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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Deuteronomy 20:18

that they may not teach you to do all their abominations, which they did to their gods, and so ye should sin before the Lord your God.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Amorites;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amorites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Canaan;   Ethics;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Destroy, Destruction;   Devote, Devoted;   Teach, Teacher;   War, Holy War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Alms;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Canaan, History and Religion of;   History;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Accursed;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Deuteronomy;   Gods;   Siege;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abomination;   Captives;   Gentile;   Judaism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that they won’t teach you to do all the detestable acts they do for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.
Hebrew Names Version
that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so would you sin against the LORD your God.
King James Version
That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.
Lexham English Bible
so that they may not teach you to do like all their detestable things that they do for their gods and thereby you sin against Yahweh your God.
English Standard Version
that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
New Century Version
Otherwise, they will teach you what they do for their gods, and if you do these hateful things, you will sin against the Lord your God.
New English Translation
so that they cannot teach you all the abhorrent ways they worship their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God.
Amplified Bible
so that they will not teach you to act in accordance with all the detestable practices which they have done [in worship and service] for their gods, and in this way cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
New American Standard Bible
so that they will not teach you to do all the same detestable practices of theirs which they have done for their gods, by which you would sin against the LORD your God.
Geneva Bible (1587)
That they teache you not to doe after all their abominations, which they haue done vnto their gods, & so ye should sinne against the Lorde your God.
Legacy Standard Bible
so that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against Yahweh your God.
Contemporary English Version
If you allow them to live, they will persuade you to worship their disgusting gods, and you will be unfaithful to the Lord .
Complete Jewish Bible
so that they won't teach you to follow their abominable practices, which they do for their gods, thus causing you to sin against Adonai your God.
Darby Translation
that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, so that ye sin against Jehovah your God.
Easy-to-Read Version
So then they will not be able to teach you to sin against the Lord your God or to do any of the terrible things they do when they worship their gods.
George Lamsa Translation
That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done in worshipping their gods; so you should sin in the sight of the LORD your God.
Good News Translation
Kill them, so that they will not make you sin against the Lord by teaching you to do all the disgusting things that they do in the worship of their gods.
Literal Translation
so that they may not teach you to do according to all their filthy deeds which they have done for their gods; and you would sin against Jehovah your God.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
yt they teache you not to do all ye abhominacions, which they do vnto their goddes, & so ye to synne agaynst the LORDE youre God.
American Standard Version
that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so would ye sin against Jehovah your God.
Bible in Basic English
So that you may not take them as your example and do all the disgusting things which they do in the worship of their gods, so sinning against the Lord your God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That they teache you not to do after all their abhominations which they haue done vnto their Gods, and so ye shoulde sinne agaynst the Lorde your God.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the LORD your God.
King James Version (1611)
That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they haue done vnto their gods, so should ye sinne against the Lord your God.
English Revised Version
that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.
Berean Standard Bible
so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods and cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
lest perauenture thei techen you to do alle abhomynaciouns, whiche thei wrouyten to her goddis, and ye doon synne ayens youre Lord God.
Young's Literal Translation
so that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations which they have done to their gods, and ye have sinned against Jehovah your God.
Update Bible Version
that they don't teach you to follow all their disgusting behaviors, which they have done to their gods; so you would sin against Yahweh your God.
Webster's Bible Translation
That they may not teach you to do after all their abominations which they have done to their gods; so would ye sin against the LORD your God.
World English Bible
that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God.
New King James Version
lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.
New Living Translation
This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.
New Life Bible
Then they will not teach you to do all the hated and sinful things they have done for their gods, and make you sin against the Lord your God.
New Revised Standard
so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the Lord your God.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
lest they teach you to do, according to all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods, - and so ye sin against Yahweh your God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Lest they teach you to do all the abominations which they have done to their gods: and you should sin against the Lord your God.
Revised Standard Version
that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against the LORD your God.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God.

