The Fallible Study Bible

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Deuteronomy18:15–22

A Prophet Like Moses

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Deuteronomy 18:15–22 — A Prophet Like Moses. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

15

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā yā·qîm lə·ḵā nā·ḇî kā·mō·nî miq·qir·bə·ḵā mê·’a·ḥe·ḵā tiš·mā·‘ūn ’ê·lāw

Word by word10 · parsed
יְהוָ֣הYah·wehThe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵāyour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular
יָקִ֥יםyā·qîmwill raise upH6965
√ qûwm — to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular
yā·qîm (H6965), Hifil of qûm ("to rise") — causative, "will cause to stand up / raise up." The same verb God uses of raising up judges, kings, and ultimately the Messiah; John Gill hears in it both calling and resurrection: Christ "was raised up of God... as well as was raised from the dead."
לְךָ֖lə·ḵāfor you
Prepositionsecond person masculine singular
נָבִ֨יאnā·ḇîa prophetH5030
√ nâbîyʼ — a prophet or (generally) inspired manNounmasculine singular
nāḇî (H5030), "prophet" — the Pulpit Commentary derives it from a verb that "signifies to tell, to announce; hence the primary concept of the word is that of announcer, or forth-speaker," and adds that "the prophet is one who speaks in the place of God, who conveys God's word to men." The singular noun is debated: a single Messiah, a succession, or both.
כָּמֹ֔נִיkā·mō·nîlike meH3644
√ kᵉmôw — a form of the prefix 'k-', but used separately as, thus, soPrepositionfirst person common singular
kā·mō·nî (H3644), "like me." The single most contested word of the unit. Keil & Delitzsch: "like unto me... was not that the future prophet would resemble Moses in all respect." The Pulpit Commentary agrees the phrase "does not necessarily imply" full equality — only that he would mediate God's word as Moses did.
מִקִּרְבְּךָ֤miq·qir·bə·ḵāfrom amongH7130
√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
miq·qir·bə·ḵā (H7130), "from your midst/innermost." Pairs with "from your brothers" (next word): the prophet must be an Israelite, like the king of Deut 17:15. Diviners and necromancers were foreign imports; the true voice of God comes from within the covenant people.
מֵאַחֶ֙יךָ֙mê·’a·ḥe·ḵāyour brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Preposition-mNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular
תִּשְׁמָעֽוּן׃tiš·mā·‘ūnYou must listenH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine pluralParagogic nun
tiš·mā·‘ūn (H8085, shāmaʻ), "you shall hear/heed" — not bare audition but hear-and-obey. At the Transfiguration the Father's "hear ye Him" (autou akouete, Matt 17:5) echoes the Greek of this clause as the LXX renders it (autou akousesthe) — a Greek-to-Greek resonance, not a quotation of the Hebrew itself, and one the synthesis layer reads (not the parse). To this single command the whole apparatus of true-vs-false prophecy (vv. 20-22) is the safeguard: Israel must hear, but only the word that proves to be God's.
אֵלָ֖יו’ê·lāwto himH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine singular
16

This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kə·ḵōl ’ă·šer- šā·’al·tā mê·‘im Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā bə·ḥō·rêḇ bə·yō·wm haq·qā·hāl lê·mōr lō ’ō·sêp̄ liš·mō·a‘ ’eṯ- qō·wl Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hāy wə·’eṯ- ’er·’eh lō- haz·zōṯ hag·gə·ḏō·lāh hā·’êš ‘ō·wḏ wə·lō ’ā·mūṯ

