Deuteronomy 17:16

Deuteronomy 17:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
• New International Version (NIV)The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never return that way again.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’

Context of Deuteronomy 17:16

14You are going into the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. You will take it for yourselves to be your home. Then you may say, ‘The other nations around us have kings. We must also have a king to rule us.’ 15If that happens, you must only accept a king that the Lord your God chooses. Choose a king from among your own people. Do not choose anyone who is not an Israelite. A king must not get a lot of horses for himself. He must not send his people back to Egypt to buy more horses. The Lord has said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt for any reason!’ 17A king must not marry many wives. They may turn his thoughts away from the Lord. He must not store a lot of silver and gold for himself. 18When anyone starts to rule as king, he must copy this Law of God on a scroll. The scroll will be a copy of the one that belongs to the Levite priests.

Deuteronomy 17:16 word by word

רַק֮ לֹא־יַרְבֶּה־לּ֣וֹ סוּסִים֒ וְלֹֽא־יָשִׁ֤יב אֶת־הָעָם֙ מִצְרַ֔יְמָה לְמַ֖עַן הַרְבּ֣וֹת ס֑וּס וַֽיהוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר לָכֶ֔ם לֹ֣א תֹסִפ֗וּן לָשׁ֛וּב בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ הַזֶּ֖ה עֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But he shall not multiplyרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
• to himself, nor cause the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• to returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• to Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• forasmuch as the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• hath saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto you, Ye shall henceforthיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254
• no more that wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 17:16

• 1 Samuel 8:11Samuel said to them, ‘This is how the king will rule over you: He will take your sons to be his soldiers. They will ride his horses and they will drive his chariots. They will have to run in front of his own chariot.
• 2 Samuel 8:4David took from Hadadezer 1,700 men who drove chariots. He also caught 20,000 of Hadadezer's other soldiers. David kept 100 of the horses that pulled chariots. But he cut the legs of the other horses so that they could not run.
• 1 Kings 1:5At that time, David's son Adonijah, was telling everyone, ‘I will become the next king.’ He got for himself chariots and men who would ride on horses. He also had 50 men to run in front of him as his guards. Haggith was Adonijah's mother.
• 1 Kings 4:26Solomon had places to keep 4,000 horses that pulled his chariots. He also had 12,000 horses.
• 1 Kings 10:26Solomon brought together many chariots and horses for his soldiers to ride. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept some of them in Jerusalem where he lived as king. He put the others in cities that he had chosen for this.
• 2 Chronicles 9:25Solomon had places to keep 4,000 horses that pulled his chariots. He also had 12,000 horses. He kept them in the cities that he had chosen for this and also in Jerusalem where he lived.
• Psalms 20:7Some people hope that their chariots will keep them safe. Other people trust their horses to save them. But we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.
• Isaiah 36:8So you should make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, if you have enough riders to put on them.
• Hosea 14:3Assyria cannot save us. The horses that we ride into war will not keep us safe. We will never again say to the idols that we have made, “You are our gods.” You are kind to children who have no family. So please be kind to us.’
• Isaiah 31:1It will be very bad for those people who expect that Egypt will help them. They think that Egypt's many horses and chariots will keep them safe. They trust the power of Egypt's strong soldiers who ride on horses. But those people do not trust the Holy God of Israel. They do not ask the Lord to help them.
• Jeremiah 42:14Do not say, “We refuse to stay here. Instead, we will go to live in Egypt. There, we will not have trouble from wars. We will not hear the noise of trumpets as people fight battles. We will not be hungry because there is no food.”
• Ezekiel 17:15But the man from the king's family did turn against the king of Babylon. He sent his officers with a message to Egypt. He asked them to send a large army with horses to save Jerusalem. But that will not help him to be safe! He did not obey his agreement with the king of Babylon, so he will not escape!
• Deuteronomy 28:68The Lord told you that you must never travel on the road back to Egypt. But he will send you back to Egypt in ships. In Egypt, you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies, as slaves. But no one will agree to buy you.
• Exodus 13:17When Pharaoh let the people go away, God did not lead them through the country of the Philistines. This was a short way for them to go, but God did not lead them that way. God said, ‘If the people have to fight a war, they may change their minds. Then they may return to Egypt.’
• Exodus 14:13Then Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Be brave! You will see how the Lord will save you today. Look at the Egyptians over there. You will never see them again!
• Numbers 14:3Why has the Lord brought us into this land? Its people will kill us all with swords. They will take our wives and our children for themselves. We think that it would be better for us to return to Egypt.’

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 17:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16He shall not multiply horses - As horses appear to have been generally furnished by Egypt, God prohibits these, Lest there should be such commerce with Egypt as might lead to idolatry. Lest the people might depend on a well-appointed cavalry as a means of security, and so cease from trusting in the strength and protection of God. And, 3. That they might not be tempted to extend their dominion by means of cavalry, and so get scattered among the surrounding…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The horse was not anciently used in the East for purposes of agriculture or traveling, but ordinarily for war only. He appears constantly in Scripture as the symbol and embodiment of fleshly strength and the might of the creature (compare Psalm 20:7; Psalm 33:16-17; Psalm 147:10; Job 39:19 ff), and is sometimes significantly spoken of simply as “the strong one” (compare Jeremiah 8:16). The spirit of the prohibition therefore is that the king of Israel…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-20Verses 14-20 God himself was in a particular manner Israel's King; and if they set another over them, it was necessary that he should choose the person. Accordingly, when the people desired a king, they applied to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord. In all cases, God's choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be elected. He must carefully avoid every thing that would turn him from God…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16You are never to go back that way again: Going there would show that the king did not rely on God, who freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. The best horses came from Egypt (see 1 Kings 10:28–29).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. he shall not multiply horses to himself--The use of these animals was not absolutely prohibited, nor is there any reason to conclude that they might not be employed as part of the state equipage. But the multiplication of horses would inevitably lead to many evils, to increased intercourse with foreign nations, especially with Egypt, to the importation of an animal to which the character of the country was not suited, to the establishment of an…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 17:16

• Horse
• King
• Rulers
• Solomon

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Army
• Horse
• Mouth
• Atonement, Day of
• Chariot
• Conversion
• Criticism
• Exodus, the Book of

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings