Deuteronomy 13:10

Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses commands Israel to execute an insider who attempts to turn the community away from Yahweh, the God who delivered them from Egypt. The instruction follows a preceding command that the accuser's hand must strike first before the whole people complete the act.

The words — The text commands the community to stone the offender to death (וּסְקַלְתּוֹ בָאֲבָנִים וָמֵת) because he sought (בִקֵּשׁ) to thrust them aside (לְהַדִּחֲךָ) from Yahweh (יְהוָה). These terms denote lethal judicial action triggered by a deliberate attempt to displace divine authority.

The thread — This mandate echoes the Exodus deliverance formula in Exodus 20:2 and the capital penalty for idolatry in Leviticus 20:2, while Joshua 7:25 demonstrates the communal consequence of covenant breach. The same divine rescue narrative grounds the severity of religious treason.

Why it lands — The text demands immediate, communal execution of religious treason to preserve covenant loyalty. It requires readers to recognize that turning from the deliverer of Egypt constitutes a capital offense against the community's foundational identity.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּסְקַלְתּ֥וֹu./se.kal.T/oand/ you will stone/ him בָאֲבָנִ֖יםva./'a.va.Nimwith <the>/ stones וָמֵ֑תva./Metand/ he will die כִּ֣יkifor בִקֵּ֗שׁvi.Keshhe sought לְהַדִּֽיחֲךָ֙le./ha.di.cha./Khato/ thrust aside/ you מֵעַל֙me./'Alfrom/ with יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your הַמּוֹצִיאֲךָ֛ha./mo.tzi.'a./Khawho/ brought out/ you מֵאֶ֥רֶץme./'E.retzfrom/ [the] land of מִצְרַ֖יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgypt מִבֵּ֥יתmi./Beitfrom/ a house of עֲבָדִֽים׃'a.va.Dimslaves

King James Version

And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Cross-references

Joshua 7:25 “Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Leviticus 20:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him.
Leviticus 20:27 A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”
Leviticus 24:14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
Leviticus 24:23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 15:35 And the LORD said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death. The whole congregation is to stone him outside the camp.”
Deuteronomy 21:21 Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
2 Chronicles 24:21 But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.