Deuteronomy 18:21

Deuteronomy 18:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
• New International Version (NIV)You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?”
• New King James Version (NKJV)And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’—
• New Living Translation (NLT)“But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’

Context of Deuteronomy 18:21

19And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. 20But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?'— 22when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

Deuteronomy 18:21 word by word

וְכִ֥י תֹאמַ֖ר בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ אֵיכָה֙ נֵדַ֣ע אֶת־הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־דִבְּר֖וֹ יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And if thou sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• in thine heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• How shall we knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• which the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• hath not spokenדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 18:21

• 1 Thessalonians 5:24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
• 1 John 4:1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
• Revelation 2:2"'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 18:21

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And if thou say in thine heart, How … - The passage evidently assumes such an occasion for consulting the prophet as was usual among the pagan, e. g., an impending battle or other such crisis (compare 1 Kings 22:11), in which his veracity would soon be put to the test. Failure of a prediction is set forth as a sure note of its being “presumptuous.” But from Deuteronomy 13:2 ff we see that the fulfillment of a prediction would not decisively accredit him…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-22Verses 15-22 It is here promised concerning Christ, that there should come a Prophet, great above all the prophets; by whom God would make known himself and his will to the children of men, more fully and clearly than he had ever done before. He is the Light of the world, Joh 8:12. He is the World by whom God speaks to us, Joh 1:1; He 1:2. In his birth he should be one of their nation. In his resurrection he should be raised up at Jerusalem, and from…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 18:21

• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Consulter
• Midst
• Raise
• Atonement, Day of
• Christ, Offices of
• Criticism
• Exodus, the Book of
• Genesis
• Give
• Leviticus

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 18

• 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