies killing equally anonymous people: the accusers had to do this themselves, if the case was proven of course.

8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;

9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:

10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:

11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.

(17:12-13) "And the man that ... will not hearken unto the priest ... or unto the judge, even that man shall die."
Whoever refuses to listen to a priest or judge must be killed.

The author of the SAB has not read this verse carefully enough. Not only listening is mentioning, but also “doing presumptuously.” This is not simply about listening to the priest regardless what they say, this is about listening to a verdict. What does the author of the SAB think will happen if an American citizen will not listen to a verdict of the US Supreme Court, but completely disregards it?

13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

(17:17) "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself."
Is polygamy OK?

This verse can't be more clear, can it? But it appears many of the kings of Israel did not listen to it, and they greatly multiplied their sorrows.

18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.