Word by word26 · parsed
כְּכֹ֨לkə·ḵōlThis is whatH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-kNounmasculine singular
kə·ḵōl (H3605 with prefix), "according-to-all" — ties v. 16 back to v. 15 as its ground: the prophet is given because of what Israel asked. Keil & Delitzsch: "the Lord had fully granted the request of the people."
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
שָׁאַ֜לְתָּšā·’al·tāyou askedH7592
√ shâʼal — to inquireVerbQalPerfectsecond person masculine singular
מֵעִ֨םmê·‘imofH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition-m
יְהוָ֤הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙’ĕ·lō·he·ḵāyour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular
בְּחֹרֵ֔בbə·ḥō·rêḇat HorebH2722
√ Chôrêb — Choreb, a (generic) name for the Sinaitic mountainsPreposition-bNounproperfeminine singular
בְּי֥וֹםbə·yō·wmon the dayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
הַקָּהָ֖לhaq·qā·hālof the assemblyH6951
√ qâhâl — assemblage (usually concretely)ArticleNounmasculine singular
haq·qā·hāl (H6951), "the assembly." The Pulpit Commentary and Cambridge cross-reference Deut 9:10; 10:4 for "the day of the assembly" — a fixed phrase for the Sinai gathering when the Ten Words were spoken from the fire.
לֵאמֹ֑רlê·mōrwhen you saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
לֹ֣אlōLet us notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
אֹסֵ֗ף’ō·sêp̄H3254
√ yâçaph — to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)VerbHifilImperfect Jussivefirst person common singular
לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙liš·mō·a‘hearH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
קוֹל֙qō·wlthe voiceH6963
√ qôwl — a voice or soundNounmasculine singular construct
qō·wl (H6963), "the voice/sound." The same noun threads back to Deut 5:25, where Israel says "this great fire will consume us... if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die" — a near-verbatim self-quotation (see threads).
יְהוָ֣הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהָ֔י’ĕ·lō·hāyour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructfirst person common singular
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
אֶרְאֶ֥ה’er·’ehor seeH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)VerbQalImperfect Cohortative if contextualfirst person common singular
לֹֽא־lō-H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
הַזֹּ֛אתhaz·zōṯthisH2063
√ zôʼth — this (often used adverb)ArticlePronounfeminine singular
הַגְּדֹלָ֥הhag·gə·ḏō·lāhgreatH1419
√ gâdôwl — great (in any sense)ArticleAdjectivefeminine singular
הָאֵ֨שׁhā·’êšfireH784
√ ʼêsh — fire (literally or figuratively)ArticleNouncommon singular
hā·’êš (H784), "the fire." The medium of the Sinai theophany; here named as the thing too terrible to look on. The Prophet "like Moses" exists precisely so that God's word need not always come wrapped in lethal fire.
ע֖וֹד‘ō·wḏanymoreH5750
√ ʻôwd — properly, iteration or continuanceAdverb
וְלֹ֥אwə·lōso that we will notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
אָמֽוּת׃’ā·mūṯdieH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbQalImperfectfirst person common singular
’ā·mūṯ (H4191), "I die." The pivot of the people's plea: mediated revelation is mercy. Hebrews 12 will later read Sinai's terror against the gentler "voice... from heaven" of the new covenant.
17

Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

Yah·weh way·yō·mer ’ê·lāy dib·bê·rū hê·ṭî·ḇū ’ă·šer

Word by word6 · parsed
יְהוָ֖הYah·wehThen the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh (H3068) fronted — "Yahweh said to me." Moses is the "me": he carried the people's plea up the mountain and brings back God's verdict on it.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרway·yō·mersaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אֵלָ֑י’ê·lāyto meH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionfirst person common singular
דִּבֵּֽרוּ׃dib·bê·rūThey have spokenH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person common plural
dib·bê·rū (H1696), Piel, "they have spoken." Gill simply cross-references Deut 5:28, the parallel where this divine approval is first recorded.
הֵיטִ֖יבוּhê·ṭî·ḇūwellH3190
√ yâṭab — to be (causative) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right)VerbHifilPerfectthird person common plural
hê·ṭî·ḇū (H3190), "they have done well." A rare moment in Deuteronomy where God commends the people's instinct — their fear of unmediated holiness was right, and the gift of the Prophet is the answer to it.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
18

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ā·qîm lā·hem nā·ḇî kā·mō·w·ḵā miq·qe·reḇ ’ă·ḥê·hem wə·nā·ṯat·tî ḏə·ḇā·ray bə·p̄îw wə·ḏib·ber ’ă·lê·hem ’êṯ kāl- ’ă·šer ’ă·ṣaw·wen·nū