Contextual Overview

10 And if thou shalt draw nigh to a city to overcome them by war, then call them out peaceably. 11 If then they should answer peaceably to thee, and open to thee, it shall be that all the people found in it shall be tributary and subject to thee. 12 But if they will not hearken to thee, but wage war against thee, thou shalt invest it; 13 until the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thy hands, and thou shalt smite every male of it with the edge of the sword: 14 except the women and the stuff: and all the cattle, and whatsoever shall be in the city, and all the plunder thou shalt take as spoil for thyself, and shalt eat all the plunder of thine enemies whom the Lord thy God gives thee. 15 Thus shalt thou do to all the cities that are very far off from thee, not being of the cities of these nations which the Lord thy God gives thee to inherit their land. 16 Of these ye shall not take any thing alive; 17 but ye shall surely curse them, the Chettite, and the Amorite, and the Chananite, and the Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Jebusite, and the Gergesite; as the Lord thy God commanded thee: 18 that they may not teach you to do all their abominations, which they did to their gods, and so ye should sin before the Lord your God. 19 And if thou shouldest besiege a city many days to prevail against it by war to take it, thou shalt not destroy its trees, by applying an iron tool to them, but thou shalt eat of it, and shalt not cut it down: Is the tree that is in the field a man, to enter before thee into the work of the siege?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 7:4, Deuteronomy 7:5, Deuteronomy 12:30, Deuteronomy 12:31, Deuteronomy 18:19, Exodus 23:33, Joshua 23:13, Judges 2:3, Psalms 106:34-40, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 1 Timothy 6:5, 2 Timothy 2:17, 2 Timothy 2:18, Revelation 18:3-5

Reciprocal: Leviticus 18:27 - General Deuteronomy 12:4 - General Ezra 9:1 - of the Canaanites

Cross-References

Genesis 12:17
And God afflicted Pharao with great and severe afflictions, and his house, because of Sara, Abram’s wife.
Genesis 16:2
And Sara said to Abram, Behold, the Lord has restrained me from bearing, go therefore in to my maid, that I may get children for myself through her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sara.
Genesis 20:7
But now return the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live; but if thou restore her not, know that thou shalt die and all thine.
Genesis 30:2
And Jacob was angry with Rachel, and said to her, Am I in the place of God, who has deprived thee of the fruit of the womb?
1 Samuel 1:6
For the Lord gave her no child in her affliction, and according to the despondency of her affliction; and she was dispirited on this account, that the Lord shut up her womb so as not to give her a child.
1 Samuel 5:10
And they send away the ark of God to Ascalon; and it came to pass when the ark of God went into Ascalon, that the men of Ascalon cried out, saying, Why have ye brought back the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That they teach you not to do after all their abominations,.... This is another reason why they were to be utterly destroyed, not only because of the abominations which they committed, but to prevent the Israelites being taught by them to do the same; wherefore, as before observed from Jarchi, such as became proselytes were suffered to live among them, because there was no danger of idolatry from them, which even proselytes of the gate renounced; and though all other abominations are included, yet this is particularly respected, as appears from the following clause:

which they have done unto their gods; to the honour of whom not only many superstitious rites and ceremonies were performed, and idolatrous actions committed, but acts of lewdness, and even unnatural uncleanness:

so should ye sin against the Lord your God; a sin the most provoking to him, as the sin of idolatry was; and cause his anger to rise to such a degree, as to suffer them to be carried captive from the land he gave them to inherit; and which afterwards, was the case, and that through learning the manners and customs of these people; see Psalms 106:34.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Directions intended to prevent wanton destruction of life and property in sieges.

Deuteronomy 20:16

Forbearance, however, was not to be shown toward the Canaanite nations, which were to be utterly exterminated (compare Deuteronomy 7:1-4). The command did not apply to beasts as well as men (compare Joshua 11:11, Joshua 11:14).

Deuteronomy 20:19

The parenthesis may he more literally rendered “for man is a tree of the field,” i. e., has his life from the tree of the field, is supported in life by it (compare Deuteronomy 24:6). The Egyptians seem invariably to have cut down the fruit-trees in war.


 
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