Deuteronomy 18:14

Deu 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so [to do].

Ver. 14. Hath not suffered thee so to do.] He hath showed thee a more excellent way, and kept thee from these devoratory evils, as Tertullian calleth them; so ordering the matter, that "that evil one toucheth them not" with any deadly touch. {1Jn 5:18} For either he suffers not his to be tempted above strength, {1Co 10:13} or else he withholds the occasion, when temptation hath prevailed to procure consent and purpose, &c.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, but thou not so.

Hebrew, given or appointed.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(14) The Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.—More literally, As for thee, not so hath Jehovah thy God given unto thee. A prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, will Jehovah thy God raise up unto thee. Him shall ye hear. The contrast between the miserable resources of idolatrous nations in their anxiety, and the light and comfort promised to Israel and to us, in the One Mediator, is very marked here. Even Israel was better off than the heathen. As Rashi says upon the words “not so,” &c., “He hath not left thee to hearken to observers of times and enchanters; for behold He hath given Shechinah to rest upon the prophets, and Urim and Thummim.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet,.... Not Joshua, as Aben Ezra, not Jeremiah, as Baal Haturim, nor David (o), as others; nor a succession of prophets, as Jarchi; for a single person is only spoken of; and there is a dissimilitude between Moses and anyone of the prophets, and all of them in succession, Deu 34:10, but the Messiah, with whom the whole agrees; and upon this the expectation of a prophet among the Jews was raised, Joh 6:14 and is applied to him, and referred to as belonging to him in Act 3:22, who was a prophet mighty in word and deed, and not only foretold future events, as his own sufferings and death, and resurrection from the dead, the destruction of Jerusalem, and other things; but taught and instructed men in the knowledge of divine things, spake as never man did, preached the Gospel fully and faithfully, so that as the law came by Moses, the doctrine of grace and truth came by him; and he was raised up of God, called, sent, commissioned and qualified by him for the office of a prophet, as well as was raised from the dead as a confirmation of his being that extraordinary person:

from the midst of thee; he was of Israel, according to the flesh, of the tribe of Judah, and of the house of David, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, preached only in Judea, and was raised from the dead in the midst of them, and of which they were witnesses:

of thy brethren; the Israelites, of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, and to whom he was sent as a prophet, and among whom he only preached:

like unto me; the Targum of Jonathan adds,"in the Holy Spirit;''which he received without measure, and in respect of which was superior to Moses, or any of the prophets: he was like to Moses in the faithful discharge of his office, in his familiar converse with God, in the miracles which he wrought; as well as in his being a Mediator, and the Redeemer of his people, as Moses was a mediator between God and the people of Israel, and the deliverer of them out of Egypt; and it is a saying of the Jews (p) themselves,"as was the first redeemer, so is the second:"

unto him ye shall hearken; externally attend on his ministry, internally receive his doctrine, embrace and profess it; do what is heard from him, hear him, and not another, always and in all things; see Mat 17:5.

(o) Herbanus in Disputat. cum Gregent. p. 13. col. 2. (p) Midrash Kohelet, fol. 63. 2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

God, who has already informed thee how to proceed in difficult emergencies, (chap. xvii. 8,) by having recourse to the council of priests, and will also, after any death, send in due time a succession of true prophets. Hebrew, "God hath not suffered thee" to imitate those nations; (Haydock) or those prophets, whom the Lord thy God will give thee, shall not resemble these (Calmet) soothsayers (or observers of times) and diviners. (Haydock) --- They shall be filled with my spirit. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Hath not suffered thee to follow thy own vain mind, and these superstitions and diabolical practices, as he hath suffered other nations to do, Act 14:16, but hath instructed thee better by his word and Spirit, and thereby kept thee from such courses, and will more fully instruct thee by a great Prophet, &c. Or, hath not given to thee, to wit, such persons to consult with, but hath given thee prophets to instruct thee, and will in due time give thee an eminent Prophet, as it here follows.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. For these nations — The various peoples inhabiting the land of Canaan.

Which thou shalt possess — Whose territory they should possess.

Hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners — The prohibitions in other passages lead us to infer how general were those practices among the heathen. Comp. Lev_19:31; Lev_20:6.

But as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do — Literally, But do not thou thus: Jehovah thy God doth not permit thee.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Though the heathen whose land they were to possess sought to diviners and enchanters, Israel was not to do so; as for them (the hT; aat the beginning of the clause is an emphatic nominative), Jehovah their God had not suffered (tn given, granted, allowed) them to do such things.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hath not suffered thee so to do - Hath not suffered thee to follow these superstitious and diabolical practices, as he hath suffered other nations to do, but hath instructed thee better by his word and spirit, and will more fully instruct thee by a great prophet.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

לא כן נתן לך ה' אלהיך BUT NOT SO HATH THE LORD THY GOD SUFFERED THEE [TO DO] — i.e. to hearken unto מעוננים and קוסמים, for you see, He has made His Divine Presence dwell upon the prophets and upon the “Urim and Thummim” (and these will, if necessary, inform thee of what God has in store for thee).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.