Word by word15 · parsed
אָקִ֥ים’ā·qîmI will raise upH6965
√ qûwm — to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)VerbHifilImperfectfirst person common singular
’ā·qîm (H6965), "I will raise up" — now God speaks in the first person (v. 15 had "the LORD your God will raise up"). The promise is restated as direct divine speech, heightening its authority.
לָהֶ֛םlā·hem. . .
Preposition-lPronounthird person masculine plural
נָבִ֨יאnā·ḇîfor them a prophetH5030
√ nâbîyʼ — a prophet or (generally) inspired manNounmasculine singular
כָּמ֑וֹךָkā·mō·w·ḵālike youH3644
√ kᵉmôw — a form of the prefix 'k-', but used separately as, thus, soPrepositionsecond person masculine singular
kā·mō·w·ḵā (H3644), "like you" — the mirror of v. 15's "like me." The likeness is to Moses specifically: a mediator who receives God's words and delivers them. Deut 34:10 will insist no later prophet fully matched him — pressing the promise toward One who would.
מִקֶּ֥רֶבmiq·qe·reḇfrom amongH7130
√ qereb — properly, the nearest part, iPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם’ă·ḥê·hemtheir brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
וְנָתַתִּ֤יwə·nā·ṯat·tîI will putH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectfirst person common singular
דְבָרַי֙ḏə·ḇā·rayMy wordsH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine plural constructfirst person common singular
ḏə·ḇā·ray (H1697), "my words." The Geneva margin extends the promise beyond Christ "to all that teach in his name, Isa 59:21" — the inspired-speech model of all true preaching.
בְּפִ֔יוbə·p̄îwin his mouthH6310
√ peh — the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
bə·p̄îw (H6310), "in his mouth." The Cambridge note ties this to Deut 5:31; Jer 1:9; 5:14 — the standard formula of prophetic inspiration. With nāṯan (H5414, "put/give") it forms the shared-lexeme link to Jeremiah's call (see threads).
וְדִבֶּ֣רwə·ḏib·berand he will tellH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeConjunctive wawVerbPielConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם’ă·lê·hemthemH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine plural
אֵ֖ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
כָּל־kāl-everythingH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
אֲצַוֶּֽנּוּ׃’ă·ṣaw·wen·nūI command himH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielImperfectfirst person common singularthird person masculine singular
’ă·ṣaw·wen·nū (H6680), "I command him." Gill: "as he gave him a commandment what he should say... he was entirely obedient to it; see John 12:49" — the obedience that distinguishes the true prophet from the presumptuous one of v. 20.
19

And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·hā·yāh ’ā·nō·ḵî ’eḏ·rōš mê·‘im·mōw hā·’îš ’ă·šer lō- yiš·ma‘ ’el- də·ḇā·ray ’ă·šer yə·ḏab·bêr biš·mî

Word by word13 · parsed
וְהָיָ֗הwə·hā·yāhH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
אָנֹכִ֖י’ā·nō·ḵîAnd IH595
√ ʼânôkîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ’eḏ·rōšwill hold accountableH1875
√ dârash — properly, to tread or frequentVerbQalImperfectfirst person common singular
’eḏ·rōš (H1875), "I will require/seek out." Gill records the Targum: "my Word shall require it of him, or take vengeance on him" — and applies it to "Christ the Word of God" in the judgment on Jerusalem (Luke 19:27).
מֵעִמּֽוֹ׃mê·‘im·mōw. . .H5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition-mthird person masculine singular
הָאִישׁ֙hā·’îšanyoneH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personArticleNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֤ר’ă·šerwhoH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
לֹֽא־lō-does notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
יִשְׁמַע֙yiš·ma‘listenH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
דְּבָרַ֔יdə·ḇā·rayMy wordsH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine plural constructfirst person common singular
də·ḇā·ray (H1697), "my words" — the prophet's message is God's message; to refuse the prophet is to refuse God. Hebrews 12:25 presses exactly this: "see that ye refuse not him that speaketh."
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְדַבֵּ֖רyə·ḏab·bêr[the prophet] speaksH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בִּשְׁמִ֑יbiš·mîin My nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
biš·mî (H8034), "in my name." The criterion of authority. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown applies the threat to "unbelief in Christ, and disregard of His mission" — the rejected Word still requires an answer.
20

But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’aḵ han·nā·ḇî ’ă·šer yā·zîḏ lə·ḏab·bêr dā·ḇār biš·mî ’êṯ ’ă·šer lō- ṣiw·wî·ṯîw lə·ḏab·bêr wa·’ă·šer yə·ḏab·bêr bə·šêm ’ă·ḥê·rîm ’ĕ·lō·hîm ha·hū han·nā·ḇî ū·mêṯ

