Deu 18:15-22 | NETfull | STEP | The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him.

Deuteronomy 18:15-22

15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; ^{▼▼ The MT expands here on the usual formula by adding “from among you” (cf. Deut 17:15; 18:18; Smr; a number of Greek texts). The expansion seems to be for the purpose of emphasis, i.e., the prophet to come must be not just from Israel but an Israelite by blood.} ^{▼▼ “from your brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NAB “from among your own kinsmen”; NASB “from your countrymen”; NRSV “from among your own people.” A similar phrase occurs in v. 17.} you must listen to him. 16 This accords with what happened at Horeb in the day of the assembly. You asked the Lord your God: “Please do not make us hear the voice of the Lord our ^{▼▼ The Hebrew text uses the collective singular in this verse: “my God…lest I die.”} God any more or see this great fire any more lest we die.” 17 The Lord then said to me, “What they have said is good. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command. 19 I will personally hold responsible ^{▼▼ Heb “will seek from him”; NAB “I myself will make him answer for it”; NRSV “will hold accountable.”} anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet ^{▼▼ Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} speaks in my name.

20 “But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized ^{▼▼ Or “commanded” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).} him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 Now if you say to yourselves, ^{▼▼ Heb “in your heart.”} ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’ ^{▼▼ Heb “know the word which the Lord has not spoken.” The issue here is not understanding the meaning of the message, but distinguishing a genuine prophetic word from a false one.} – 22 whenever a prophet speaks in my ^{▼▼ Heb “the Lord’s.” See note on the word “his” in v. 5.} name and the prediction ^{▼▼ Heb “the word,” but a predictive word is in view here. Cf. NAB “his oracle.”} is not fulfilled, ^{▼▼ Heb “does not happen or come to pass.”} then I have ^{▼▼ Heb “the Lord has.” See note on the word “his” in v. 5.} not spoken it; ^{▼▼ Heb “that is the word which the Lord has not spoken.”} the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.”