Deuteronomy 13:12
New International Version
If you hear it said about one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you to live in

New Living Translation
“When you begin living in the towns the LORD your God is giving you, you may hear

English Standard Version
“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there,

Berean Standard Bible
If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said

King James Bible
If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,

New King James Version
“If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, saying,

New American Standard Bible
“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that

NASB 1995
“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that

NASB 1977
“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that

Legacy Standard Bible
“If you hear in one of your cities, which Yahweh your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that

Amplified Bible
“If you hear [it said] in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to live in,

Christian Standard Bible
“If you hear it said about one of your cities the LORD your God is giving you to live in,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If you hear it said about one of your cities the LORD your God is giving you to live in,

American Standard Version
If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying,

Contemporary English Version
After the LORD your God gives you towns to live in, you may hear a rumor about one of the towns.

English Revised Version
If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You may hear that the residents in one of the cities which the LORD your God is giving you to live in

Good News Translation
"When you are living in the towns that the LORD your God gives you, you may hear

International Standard Version
"You may hear in one of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit

Majority Standard Bible
If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said

NET Bible
Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you as a place to live, that

New Heart English Bible
If you shall hear tell concerning one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell there, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
If thou shalt hear, in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,

World English Bible
If you hear about one of your cities, which Yahweh your God gives you to dwell there, that
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
When you hear [someone] in one of your cities, which your God YHWH is giving to you to dwell there, saying,

Young's Literal Translation
When thou hearest, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to dwell there, one saying,

Smith's Literal Translation
When thou shalt hear in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God gave to thee to dwell there, saying,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God shall give thee to dwell in, thou hear some say:

Catholic Public Domain Version
If, in one of your cities which the Lord your God will give to you as a habitation, you hear someone say:

New American Bible
If you hear it said concerning one of the cities which the LORD, your God, gives you to dwell in,

New Revised Standard Version
If you hear it said about one of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you to live in,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
When you shall hear, in one of your cities which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, one saying,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And when you will hear in one of your cities that LORD JEHOVAH your God gives you in which to dwell, and they will say to you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if in one of thy cities which the Lord God gives thee to dwell therein, thou shalt hear men saying,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Idolatrous Cities to Be Destroyed
12If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said 13that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:2-5
If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant / and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden— / and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel, ...

Joshua 23:16
If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He has given you.”

Judges 2:11-13
And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. / Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, / for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

1 Kings 11:4-6
For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. / Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. / So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.

2 Kings 17:7-18
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel. / The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities. ...

Jeremiah 11:9-11
And the LORD told me, “There is a conspiracy among the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. / They have returned to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey My words. They have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers. / Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring upon them a disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them.

Ezekiel 14:6-8
Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations. / For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself. / I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Zephaniah 1:4-6
“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests— / those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, / and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”

Matthew 24:11-13
and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. / Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. / But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. / By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? / Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ...

Acts 20:29-30
I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Galatians 1:6-9
I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— / which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. / But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! ...

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. / He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

1 Timothy 4:1-2
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.


Treasury of Scripture

If you shall hear say in one of your cities, which the LORD your God has given you to dwell there, saying,

Joshua 22:11
And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

Judges 20:1,2
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh…

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Deuteronomy 13
1. Enticers to idolatry
6. however near to oneself
9. are to be stoned to death
12. Idolatrous cities are not to be spared














If, regarding one of the cities
This phrase sets the context within the Promised Land, which the Israelites were to inherit. The cities mentioned are those within the land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. The focus on "one of the cities" indicates a specific location within the broader territory, emphasizing the communal and localized nature of the instructions.

the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit
This highlights the divine gift of the land to the Israelites, underscoring God's sovereignty and faithfulness to His covenant promises. The land is not just a possession but a divine inheritance, meant to be a place where God's laws and presence are central. This phrase also implies a responsibility to maintain the purity and holiness of the land as a reflection of their relationship with God.

you hear it said
This introduces the concept of a report or rumor, which requires discernment and investigation. The phrase suggests the importance of vigilance and the need to address potential threats to the community's spiritual integrity. It also implies the necessity of communal accountability and the role of leaders in safeguarding the faithfulness of the people to God's commandments.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is giving the Israelites the land to inhabit.

2. Israelites
The people of God, who are receiving instructions on how to live in the Promised Land.

3. Cities of Israel
The specific locations within the Promised Land that God is giving to the Israelites.

4. False Prophets/Idolaters
Individuals who may lead the people astray by encouraging the worship of other gods.

5. Promised Land
The land that God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Teaching Points
Guard Against Idolatry
The passage warns against the influence of idolatry. Believers today must be vigilant against modern forms of idolatry, such as materialism or secular ideologies, that can lead them away from God.

Community Responsibility
The Israelites were responsible for maintaining the spiritual purity of their community. Similarly, Christians are called to hold each other accountable and encourage one another in faithfulness to God.

Discernment and Action
The instruction to investigate reports of idolatry highlights the need for discernment. Believers should seek wisdom and understanding to discern truth from falsehood in their spiritual lives.

Faithfulness to God's Commands
The passage underscores the importance of adhering to God's commands. Christians are called to live according to the teachings of Scripture, maintaining their commitment to God.

Consequences of Sin
The severe consequences for idolatry in the Old Testament remind believers of the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance and restoration through Christ.(12) If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities.--The only case of this kind is the case of Gibeah. We may fairly assume the abominations done there to have been connected with idolatry, from the allusions in Hosea 9:9; Hosea 10:9. But the outrage rather than the idolatry seems to have excited the indignation of Israel (see Judges 20, 21). It is noticeable that in the remonstrance with the Benjamites at Gibeah--(Judges 20:13): "Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel"--there seems to be an allusion to the language of this chapter in Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 13:11.

Verses 12-18. - A third ease supposed is that of the inhabitants of a city being seduced by wicked men into idolatry. In this case inquiry was to be made as to the fact; and if it was found to be so, the inhabitants of that city were to be put to the sword, all their property was to be burnt, and the city itself reduced to a heap; so should the anger of the Lord be averted from Israel, and he would do them good. Verse 12. - Hear in one of thy cities. The Hebrew phrase, "to hear in" (שָׁמַע בְּ). has sometimes the meaning of to overhear, as in Genesis 27:5; 1 Samuel 17:28; Job 15:8; sometimes it means simply to hear, as in 2 Samuel 19:36 [35]; in Job 26:14, it has the force of to hear of or concerning, though some think this questionable. This latter is apparently the meaning here: If thou hear concerning any of thy cities, etc. Baying. This introduces what is heard.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If,
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

regarding one
בְּאַחַ֣ת (bə·’a·ḥaṯ)
Preposition-b | Number - feminine singular construct
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of the cities
עָרֶ֗יךָ (‘ā·re·ḵā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

the LORD
יְהוָ֨ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

is giving
נֹתֵ֥ן (nō·ṯên)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you
לְךָ֛ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to inhabit,
לָשֶׁ֥בֶת (lā·še·ḇeṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

you hear
תִשְׁמַ֞ע (ṯiš·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

it said
לֵאמֹֽר׃ (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 13:12 If you shall hear tell concerning one (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 13:11
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