Word by word20 · parsed
אַ֣ךְ’aḵButH389
√ ʼak — a particle of affirmation, surelyAdverb
’aḵ (H389), "but/surely" — the adversative pivot. Verses 18-19 promised the true prophet; v. 20 turns sharply to the counterfeit.
הַנָּבִ֡יאhan·nā·ḇîif any prophetH5030
√ nâbîyʼ — a prophet or (generally) inspired manArticleNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יָזִיד֩yā·zîḏdaresH2102
√ zûwd — to seetheVerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular
yā·zîḏ (H2102), "presumes / acts arrogantly" (zûḏ). The Cambridge Bible ties the noun-form to Deut 17:12 and 1:43; this is the verb of Jacob's "boiling" pottage (Gen 25:29) turned into a moral category — pride that overreaches.
לְדַבֵּ֨רlə·ḏab·bêrto speakH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangePreposition-lVerbPielInfinitive construct
דָּבָ֜רdā·ḇāra messageH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine singular
בִּשְׁמִ֗יbiš·mîin My nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
אֵ֣ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲשֶׁ֤ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
לֹֽא־lō-I have notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
צִוִּיתִיו֙ṣiw·wî·ṯîwcommanded himH6680
√ tsâvâh — (intensively) to constitute, enjoinVerbPielPerfectfirst person common singularthird person masculine singular
לְדַבֵּ֔רlə·ḏab·bêrto speakH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangePreposition-lVerbPielInfinitive construct
וַאֲשֶׁ֣רwa·’ă·šer[or]H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatConjunctive wawPronounrelative
יְדַבֵּ֔רyə·ḏab·bêrto speakH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּשֵׁ֖םbə·šêmin the nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
אֲחֵרִ֑ים’ă·ḥê·rîmof otherH312
√ ʼachêr — properly, hinderAdjectivemasculine plural
’ă·ḥê·rîm (H312) with ’ĕ·lō·hîm (H430), "other gods." Gill instances the pagan parallels — those who "prophesy by Baal" (Jer 2:8) — and notes the rabbinic dispute over whether the death was by sword or strangling.
אֱלֹהִ֣ים’ĕ·lō·hîmgodsH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
הַהֽוּא׃ha·hūthatH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)ArticlePronounthird person masculine singular
הַנָּבִ֥יאhan·nā·ḇîprophetH5030
√ nâbîyʼ — a prophet or (generally) inspired manArticleNounmasculine singular
וּמֵ֖תū·mêṯmust be put to deathH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
ū·mêṯ (H4191), "shall die." The same verb the people feared for themselves in v. 16 ("so that I not die") now falls as sentence on the false prophet — the one who abuses the very mediation given to spare Israel that death.
21

You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵî ṯō·mar bil·ḇā·ḇe·ḵā ’ê·ḵāh nê·ḏa‘ ’eṯ- had·dā·ḇār ’ă·šer Yah·weh lō- ḏib·bə·rōw

Word by word11 · parsed
וְכִ֥יwə·ḵîH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
תֹאמַ֖רṯō·marYou may askH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָbil·ḇā·ḇe·ḵāin your heartH3824
√ lêbâb — the heart (as the most interior organ)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
bil·ḇā·ḇe·ḵā (H3824), "in your heart." The Cambridge note links the idiom to Deut 8:17 — the inward speech God anticipates and answers. The question is granted dignity, not rebuked.
אֵיכָה֙’ê·ḵāhHowH349
√ ʼêyk — how? or how!Interjection
נֵדַ֣עnê·ḏa‘can we recognizeH3045
√ yâdaʻ — to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing)VerbQalImperfectfirst person common plural
nê·ḏa‘ (H3045), "shall we know." Barnes sets the scene: such a question arose in real crises "as was usual among the pagan, e.g., an impending battle" (cf. 1 Kings 22), "in which his veracity would soon be put to the test."
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַדָּבָ֔רhad·dā·ḇāra messageH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordArticleNounmasculine singular
had·dā·ḇār (H1697), "the word/message." Again dāḇār — the unit's keyword. The whole question is how to tell God's dāḇār from a man's.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְהוָֽה׃Yah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
לֹא־lō-has notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
דִבְּר֖וֹḏib·bə·rōwspokenH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
22

When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ă·šer han·nā·ḇî yə·ḏab·bêr bə·šêm Yah·weh had·dā·ḇār wə·lō- yih·yeh wə·lō yā·ḇō·w hū had·dā·ḇār ’ă·šer Yah·weh lō ḏib·bə·rōw han·nā·ḇî dib·bə·rōw bə·zā·ḏō·wn lō- ṯā·ḡūr mim·men·nū

