Laws Concerning Israel's Kings

Deuteronomy 17

14 "When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, r 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' 15 "you shall surely set a king over you s whom the LORD your God chooses; one t from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 "But he shall not multiply u horses for himself, nor cause the people v to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for w the LORD has said to you, x 'You shall not return that way again.' 17 "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and y gold for himself.

18 "Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one z before the priests, the Levites. 19 "And a it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 "that his heart may not 1 be lifted above his brethren, that he b may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may 2 prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 8:5
    And said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
    1 Samuel 8:19
    Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us.
    1 Samuel 8:20
    "that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
    1 Samuel 10:19
    "But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 9:15
    Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day...
    1 Samuel 9:16
    "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man...
    1 Samuel 10:24
    And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see ...
    1 Samuel 16:12
    So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy...
    1 Samuel 16:13
    Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed h...
    1 Chronicles 22:8 - 10
    But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Y...
    Hosea 8:4
    They set up kings, but not by Me; They made pri...
  3. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:21
    Their nobles shall be from among them, And their governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?' says the LORD.
  4. Cross References
    1 Kings 4:26
    Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.
    1 Kings 10:26 - 29
    And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
    Psalms 20:7
    Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 31:1
    Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!
    Ezekiel 17:15
    But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?
  6. Cross References
    Exodus 13:17
    Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.
    Exodus 13:18
    So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.
    Hosea 11:5
    He shall not return to the land of Egypt; But the Assyrian shall be his king, Because they refused to repent.
  7. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 28:68
    "And the LORD will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, 'You shall never see it again.' And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you."
  8. Cross References
    1 Kings 10:14
    The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold.
  9. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 31:24 - 26
    So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished.
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 119:97
    Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
    Psalms 119:98
    You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.
  11. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 5:32
    Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
    1 Kings 15:5
    Because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Next Book Next Book