Deuteronômio 18

BLIVRE · Chapter 18/34

1Os sacerdotes levitas, toda a tribo de Levi, não terão parte nem herança com Israel; das ofertas acendidas ao SENHOR, e da herança dele comerão.

2Não terão, pois, herança entre seus irmãos: o SENHOR é a sua herança, como ele lhes disse.

3E este será o direito dos sacerdotes da parte do povo, dos que oferecerem em sacrifício boi ou cordeiro: darão ao sacerdote a retaguarda, e as queixadas, e o estômago.

4As primícias de teus grãos, de teu vinho, e de teu azeite, e as primícias da lã de tuas ovelhas lhe darás:

5Porque o escolheu o SENHOR teu Deus de todas tuas tribos, para que esteja para ministrar ao nome do SENHOR, ele e seus filhos para sempre.

6E quando o levita sair de alguma de tuas cidades de todo Israel, onde houver peregrinado, e vier com todo desejo de sua alma ao lugar que o SENHOR escolher,

7Ministrará ao nome do SENHOR seu Deus, como todos os seus irmãos os levitas que estiverem ali diante do SENHOR.

8Porção como a porção dos outros comerão, além de seus patrimônios.

9Quando houveres entrado na terra que o SENHOR teu Deus te dá, não aprenderás a fazer segundo as abominações daquelas nações.

10Não seja achado em ti quem faça passar seu filho ou sua filha pelo fogo, nem praticante de adivinhações, nem agoureiro, nem interpretador de presságios, nem feiticeiro,

11Nem quem fale encantamentos, nem quem pergunte a espírito, nem mágico, nem quem pergunte aos mortos.

12Porque é abominação ao SENHOR qualquer um que faz estas coisas, e por estas abominações o SENHOR teu Deus as expulsou de diante de ti.

13Serás íntegro com o SENHOR teu Deus.

14Pois essas nações que herdarás ouviam encantadores e feiticeiros. A ti, porém, o SENHOR teu Deus não te permitiu isso.

15O SENHOR teu Deus suscitará para ti um Profeta do meio de ti, de teus irmãos, como eu; a ele deverás ouvir.

16Conforme tudo o que pediste ao SENHOR teu Deus em Horebe no dia da assembleia, dizendo: Não volte eu a ouvir a voz do SENHOR meu Deus, nem veja eu mais este grande fogo, para que não morra;

17e o SENHOR me disse: Bem disseram.

18Profeta lhes suscitarei do meio de seus irmãos, como tu; e porei minhas palavras em sua boca, e ele lhes falará tudo o que eu lhe mandar.

19Mas será, que qualquer um que não ouvir minhas palavras que ele falar em meu nome, eu lhe exigirei prestar contas.

20Porém o profeta que presumir falar palavra em meu nome, que eu não lhe tenha mandado falar, ou que falar em nome de deuses alheios, o tal profeta morrerá.

21E se disseres em teu coração: Como conheceremos a palavra que o SENHOR não houver falado?

22Quando o profeta falar em nome do SENHOR, e não for a tal coisa, nem vier, é palavra que o SENHOR não falou: com soberba a falou aquele profeta: não tenhas medo dele.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses details the support of priests and Levites through the people's offerings, forbids every form of divination, sorcery, and occultism practiced by the Canaanite nations, and promises that God would raise up 'a prophet like unto Moses' to continue guiding the people, with clear criteria for distinguishing true prophecy from false.

Explanation

The extensive prohibition of occult practices (divination, sorcery, necromancy) contrasts the legitimate way of seeking divine guidance — through the authentic prophets God would raise up — with the manipulative and deceptive methods common among Israel's neighboring nations. The promise of 'a prophet like unto Moses' is one of the most significant messianic prophecies of the Old Testament: while it had an immediate fulfillment in the succession of prophets throughout Israel's history, both Jewish and Christian tradition (Acts 3:22, 7:37) saw in it an anticipation of a definitive, singular prophetic figure. The practical test for a prophet — whether his word came to pass or not — offered an objective, verifiable test, though it required patience and time to confirm.

Fun facts

  • The promise of 'a prophet like unto Moses' (v. 15, 18) is quoted directly by Peter in Acts 3:22 and by Stephen in Acts 7:37 as referring to Jesus, making it one of the Old Testament texts most cited in the New Testament as a fulfilled messianic prophecy.
  • The list of forbidden practices ('that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire... a divinator, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer,' v. 10-11) is one of the most complete enumerations of occult practices in the whole Bible, and remains a reference point for theological discussions about spiritism and the occult to this day.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 18:1It establishes that the Levitical priests live off the offerings made by fire to God, since they receive no land like the other tribes.
  2. Deuteronômio 18:2It repeats that the lack of a territorial inheritance is made up for by the LORD Himself being the symbolic “inheritance” of the Levites.
  3. Deuteronômio 18:3It concretely defines the priests’ due: specific parts of the sacrificed animal, such as the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw.
  4. Deuteronômio 18:4Besides the meat, the priests received the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, and wool, sustaining the service at the sanctuary.
  5. Deuteronômio 18:5It justifies these privileges by divine choice: God set apart the tribe of Levi from among all the others to serve permanently in His name.
  6. Deuteronômio 18:6It guarantees any Levite, living in any town, the right to go serve at the central sanctuary whenever he wished.
  7. Deuteronômio 18:7Upon arrival, that Levite would have the same rights of service as the Levites already established there.
  8. Deuteronômio 18:8He would also be entitled to an equal share of support, regardless of whether he already had some family income of his own.
  9. Deuteronômio 18:9The list of forbidden practices — divination, sorcery, consulting spirits, magic — describes the religious methods common among neighboring peoples for predicting the future or speaking with the dead. The alternative offered in the next verse is listening to a prophet sent by God, not these methods.
  10. Deuteronômio 18:10It explicitly forbids child sacrifice and various forms of divination, practices common among Canaanite peoples.
  11. Deuteronômio 18:11It continues the list of prohibitions: charms, consulting spirits, sorcery, and necromancy — speaking with the dead.
  12. Deuteronômio 18:12The reason given is direct: these practices are an abomination to God, and it is because of them that He drives these nations out of the land.
  13. Deuteronômio 18:13In contrast to these practices, the requirement for Israel is complete integrity before God.
  14. Deuteronômio 18:14It acknowledges that the neighboring nations rely on diviners and soothsayers, but this was never permitted to Israel.
  15. Deuteronômio 18:15The promise of a “Prophet... like unto me” raised up by God was read by generations of Jews as pointing to a specific future prophet, and later, by New Testament writers, as a reference to Jesus. It’s a verse with different readings depending on the tradition.
  16. Deuteronômio 18:16It explains the origin of this arrangement: the people themselves, at Horeb, asked not to hear God’s direct voice or see the fire anymore, for fear of dying.
  17. Deuteronômio 18:17God approves this request from the people, acknowledging that they did well to ask for an intermediary.
  18. Deuteronômio 18:18He promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, putting God’s own words in his mouth to speak to the people.
  19. Deuteronômio 18:19Whoever did not listen to the words of that future prophet would have to answer directly to God.
  20. Deuteronômio 18:20But the prophet who spoke on his own, without a command from God, or in the name of other gods, was to be put to death.
  21. Deuteronômio 18:21The test for knowing whether a prophet truly speaks for God is simple: his word must come true. If what he announced doesn’t happen, it’s a sign he spoke on his own, not in the name of the LORD.
  22. Deuteronômio 18:22It gives the practical criterion for recognizing a false prophet: if a word spoken in God’s name does not come true, it did not come from God.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.