Deuteronomy 17:15

you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, responding to their anticipated demand to establish a monarchy after they enter and settle in the Promised Land.

The words — The Hebrew verbs תָּשִׂים (ta.Sim) and שׂוֹם (Som) both mean "appoint" or "set over," paired with מֶלֶךְ (Me.lekh, "king") and יִבְחַר (yiv.Char, "he will choose"). The text explicitly commands selecting a monarch from among the Israelites rather than a foreigner.

The thread — The directive aligns with Jeremiah 30:21 and 1 Chronicles 22:10 regarding native leadership, and reflects the divine foresight mechanism seen in 1 Samuel 9:15.

Why it lands — It requires readers to recognize that political authority derives from divine choice rather than human preference, and mandates that leadership remain within the covenant community.

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

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 30:21 Their leader will be one of their own, and their ruler will arise from their midst. And I will bring him near, and he will approach Me, for who would dare on his own to approach Me?” declares the LORD.
1 Chronicles 22:10 He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
1 Samuel 9:15 Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,
1 Samuel 10:24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
1 Samuel 16:12 So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”
1 Chronicles 12:23 Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:
2 Samuel 5:2 Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
Psalms 2:6 “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
Jeremiah 2:25 You should have kept your feet from going bare and your throat from being thirsty. But you said, ‘It is hopeless! For I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’