Nielsen’s Nook

Deuteronomy 17:14-20, regarding Israel’s future king is one that falls in a constitutional section of Deuteronomy (16:18-18:22). This is a fresh translation of the passage.

Nielsen’s Translation and Notes

14 When you come to the land that YHWH your God is giving to you and you take possession of it and dwell in it and you say, “Let me put a king over me as all the nations that surround me.

15 You may indeed place a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. You will place one from among your brothers over you as king, you will not empower to give over you a foriegn man who is not himself your brother.

16. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself nor cause the people the people to retun to Egypt in order to acquire many horses since YHWH said to you, “You will never[1] retun in this way again.

17. And he must not acquire many women for himself else his heart turn away and silver and gold he must not acquire for himself exceedingly.

18. And when he sits upon the throne and he will write for himself a copy of this Law in a missive[2] from before the face of the Levitical priests.

19. So the Law[3] will be with him and he will read in it all the days of his life so that he will be accustomed to fear YHWH his God in order to keep all the words of this Law and these statutes, in order to do them,

20. in order that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers, and in order that he not turn from the commandment - to the right or to the left - so that he might prolong the days of his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel.

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[1] Lit “not again” is here used in context with ‘eod at the end of the phrase which brings out this emphatic coloring.

[2] see BDB ‘al II.1.f. The use of ‘al here denotes the norm or standard in conjunction with safer which is an instructional document or missive.

[3] vehaytah has a feminine singular ending. “it will be with him” referrs to the Torah. “So the Law will be with him” instructive as a king.