English Standard Version
Deuteronomy 12:31
31You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
Deuteronomy 12:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
- New International Version (NIV)You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
- New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
- New Living Translation (NLT)You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.
Context of Deuteronomy 12:31
29"When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. 32"Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
Read all of Deuteronomy 12Deuteronomy 12:31 word by word
לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה כֵ֔ן לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּי֩ כָּל־תּוֹעֲבַ֨ת יְהוָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׂנֵ֗א עָשׂוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י גַ֤ם אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם֙ וְאֶת־בְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם יִשְׂרְפ֥וּ בָאֵ֖שׁ לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou shalt not doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: offerH6213
- so unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- for every abominationתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
- which he hatethשָׂנֵאώânê' · to hateH8130
- have they doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- for even their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- and their daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- they have burntשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
- in the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 12:31
- Deuteronomy 12:4You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.
- Deuteronomy 18:9"When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations.
- Exodus 23:2You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,
- Leviticus 18:3You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes.
- 2 Kings 17:15They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.
- 2 Kings 21:2And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 33:2And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 36:14All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.
- Deuteronomy 20:2And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people
- Deuteronomy 18:10There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer
- Leviticus 18:21You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
- Leviticus 20:2"Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.
- Jeremiah 7:31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.
- Jeremiah 32:35They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
- Ezekiel 20:31When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.
- Ezekiel 23:27Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 12:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire - Almost all the nations in the world agreed in offering human victims to their gods on extraordinary occasions, by which it is evident that none of those nations had any right notion of the Divine nature. How necessary, then, was the volume of revelation, to teach men what that religion is with which God can be well pleased! The Hindoos to this day offer human victims to their goddess Cali, and…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-32Verses 5-32 The command to bring ALL the sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle, was now explained with reference to the promised land. As to moral service, then, as now, men might pray and worship every where, as they did in their synagogues. The place which God would choose, is said to be the place where he would put his name. It was to be his habitation, where, as King of Israel, he would be found by all who reverently sought him. Now, under the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31burn their sons and daughters: Human sacrifice was a terrible practice in ancient pagan religions. The Ammonites believed that their god Molech demanded this sacrifice from his followers (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35).Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 12:31
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 12
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries