God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 13:3
3The Lord your God is testing you to find out if you really love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 13:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
- New International Version (NIV)you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- English Standard Version (ESV)you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
- New King James Version (NKJV)you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Context of Deuteronomy 13:3
1One of your people, claiming to be a prophet or to have prophetic dreams, may predict a miraculous sign or an amazing thing. 2What he predicts may even take place. But don’t listen to that prophet or dreamer if he says, “Let’s worship and serve other gods.” (Those gods may be gods you’ve never heard of.) The Lord your God is testing you to find out if you really love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4Worship the Lord your God, fear him, obey his commands, listen to what he says, serve him, and be loyal to him. 5That prophet or dreamer must be put to death because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. He was trying to lead you away from following the directions the Lord your God gave you. You must get rid of this evil.
Read all of Deuteronomy 13Deuteronomy 13:3 word by word
לֹ֣א תִשְׁמַ֗ע אֶל־דִּבְרֵי֙ הַנָּבִ֣יא הַה֔וּא א֛וֹ אֶל־חוֹלֵ֥ם הַחֲל֖וֹם הַה֑וּא כִּ֣י מְנַסֶּ֞ה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם לָדַ֗עַת הֲיִשְׁכֶ֤ם אֹֽהֲבִים֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou shalt not hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- unto the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of that prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
- or that dreamerחָלַםchâlam · to dreamH2492
- of dreamsחֲלוֹםchălôm chălôm · dreamH2472
- for the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- provethנָסָהnâsâh · to testH5254
- you, to knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- whether yeיֵשׁyêsh · thereH3426
- loveאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
- with all your heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- and with all your soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 13:3
- Isaiah 8:20They should go to the teachings and to the written instructions. If people don’t speak these words, it is because it doesn’t dawn on them.
- Acts 17:11The people of Berea were more open-minded than the people of Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive God’s message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.
- Ephesians 4:14Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray.
- 1 John 4:1Dear friends, don’t believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, test them. See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world.
- Deuteronomy 8:2Remember that for 40 years the Lord your God led you on your journey in the desert. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know whether or not you would wholeheartedly obey his commands.
- Psalms 66:10You have tested us, O God. You have refined us in the same way silver is refined.
- Psalms 81:7When you were in trouble, you called out ⌞to me⌟, and I rescued you. I was hidden in thunder, but I answered you. I tested your ⌞loyalty⌟ at the oasis of Meribah. Selah
- Matthew 24:24False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work spectacular, miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen.
- 1 Corinthians 11:19Factions have to exist in order to make it clear who the genuine believers among you are.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:11That’s why God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie.
- 1 John 2:19They left us. However, they were never really part of us. If they had been, they would have stayed with us. But by leaving they made it clear that none of them were part of us.
- 1 John 4:4Dear children, you belong to God. So you have won the victory over these people, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
- Revelation 13:14It deceives those living on earth with the signs that it is allowed to do in front of the ⌞first⌟ beast. It tells those living on earth to make a statue for the beast who was wounded by a sword and yet lived.
- Deuteronomy 6:5Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
- 2 Corinthians 8:8I’m not commanding you, but I’m testing how genuine your love is by pointing out the dedication of others.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 13:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The Lord your God proveth you - God permits such impostors to arise to try the faith of his followers, and to put their religious experience to the test; for he who experimentally knows God cannot be drawn away after idols. He who has no experimental knowledge of God, may believe any thing. Experience of the truths contained in the word of God can alone preserve any man from Deism, or a false religion. They who have not this are a prey to the pretended…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-18Prophets who tried to lead Israel away from the one true God committed treason, which was punishable by death. No other religion demanded exclusive worship of their national gods. As a result, such severe penalties for worshiping other gods were unknown in the ancient Near East.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-51. If there arise among you a prophet--The special counsels which follow arose out of the general precept contained in De 12:32; and the purport of them is, that every attempt to seduce others from the course of duty which that divine standard of faith and worship prescribes must not only be strenuously resisted, but the seducer punished by the law of the land. This is exemplified in three cases of enticement to idolatry. a prophet--that is, some notable…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 13:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 13
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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