City was to keep jealous watch over city, as man over man. The clause “which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell in” significantly reminds them that the real ownership of their dwellings rested in the Lord (compare Leviticus 25:23), and that they, the mere tenants, must not allow His property to become a center of rebellion against His just authority. read more
Deuteronomy 13:8. Neither shall thine eye pity him The reason of the thing shows that two circumstances are implied: one is, that the seducer should be convicted by two sufficient witnesses before he should be put to death; the other, that the offender obstinately persisted in the defence of idolatry in spite of admonition; for who can doubt but a father, for instance, might save the life of his son, in case he brought him to timely repentance? Neither shalt thou conceal him That is,... read more
Deuteronomy 13:9-11. Thou shalt surely kill him Not privately, a permission to do which, under pretence of the party’s being guilty of the crime in question, would have opened the door to innumerable murders; but by procuring his death through the sentence of the magistrate. Thy hand shall be first upon him As the witness of his crime; for he was to be stoned to death, and the accuser was to throw the first stone, together with the witnesses, Deuteronomy 17:7. This law, at first sight,... read more
Warnings against idolatry (12:29-13:18)In Canaan the Israelites would meet many new temptations. Moses therefore warned them not to be curious about the religious practices of the former inhabitants, lest they copy them and corrupt their own religion (29-32). They were also to beware of the person who could apparently perform miracles and predict events. The test of the genuineness of the person was not whether his predictions came true, but whether he led people in the ways of God... read more
eye. Figure of speech Prosopopoeia, App-6 . read more
wickedness. Hebrew. ra'a'. read more
hath given = giveth. read more
"If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, Which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying, Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of thee, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be the truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in the midst of thee, thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants... read more
Ver. 9. Thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death— The person was to be stoned, and the accuser was to throw the first stone at him, together with the witnesses; see chap. Deuteronomy 17:7. To this our Saviour alludes, John 8:7. This law at first sight may appear too great a trial to humanity; but it is no more than requiring a compliance with that plain principle of morality, that we are to sacrifice all private considerations to the good of the public: as well as with that first... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:12-18
A city under ban. The case here supposed is even more appalling than the former one, for it is the inhabitants of a whole city who, with all that they have, are to be destroyed. Yet, as it is certain that godly persons, dreading the execution of this sentence, would leave this city as soon as they found out what was going on—being very possibly the bearers of the tidings to others—the curse would practically take effect only on those who were in league with the idolaters. Searching... read more