Deuteronomy 17:2

If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, outlining the civil and religious standards they must enforce in the towns God will give them.

The words — יִמָּצֵא (yi.ma.Tze') translates literally to "he will be found," indicating a discovered violation, while שְׁעָרֶי/ךָ (she.'a.Rei./kha) denotes the "gates" where civic proceedings took place.

The thread — The pattern of covenant transgression and discovery appears in Judges 2:20 and Hosea 8:1, and parallels the warning in Deuteronomy 13:6 regarding intimate betrayal of the covenant.

Why it lands — The text requires the community to identify and address covenant violations within their own settlements without concealment or exception.

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

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,

Cross-references

Judges 2:20 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice,
Hosea 8:1 Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
Deuteronomy 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,
Deuteronomy 17:5 you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death.
Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.
Joshua 7:15 The one who is caught with the things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’”
Joshua 23:16 If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He has given you.”
2 Kings 18:12 This happened because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD their God, but violated His covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded—and would neither listen nor obey.
Hosea 6:7 But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
Leviticus 26:15 and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant,