Deuteronomy 23:14

For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelite assembly on the plains of Moab, issuing military and communal regulations immediately following instructions for waste disposal and preceding laws regarding refugee slaves.

The words — The Hebrew verb מִתְהַלֵּךְ (mit Hallech) literally means “is walking back and forth,” paired with בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ (beqerev machanecha), “in the midst of your camp.”

The thread — This motif of divine presence walking among His people appears in Leviticus 26:12 and is applied to the church in 2 Corinthians 6:16. Genesis 17:1 contains the related but distinct command for Abram to walk before God.

Why it lands — The text demands ritual purity in the camp because God’s protective presence requires the absence of defilement. Readers must maintain communal holiness to prevent divine withdrawal.

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

כִּי֩kifor יְהוָ֨הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ׀mit.ha.Lekh[is] walking back and forth בְּקֶ֣רֶבbe./Ke.revin/ [the] midst of מַחֲנֶ֗ךָma.cha.Ne./khacamp/ your לְהַצִּֽילְךָ֙le./ha.tzi.le./Khato/ deliver/ you וְלָתֵ֤תve./la./Tetand/ to/ deliver up אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙'o.ye.Vei./khaenemies/ your לְפָנֶ֔יךָle./fa.Nei./kha<to>/ before/ you וְהָיָ֥הve./ha.Yahand/ it will be מַחֲנֶ֖יךָma.cha.Nei./khacamps/ your קָד֑וֹשׁka.Do.oshholy וְלֹֽא־ve./lo'-and/ not יִרְאֶ֤הyir.'Ehhe will seeבְךָ֙ve./Khaamong <the>/ youעֶרְוַ֣ת'er.Vat[the] nakedness of דָּבָ֔רda.Vara thing וְשָׁ֖בve./Shavand/ he will turn away מֵאַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ סme./'a.cha.Rei./khafrom/ after/ you

King James Version

For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

Cross-references

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.
Leviticus 26:12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.
2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”