Word by word22 · parsed
אֲשֶׁר֩’ă·šerWhenH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הַנָּבִ֜יאhan·nā·ḇîa prophetH5030
√ nâbîyʼ — a prophet or (generally) inspired manArticleNounmasculine singular
יְדַבֵּ֨רyə·ḏab·bêrspeaksH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּשֵׁ֣םbə·šêmin the nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityPreposition-bNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֗הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
הַדָּבָר֙had·dā·ḇārand the messageH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordArticleNounmasculine singular
had·dā·ḇār (H1697), "the word/message." The fourth occurrence of dāḇār in the unit; everything turns on whether this word proves to be Yahweh's.
וְלֹֽא־wə·lō-does notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
יִהְיֶ֤הyih·yehcome to passH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
וְלֹ֣אwə·lō[or]H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
יָב֔וֹאyā·ḇō·wcome trueH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yā·ḇō·w (H935), "come / arrive." Paired with yih·yeh (H1961, "be") it makes fulfilment a public, historical event — the same standard Jeremiah accepts against Hananiah (Jer 28:9; see threads).
ה֣וּאhūthatH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הַדָּבָ֔רhad·dā·ḇāris a messageH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordArticleNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְהוָ֑הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
לֹ֥אlōhas notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
דִבְּר֖וֹḏib·bə·rōwspokenH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
הַנָּבִ֔יאhan·nā·ḇîThe prophetH5030
√ nâbîyʼ — a prophet or (generally) inspired manArticleNounmasculine singular
דִּבְּר֣וֹdib·bə·rōwhas spokenH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
בְּזָדוֹן֙bə·zā·ḏō·wnpresumptuouslyH2087
√ zâdôwn — arrogancePreposition-bNounmasculine singular
bə·zā·ḏō·wn (H2087), "in presumption." A rare noun (11 verses). Benson: the false prophet is "impudently ascribing his own vain and lying fancies to the God of truth." The shared lexeme links this verse to the proud of 1 Sam 17:28 and Jer 49-50 (see threads).
לֹא־lō-Do notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תָג֖וּרṯā·ḡūrbe afraidH1481
√ gûwr — properly, to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), iVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
ṯā·ḡūr (H1481), "be afraid." The unit closes by transferring fear: Israel feared God's true voice (v. 16); they need not fear the false prophet's voice at all.
מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃סmim·men·nūof himH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPrepositionthird person masculine singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. A prophet at the head of the sentence: against the diviners — 18:15

The unit answers the prohibition just before it (vv. 9-14: no diviners, no necromancers, no soothsayers). Where the nations seek the future through the dead and the occult, Israel is given a living voice. The Hebrew makes the contrast structural: nāḇî, "a prophet," stands at the very head of the sentence, before even the divine name — what the Cambridge Bible calls "the emphatic order of the original, missed by EVV." The Pulpit Commentary grounds the word itself: the primary concept is "that of announcer, or forth-speaker," and "the prophet is one who speaks in the place of God." So the promise is not merely of information but of mediation: God will keep speaking, from within Israel ("from your midst, from your brothers"), and the people are to "hear-and-obey" him (tiš·mā·‘ūn, with its solemn paragogic nun).

ii. "Like me": the contested word — 18:15, 18:18

Everything turns on kā·mō·nî / kā·mō·w·ḵā — "like me," "like you." Two PD streams diverge here, and the apparatus keeps both honest. Joseph Benson and Matthew Poole argue the prophecy "must of necessity be primarily interpreted of the Messiah," "Because the text speaks of one prophet only, in the singular number." Keil & Delitzsch press the opposite from the same grammar: "it is not one prophet only, nor the Messiah exclusively, who is promised here," but "the sending of prophets generally." The Cambridge Bible closes by quoting Calvin against the "Christ alone" reading. The mediating view — held by the Pulpit Commentary, Barnes, and ultimately K&D themselves — is that "Prophet" works like the singular "seed" of Genesis 3:15: a succession culminating in one. The likeness is in office (mediating God's word), which is why v. 18 immediately defines it: "I will put my words in his mouth."

iii. Words in the mouth: the anatomy of true prophecy — 18:18-19

Verse 18 supplies the test of authenticity before the test of v. 22: the true prophet speaks not his own word but God's — "I will give (nāṯan) my words in his mouth (peh)." This is the exact idiom of Jeremiah's call ("I have put my words in thy mouth," Jer 1:9), and Gill hears it fulfilled in Christ, whose words "were not his own... but his Father's, which he gave unto him, and put into his mouth." The Geneva margin widens it to "all that teach in his name." Verse 19 then arms the promise with sanction: the emphatic "I myself" (’ā·nō·ḵî) "will require it" (dāraš, "seek out, demand") of whoever will not listen. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown reads the threat soberly as the historic cost of "unbelief in Christ."

iv. The counterfeit and its sentence — 18:20

Against the true prophet stands the one who "presumes" (yāzîḏ, "boils over" with arrogance) to speak an uncommanded word in Yahweh's name, or any word in the name of "other gods." The two are bracketed under one penalty — "that prophet shall die" — which Keil & Delitzsch note lands as a stark apodosis (ū·mêṯ, "and-dead"). Gill supplies the pagan foils (prophesying "by Baal," Jer 2:8) and the rabbinic debate over the mode of death. The Cambridge Bible takes the very existence of this clause as proof the unit envisions a class of prophets, not one man — the structural counterweight to the Messianic reading of movement ii.

v. A falsifiable faith: the fulfilment test — 18:21-22

God answers the honest heart-question ("How shall we know?") with a public, falsifiable criterion: the word that does not "come to be" or "come" is the word Yahweh did not speak. Keil & Delitzsch: "the occurrence of what had been predicted is made the criterion of true prophecy, and not signs and wonders, which false prophets could also perform." Barnes and the Pulpit Commentary stress that the test is of proximate events whose outcome "would soon be put to the test." The Cambridge Bible presses the honesty of this — Isaiah and Jeremiah "staked their credit... on certain historical issues" (Jer 28) — while frankly noting that conditional prophecies (Jonah 4; Jer 18) could go unfulfilled by design. Ellicott hears the New-Testament echo: "By their fruits ye shall know them."

