New King James Version
Deuteronomy 17:3
3who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,
Deuteronomy 17:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
- New International Version (NIV)and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky,
- English Standard Version (ESV)and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden,
- New Living Translation (NLT)For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven—which I have strictly forbidden.
Context of Deuteronomy 17:3
1“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God. 2“If there is found among you, within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, 4and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel, 5then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.
Read all of Deuteronomy 17Deuteronomy 17:3 word by word
וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ וַֽיַּעֲבֹד֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ לָהֶ֑ם וְלַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ׀ א֣וֹ לַיָּרֵ֗חַ א֛וֹ לְכָל־צְבָ֥א הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־צִוִּֽיתִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And hath goneיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and servedעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
- otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and worshippedשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
- them, either the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
- or moonיָרֵחַyârêach · moonH3394
- or any of the hostצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
- of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- which I have not commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 17:3
- Deuteronomy 4:19And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
- 2 Kings 21:3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
- Job 31:26If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,
- Jeremiah 8:2They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.
- Ezekiel 8:16So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
- Jeremiah 7:22For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.
- Jeremiah 19:5(they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind),
- Jeremiah 32:35And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 17:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2-7Verses 2-7 Compare Deuteronomy 13:1 ff. Here special reference is made to the legal forms to be adopted, Deuteronomy 17:5-7. The sentence was to be carried into effect at “the gates” (compare Genesis 19:1 note) of the town in which the crime was committed; because, as “all the people” were to take a part, an open space would be requisite for the execution. Note the typical and prophetical aspect of the injunction; compare Acts 7:58; Hebrews 13:12.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The forces of heaven include visible things such as the sun, moon, and stars. They also include unseen beings such as angels. Worshiping anything that God created is a clear violation of the second commandment (see 5:9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-72-7. If there be found among you ... man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness--The grand object contemplated in choosing Israel was to preserve the knowledge and worship of the one true God; and hence idolatry of any kind, whether of the heavenly bodies or in some grosser form, is called "a transgression of His covenant." No rank or sex could palliate this crime. Every reported case, even a flying rumor of the perpetration of so heinous an offense, was…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 17:3
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries