Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 17:20
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
20. that his heart, etc.] Cp. Deu 8:2. Turn not aside, Deu 5:32, Prolong days, Deu 4:40. Cullen (140) thinks that in mentioning Torah and Miwah separately in Deu 17:19-20 the writer refers to two distinct works. This is by no means clear; he may be using them here as parallel terms.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 20. He, and his children, in the midst of Israel.] From this verse it has been inferred that the crown of Israel was designed to be hereditary, and this is very probable; for long experience has proved to almost all the nations of the world that hereditary succession in the regal government is, on the whole, the safest, and best calculated to secure the public tranquillity.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That his heart be not lifted up; he intimates, that the Scriptures, diligently read and studied, are a powerful and probable means to keep him humble, because they show him that, though a king, he is subject to a higher Monarch, to whom he must give an account of all his administrations and actions, and receive from him his sentence and doom agreeable to their quality, which is sufficient to abate the pride of the haughtiest person in the world, if he duly consider it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. that he may prolong his days inhis kingdom, he and his childrenFrom this it appears that thecrown in Israel was to be hereditary, unless forfeited by personalcrime.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren,…. On account of his office, the dignity of it, considering that he was subject to the law of God, and accountable to the Lord for all his actions:
and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand or to the left; not in the least deviate from the law of God in the whole of his conduct, and particularly in the exercise of his kingly office:
to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom; ruling well according to the laws of God being the way to rule long:
he and his children in the midst of Israel; this shows, as Jarchi observes, that if his son was fit for the kingdom, he was to be preferred to any other man; for though it was elective, yet to be continued in the same family, provided they walked in the ways of the Lord, and observed his laws.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(20) To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children.Shows that the kingdom in Israel would be hereditary only so far as Jehovah willed it to be so. Again we may say that the striking fact that no dynasty except that of David ever continued for more than five generations, and only two dynasties for more than two generations, while Davids dynasty was perpetual by promise, could hardly have escaped notice, if known to the writer of this book.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Ver. 20. That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren Not imagining himself to be above all laws, nor slighting his subjects as unworthy of his notice; but taking due care to promote their happiness: for, “as the Scriptures,” says Maimonides, “provided that the king should have great honour done him, obliging all to reverence him, so it commands him to be lowly in heart, and not to carry himself insolently. Let him be gracious, and full of clemency to little and great: so shall he go out, and come in, with the love and good wishes of them all.” To which Nachmanides adds this pious reflection, “If the Scripture deters kings from pride and haughtiness of heart, how unbecoming is it in other men, who are far inferior to them!”
That he may prolong his days,he, and his children We see from this, that God designed to give that family, whom he should choose, an hereditary right to the throne; but under the express condition of a sincere obedience to the laws. Nothing, certainly, is more proper to preserve a family in the possession of sovereign authority, than an inviolable attachment to the laws, both human and divine; for, as one of the ancients has well expressed it, “To cause the laws to reign, is, in some sort, to make God himself reign with the laws. It is, as it were, to raise a wild beast to the government, to submit every thing to the empire of a man without any other rule than his own will.” See Aristotle’s Polit. lib. iii. c. 16. Princes ought, above all things, to study to gain the affections of their people by their humility and clemency. It was good counsel given to Alexander the Great, that he should rather attach his subjects to him by the mildness of his government, than reign over them with a severe and despotic power; since it is very useless to endeavour to reign over the bodies of men, as he is always the master of these who reigns in their hearts; “gain, therefore, their hearts by your clemency,” said the adviser to the conqueror, “and all the rest will follow.” See Rabbi Jedajah in Mibcah Happeninim, and Selden in Success in Pontif. lib. ii. c. 1.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
BLESSED JESUS! thou art the unblemished spotless offering of my soul, and while I desire of thine own, O my GOD, to bring the best and choicest offerings, in token that all I am, and all I have is thine: it is JESUS himself, my sin-offering, my only righteousness, with which I would come to thine altar. And oh! how sweet and lovely art thou dearest Redeemer, in all thy person, offices, and characters! In purity, in comeliness, thou art not only fairer than the children of men, for grace is poured into thy lips, but thou dost infinitely transcend the angels. And is it not on behalf of thy people that thou appearest to our view, and art presented by faith to our GOD in the everlasting righteousness of thy spotless purity and holiness? Dearest JESUS! be thou ever my sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor!
Blessed SPIRIT! help me to look up to thee in the perusal of this chapter, and seeing thou didst enjoin the king of Israel, to copy with his own hand the sacred word, and to read therein all the days of his life; Oh! give me grace to meditate therein day and night; and like thy servant of old, may I be enabled to say, “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I may be occupied in thy words. LORD, make the law of thy mouth dearer to me than thousands of gold and silver.”
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Ver. 20. That his heart be not lifted up. ] That his good and his blood rise not together as that king of Tyre’s did, Eze 28:2 and that Lucifer, son of the morning. Isa 14:12-13 See my “Commonplace of Arrogancy.” Of Caligula it is said, that there never was a better servant, or a worse lord. Vespasian is said to be the only man that became better by the empire. The most of the emperors grew so insolent, that they got nothing by their preferment, nisi ut citius interficerentur, but to be sooner slain.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
turn not aside. See Deu 28:14. 2Ki 22:2. Jos 1:7; Jos 23:6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
his heart: Deu 8:2, Deu 8:13, Deu 8:14, 2Ki 14:10, 2Ch 25:19, 2Ch 26:16, 2Ch 32:25, 2Ch 32:26, 2Ch 33:12, 2Ch 33:19, 2Ch 33:23, 2Ch 34:27, Psa 131:1, Psa 131:2, Isa 2:12, Dan 5:20-23, Hab 2:4, 2Co 12:7, 1Pe 5:5
he turn: Deu 4:2, Deu 5:32, Deu 12:25, Deu 12:28, Deu 12:32, 1Ki 15:5
right hand: Deu 17:11, 1Sa 13:13, 1Sa 13:14, 1Sa 15:23, 1Ki 11:12, 1Ki 11:13, 1Ki 11:34, 1Ki 11:36, 2Ki 10:30, Psa 19:11, Psa 132:12, Pro 27:24, Ecc 8:13
that he: Pro 10:27
Reciprocal: Deu 25:15 – that thy days Jos 23:6 – that ye 1Ki 2:2 – be thou 1Ch 28:2 – my brethren 1Ti 3:6 – lest
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deu 17:20. That his heart be not lifted up He intimates, that the Scriptures, diligently read, are a powerful means to keep a person humble, because they show him that, though a king, he is subject to a higher monarch, to whom he must give an account of all his administrations, and receive from him his sentence, agreeably to their quality, which is sufficient to abate the pride of the haughtiest person in the world.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his {o} brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
(o) By which is meant that kings should love their subjects as nature causes one brother to love another.