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura, this passage is the Bible's own charter for testing every claimed word from God — including the claims of this very apparatus. Moses sets two non-negotiable marks of a true word: it is given, not invented ("I will put my words in his mouth," v. 18), and it is verifiable, not self-certifying ("if the thing does not come to pass," v. 22). The Christian church has, with near-unanimous PD consent, read the singular "prophet like me" as culminating in Christ — the New Testament itself does so on the lips of Peter (Acts 3:22), Stephen (Acts 7:37), and Jesus (John 5:46), and the Father's "hear ye Him" at the Transfiguration deliberately re-speaks v. 15's "to him you shall listen." Yet the same Scripture forbids us to flatten the text: the immediate context (vv. 20-22) plainly legislates for a recurring office, and Calvin, K&D, and the Cambridge Bible are right that "Christ alone" over-reads the grammar. The faithful reading holds both: a succession of true prophets, each speaking only the given word, with One at its head and end in whom alone "like me" is finally inadequate — because He is greater. My own fallible synthesis: the genius of this law is that it makes faith checkable. It refuses the unfalsifiable. That same refusal must govern how you read these notes — test them against the Word, and where they fail to come to pass, do not be afraid of them.

The same law that promises a Prophet to hear also hands you the tools to disbelieve a false one — including, if it fails the test, this very note. (An interpretive line from the synthesis layer, not a verse of Scripture.)

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

No prophet has risen like Moses — the inclusio of the promise structural / thematic — confirmed

Deuteronomy frames its own prophet-promise: 18:15 says God will "raise up" (qûm) "a prophet" (nāḇî) "like me," and 34:10 — the book's closing epitaph — declares "there has not arisen a prophet (nāḇî) since in Israel like unto Moses." The two share the very lexemes of the promise: nāḇî (H5030) and qûm (H6965). The link is structural, not a quotation: 34:10 is the measuring-rod the apparatus uses to argue (with Benson, Poole, JFB) that no ordinary successor exhausts "like me," pressing the promise toward the Messiah.

Deuteronomy 18:15 · Deuteronomy 34:10

basis: shared lexemes H5030 nâbîyʼ (288 vv) and H6965 qûwm (596 vv) — Verifier-computed; a within-Deuteronomy frame, not a quotation, so structural rather than verbal.

"I have put my words in thy mouth" — the prophet's call formula structural / thematic — confirmed

God's definition of the true prophet in 18:18 — "I will put (nāṯan) my words in his mouth (peh)" — is the same idiom by which He commissions Jeremiah: "Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth" (Jer 1:9). Both verses pair nāṯan (H5414, "give/put") with peh (H6310, "mouth"). The Cambridge note on v. 18 already cross-references Jer 1:9; 5:14. Because these are common words, the Verifier rightly tiers the link structural/thematic, not verbal — but the shared formula (words-given-in-the-mouth) is the recognizable signature of prophetic inspiration across the canon.

Deuteronomy 18:18 · Jeremiah 1:9

basis: shared lexemes H6310 peh (459 vv) and H5414 nâthan (1817 vv) — Verifier-computed. Both high-frequency words, so the basis is the shared idiom/formula, not a rare lexeme; tiered structural, not verbal.

"Let me not hear the voice... lest I die" — the Sinai plea, self-quoted structural / thematic — confirmed

Deuteronomy 18:16 recalls Israel's plea at Horeb almost verbatim from 5:25: "if we hear the voice (qôl) of the LORD our God any more (‘ôd), we shall die... this great fire (’ēš) will consume us." The Verifier finds a dense cluster of shared lexemes — yāsap̄ (H3254, "add/continue"), ’ēš (H784, "fire"), qôl (H6963, "voice"), ‘ôd (H5750, "again") — confirming this is the same speech re-cited. Gill and the Cambridge Bible both treat v. 16 as a deliberate echo of chapter 5. The link is structural (an internal cross-reference to the same event), and it grounds the whole rationale for a mediating prophet: unmediated holiness is lethal.

Deuteronomy 18:16 · Deuteronomy 5:25

basis: shared lexemes H3254 yâçaph, H784 ʼêsh, H6963 qôwl, H5750 ʻôwd (all Verifier-computed) — a dense same-event cluster; cited as a near-verbatim internal self-quotation, but tiered structural since it is narrative re-citation, not a quotation-claim.

