What must a future king of Israel do with the law, and what reasons does the chapter give?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

After taking the throne, he must copy the law from the Levitical priests’ copy, keep it with him, and read it all his life. The stated purposes are learning to fear the Lord and keep his words and ceremonies, avoiding pride over his brothers and turning aside, and a long reign for him and his sons.

Chapter breakdown

Israel must not sacrifice a sheep or ox with a blemish or any fault, because this is an abomination to the Lord. The next case concerns a man or woman within the gates of the land the Lord will give, doing evil and breaking his covenant by serving and adoring strange gods, the sun, moon, and host of heaven, which he has not commanded. Challoner’s separate note explains the host of heaven as the stars. If this is reported, Israel must hear it, inquire diligently, and find it true and really committed in Israel before the penalty follows. The man or woman must be brought to the city gates and stoned. Death requires the words of two or three witnesses; no one may be put to death on one witness’s testimony. The witnesses’ hands must be first, followed by the rest of the people, to remove evil from their midst.

If a hard and doubtful judgment arises between blood and blood, cause and cause, or leprosy and leprosy, and the judges within the gates give differing words, the person addressed must go up to the Lord’s chosen place. He must ask the Levitical priests and the judge then serving; they will show the truth of the judgment. Challoner’s separate note interprets this as authority given to Old Testament church guides to decide all law-related controversies without appeal, with a promise that they would not err in them. It adds that God has surely done no less for New Testament church guides. This claim is presented as Challoner’s commentary.

The person addressed must do what those presiding at the chosen place say and teach according to the Lord’s law, and follow their sentence without turning right or left. Whoever proudly refuses the command of the priest ministering to the Lord at that time and the judge’s decree must die. Israel must take away the evil. The stated purpose is that all the people may hear and fear, so no one afterward swells with pride.

When Israel enters and possesses the land the Lord will give and says it will set a king over itself like the surrounding nations, it must choose the one the Lord selects from its brothers. It may not make a person of another nation, who is not its brother, king. The king must not multiply horses for himself or lead the people back into Egypt, being proud of the number of his horsemen. The Lord has commanded them not to return that way. The king must not have many wives who may draw his mind away, nor immense sums of silver and gold.

After taking the throne, the king must copy for himself the Deuteronomy of this law in a volume, using the Levitical priests’ copy. He must keep it with him and read it all the days of his life. The purposes are learning to fear the Lord and keeping the words and ceremonies commanded in the law. His heart must not rise in pride over his brothers, and he must not turn right or left, so he and his sons may reign over Israel for a long time.

The story inside

The king directions begin with Israel’s future wish to have a king like the surrounding nations. The chapter does not give an account of those nations’ armies, taxes, or marriages. It states who may be chosen and gives limits on the king’s horses, return to Egypt, wives, and silver and gold. It then gives a positive duty: copy the law from the priests’ copy, keep it, and read throughout life. The text names the reasons for this reading, including fear of the Lord, keeping the commands, and avoiding pride over his brothers. The promised long reign concerns the king and his sons. These are directions for a future king, not a record of a particular king taking the throne or obeying them.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The reported idolatry case requires inquiry and more than one witness. The chapter requires finding the report true, names two or three witnesses, and forbids putting someone to death when only one testifies.
2
Difficult judgments have a stated path. The person goes to the chosen place, asks the Levitical priests and serving judge, and follows their law-based sentence. Challoner’s separate note gives his interpretation of the guides’ authority.
3
The king must remain attentive to the law and his brothers. Keeping and reading the copy accompanies the stated aims of obedience and a heart not lifted in pride over them. The duties include material limits as well as reading.

Test your recall

Why must the king keep his copy of the law and read it all the days of his life?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 20395–20429
Deuteronomy Chapter 17 Victims must be without blemish. Idolaters are to be slain. Controversies are to be decided by the high priest and council, whose sentence must be obeyed under pain of death. The duty of a king, who is to receive the law of God at the priest’s hands. 17:1. Thou shalt not sacrifice to the Lord thy God a sheep, or an ox, wherein there is blemish, or any fault: for that is an abomination to the Lord thy God. 17:2. When there shall be found among you within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God shall give thee, man or woman that do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, and transgress his covenant, 17:3. So as to go and serve strange gods, and adore them, the sun and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which I have not commanded: The host of heaven.... That is, the stars. 17:4. And this is told thee, and hearing it thou hast inquired diligently, and found it to be true, and that the abomination is committed in Israel: 17:5. Thou shalt bring forth the man or the woman, who have committed that most wicked thing, to the gates of thy city, and they shall be stoned. 17:6. By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he die that is to be slain. Let no man be put to death, when only one beareth witness against him. 17:7. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to kill him, and afterwards the hands of the rest of the people: that thou mayst take away the evil out of the midst of thee.
Lines 20431–20445
17:8. If thou perceive that there be among you a hard and doubtful matter in judgment between blood and blood, cause and cause, leprosy and leprosy: and thou see that the words of the judges within thy gates do vary: arise, and go up to the place, which the Lord thy God shall choose. If thou perceive, etc.... Here we see what authority God was pleased to give to the church guides of the Old Testament, in deciding, without appeal, all controversies relating to the law; promising that they should not err therein; and surely he has not done less for the church guides of the New Testament. 17:9. And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to the judge, that shall be at that time: and thou shalt ask of them, and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgment.
Lines 20447–20459
17:10. And thou shalt do whatsoever they shall say, that preside in the place, which the Lord shall choose, and what they shall teach thee, 17:11. According to his law; and thou shalt follow their sentence: neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand. 17:12. But he that will be proud, and refuse to obey the commandment of the priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, and the decree of the judge, that man shall die, and thou shalt take away the evil from Israel: 17:13. And all the people hearing it shall fear, that no one afterwards swell with pride.
Lines 20461–20475
17:14. When thou art come into the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee, and possessest it, and shalt say: I will set a king over me, as all nations have that are round about: 17:15. Thou shalt set him whom the Lord thy God shall choose out of the number of thy brethren. Thou mayst not make a man of another nation king, that is not thy brother. 17:16. And when he is made king, he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor lead back the people into Egypt, being lifted up with the number of his horsemen, especially since the Lord hath commanded you to return no more the same way. 17:17. He shall not have many wives, that may allure his mind, nor immense sums of silver and gold.
Lines 20477–20489
17:18. But after he is raised to the throne of his kingdom, he shall copy out to himself the Deuteronomy of this law in a volume, taking the copy of the priests of the Levitical tribe, 17:19. And he shall have it with him, and shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and keep his words and ceremonies, that are commanded in the law; 17:20. And that his heart be not lifted up with pride over his brethren, nor decline to the right or to the left, that he and his sons may reign a long time over Israel.