The fulfilment test, accepted by Jeremiah against Hananiah structural / thematic — confirmed

The criterion of 18:22 — the word that does not "come to pass" exposes the false nāḇî — is the standard Jeremiah himself invokes in his showdown with the false prophet Hananiah: "the prophet (nāḇî) which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him" (Jer 28:9). The shared lexeme is nāḇî (H5030). The Cambridge Bible explicitly cites Jer 28:9 as the converse statement of Deut 18:22, and Ellicott (on v. 20) records the same case from Rashi: Hananiah "who prophesied that Jeconiah... should return within two years" was "sentenced by Jeremiah to die that year; and he died accordingly" — the death-sentence of v. 20 enacted on a prophet caught by the test of v. 22. Structural/thematic, not a quotation: Jeremiah applies the Deuteronomic law rather than citing it.

Deuteronomy 18:22 · Jeremiah 28:9

basis: shared lexeme H5030 nâbîyʼ (288 vv) — Verifier-computed. Jeremiah applies (does not quote) the Deut 18 fulfilment test; tiered structural/thematic.

Presumption (zādôn) — the false prophet among the proud structural / thematic — confirmed

Within the unit the false prophet "presumes" (yāzîḏ, v. 20, from zûḏ H2102) and speaks "in presumption" (bə·zā·ḏôn, v. 22, the cognate noun zādôn H2087) — verb and noun of the same root bracketing the counterfeit on either side. The rare-lexeme tie runs through v. 22: zādôn occurs in only 11 verses, and the Verifier confirms it shared with 1 Sam 17:28 (David rebuked for "presumption"), Jer 50:31 (Babylon as "the proud one"), and — pointedly — with Deuteronomy's own death-law for the man who "acts presumptuously" before priest or judge (Deut 17:12). On the rare lexeme the Verifier returns the link verbal/quotation; honestly, though, none of these is a quotation of Deuteronomy — they independently draw on the canon's vocabulary of swelling pride — so the editorial tier is structural/thematic on a rare shared word, not a verbal quotation. The point stands: false prophecy is classed with the arrogance God brings down.

Deuteronomy 18:20 · Deuteronomy 18:22 · Deuteronomy 17:12 · 1 Samuel 17:28 · Jeremiah 50:31

basis: rare H2087 zâdôwn (only 11 vv) is carried by v. 22 and shared with Deut 17:12, 1 Sam 17:28, Jer 50:31 (Verifier-computed); v. 20's <i>yāzîḏ</i> (zûḏ, H2102) is the cognate verb of the same root within the unit. Verifier mechanically tiers the rare-lexeme link verbal; DOWNGRADED here to structural/thematic because these are independent uses of the proud-word family, not quotations of Deuteronomy.

Whoever refuses Him who speaks — Hebrews on the two voices structural / thematic — confirmed

Hebrews 12:25 reads Deut 18:19 (and the Sinai scene of v. 16) directly: "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." Ellicott places this very text beside Deut 18:19 in his note. This is a cross-Testament link (Greek New Testament ↔ Hebrew Deuteronomy), so it cannot rest on a shared Strong's number — the Verifier's lexeme method does not span languages. It is tiered structural/thematic on the strength of the shared motif (the inescapable accountability for refusing God's mediated word) and Ellicott's explicit juxtaposition, not on any claimed verbal quotation.

Deuteronomy 18:19 · Hebrews 12:25

basis: cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): no shared Strong's possible, so not "verbal." Tiered structural on the shared motif of accountability for refusing the mediated word, and on Ellicott's explicit pairing of Heb 12:25 with Deut 18:19.

Peter and Stephen cite the prophet — but provenance of the wording is debated flagged — verify source

Acts 3:22-23 (Peter) and Acts 7:37 (Stephen) both quote Deut 18:15/18-19 and apply it to Jesus — the New Testament's own Messianic reading, affirmed across the PD apparatus (JFB, Benson, Poole, Gill, K&D). The quotation is real, but its exact wording is contested at the source: the Cambridge note on v. 19 records that "LXX B omits my words; Sam. LXX most codd. his words," and Acts 3:23 fuses Deut 18:19 with Lev 23:29 ("shall be destroyed from among the people") — language not in the Deuteronomy text itself. Because this is a cross-Testament citation whose textual base diverges from the Masoretic Hebrew, it is flagged for source-verification rather than asserted as a clean verbal quotation.

Deuteronomy 18:15 · Deuteronomy 18:18 · Deuteronomy 18:19 · Acts 3:22 · Acts 7:37

basis: Acts 3:22-23 / 7:37 quote Deut 18 and apply it to Christ, but the wording draws on LXX (not the Masoretic Hebrew the parse rests on), Acts 3 conflates Deut 18:19 with Lev 23:29, and the textual witnesses split on "my words"/"his words" (Cambridge). Cross-Testament; provenance of the exact quotation is disputed — flagged.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Prophet whom the New Testament names as Jesus ancient/widely-held

The apostolic church read this promise as fulfilled in Christ, and said so explicitly: Peter (Acts 3:22-26) and Stephen (Acts 7:37) quote "a prophet like me / like you" of Jesus, and Jesus claims Moses "wrote of me" (John 5:46). The whole PD apparatus concurs: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown — "the prophet here promised was pre-eminently the Messiah, for He alone was \"like unto Moses\"" — and the prediction "was expressly applied to Jesus Christ by Peter (Ac 3:22, 23), and by Stephen (Ac 7:37)"; Barnes notes "the Messianic was the accredited interpretation among the Jews at the beginning of the Christian era" (cf. the Samaritan woman, John 4:25). At the Transfiguration the Father's command "hear ye Him" (Matt 17:5) re-speaks v. 15's "to him you shall listen" almost word for word. Attestation: ancient/widely-held — this is the church's consensus reading and the New Testament's own.

Deuteronomy 18:15 · Deuteronomy 18:18 · Acts 3:22 · Acts 7:37 · John 5:46 · Matthew 17:5

Greater than Moses: the One the law itself confessed it could not match ancient/widely-held

The promise contains its own pressure toward Christ. Deuteronomy ends by confessing that no prophet "like Moses" had yet arisen (34:10), and Hebrews makes the comparison the engine of its argument: Moses was "faithful... as a servant," but Christ "as a son over his own house" (Heb 3:5-6). Matthew Henry states it plainly: "He should be like unto Moses, only above him. This prophet is come, even JESUS; and is He that should come, and we are to look for no other." Where Moses received words "in his mouth," the Son is the Word (John 1:1); where Moses' face had to be veiled, the Son is the unveiled glory the people at Horeb could not bear to see. Attestation: ancient/widely-held — the "like-but-greater" reading is patristic and Reformation commonplace, grounded in Hebrews.

Deuteronomy 18:15 · Deuteronomy 34:10 · Hebrews 3:5

The Word that requires an answer (vv. 19, 22) ancient/widely-held

Verse 19's sanction — "I myself will require it of him" who will not hear — is read Christologically by Gill through the Targum ("my Word shall require it... take vengeance"), applied to "Christ the Word of God." The same Christ who is the Prophet is also the Judge of those who refuse Him (John 12:48, as Matthew Henry notes: "the same that is the Prophet is to be his Judge"). And v. 22's fulfilment-test finds its New-Testament voice in Jesus' own rule, "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt 7:16), as Ellicott observes. Attestation: ancient/widely-held for the Prophet-as-Judge identification (John 12:48); the vengeance-via-the-destruction-of-Jerusalem application (Gill's Targum reading) is a narrower, more interpretive strand and should be held loosely.

Deuteronomy 18:19 · Deuteronomy 18:22 · John 12:48 · Matthew 7:16

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

This unit is monolingual Hebrew; every parse and Strong's number is from the Berean/Strong's base and is not contradicted here. Three honesty notes specific to Deuteronomy 18:15-22:

1. The cross-references to the New Testament are cross-Testament. The decisive fulfilments (Acts 3:22; 7:37; John 5:46; Heb 12:25; Matt 17:5; 7:16) link Greek text to Hebrew text. The Verifier's shared-Strong's method cannot operate across languages, so none of these is tiered "verbal." They are tiered structural/thematic on shared motif and explicit PD juxtaposition, or flagged where the quotation's textual base is disputed.

2. The Acts 3:22-23 citation is flagged, not asserted. Per the Cambridge Bible, the witnesses split on "my words" vs "his words" (LXX B omits "my words"), and Acts 3:23 conflates Deut 18:19 with Leviticus 23:29. The Messianic application is the New Testament's own and is not in doubt; the exact verbal provenance of the quotation is, and is marked accordingly.

3. The central interpretive crux ("like me," v. 15) is genuinely two-sided in the PD record, and the synthesis deliberately holds both. Benson/Poole read it of the Messiah primarily; Keil&Delitzsch, Calvin (via Cambridge), and the false-prophet legislation of vv. 20-22 read it of a prophetic succession. The grand commentary and Sola reading present the "succession culminating in Christ" position as the most defensible synthesis, but this is a fallible ⚙ judgment, not a parse — test it against the text. The within-Hebrew threads (to Deut 34:10; 5:25; Jer 1:9; 28:9; and the zādôn family) rest on Verifier-computed shared lexemes and are the firmer ground.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)