Deuteronomy 18:19

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Word by word

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אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ

dârash

H1875

“to seek”

Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular

Appears 165× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Genesis 9:5

Full BDB Definition

Origin: a primitive root

TWOT: 455

to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require - (Qal) - to resort to, frequent (a place), (tread a place) - to consult, enquire of, seek - of God - of heathen gods, necromancers - to seek deity in prayer and worship - God - heathen deities - to seek (with a demand), demand, require - to investigate, enquire - to ask for, require, demand - to practice, study, follow, seek with application - to seek with care, care for - (Niphal) - to allow oneself to be enquired of, consulted (only of God) - to be sought, be sought out - to be required (of blood)

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

13: words
12: distinct lemmas
Pentateuch: section

Grammatical profile

4 verbs
3 nouns
1 pronoun
2 prepositions
3 particles

Verb forms

וְהָיָ֗ה Qal · Sequential Perfect
יִשְׁמַע֙ Qal · Imperfect
יְדַבֵּ֖ר Piel · Imperfect
אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ Qal · Imperfect

Repetition

A word recurs within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

אֲשֶׁ֤ר which H834 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 24 words from the Hebrew and 22 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 13 Hebrew tokens and 20 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Deuteronomy 18:19 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Acts 3:22–23 For Moses indeed said to the fathers, 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you.
Hebrews 2:3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation-- which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard;
Hebrews 12:25–26 See that you don't refuse him who speaks. For if they didn't escape when they refused him who warned on the Earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven,
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you will hear his voice,
Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Deuteronomy 18:19 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

וְהָיָ֗ה הָאִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא יִשְׁמַע֙ אֶל דְּבָרַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְדַבֵּ֖ר בִּשְׁמִ֑י אָנֹכִ֖י אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ מֵעִמּֽוֹ

It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Deuteronomy 18:19 Septuagint · lemma form

καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅς ἐάν μή ἀκούω ὅσος ἐάν λαλέω ὁ προφήτης ἐπί ὁ ὄνομα ἐγώ ἐγώ ἐκδικέω ἐκ αὐτός

And whatever man shall not listen to whatever words that prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

On this verse, The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges discusses the Septuagint’s reading. Read the note in Commentary ↓

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)

The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.

Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וִיהֵי גַבְרָא דִי לָא יְקַבֵּל לְפִתְגָמַי דִי יְמַלֵל בִּשְׁמִי מֵימְרִי יִתְבַּע מִנֵהּ

(no public-domain English translation for this verse)

Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וִיהֵי גַבְרָא דְלָא יִתְקַבֵּל פִּתְגָמֵי נְבוּאָתִי דִימַלֵּיל בִּשְׁמִי מֵימְרִי יִפְרַע מִנֵּיהּ

and the man who will not hearken to the words of My prophecy which shall be spoken in My Name, My Word shall take vengeance upon him.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Commentary

Notes on Deuteronomy 18:19 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Tyndale Open Resources

18:19 Not to listen to the Lord’s spokesman is not to listen to the Lord.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

By executing punishment upon him.

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

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown

whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him--The direful consequences of unbelief in Christ, and disregard of His mission, the Jewish people have been experiencing during eighteen hundred years.

Next: Deuteronomy Chapter 19

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

19. whosoever will not hearken … I will require it of him] Cp. the confidence of Jer_26:12-15; Jer_29:8 f., Jer_29:18 ff. (the punishment exacted for not hearkening to God’s word), Jer_35:13 ff. LXX B omits my words; Sam. LXX most codd. his words. Require, darash, Jer_23:21 (22).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

But the prophet which shall presume to speak in my name,.... Pretending a mission and commission from God, and yet was never sent by him, like the prophets in Jer 23:21,

which I have not commanded him to speak; which though true was not to be spoken in a public manner, by assuming a public office, without a divine authority or a commission from God, and much less what was false, and never commanded to be spoken at all by any:

or, that shall speak in the name of other gods; the idols of the people, as the Targum; as if any should affirm they were sent by Jove, or inspired by Apollo, as some are said to prophesy by Baal, as if they had received their orders and instructions from him, and were inspired by him, Jer 2:8.

even that prophet shall die; the Targum of Jonathan is, be killed by the sword, but the Jews (q) generally interpret it of strangling.

(q) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. 1. Bartenora in ib sect. 5. and Jarchi in loc.

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

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Revenger. St. Peter (Acts iii. 23,) reads, And it shall be that every soul which will not hear that prophet; (instead of Hebrew, "my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him,") or he shall be destroyed from among the people. (Tertullian, contra Mar. iv. 22.) (Haydock) --- God now chastises the faithless Jews. (Du Hamel)

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).

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

i.e. I will punish him severely for it, as this phrase is taken, Gen 9:5; 42:22. The sad effect of this threatening the Jews have felt for above sixteen hundred years together.

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

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

19. Compare what our Lord says in Joh_12:48-49.

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

The Pulpit Commentary

Vers. 19-22. To the Prophet who should thus speak to the people all that God should command him, they were to pay the utmost deference, and to his words they were to render implicit obedience.

I will require it of him; I will judge him and punish his disobedience (cf. Gen_42:22; 2Sa_4:11; Psa_10:13, etc.)

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

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

I will require it - I will punish him severely for it. The sad effect of this threatning the Jews have felt for above sixteen hundred years together.

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

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Deuteronomy, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 13 words (12 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is dârash (“to seek”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

How does “to seek” (dârash) shape what this verse is saying?
Acts 3:22–23 shares this passage’s theme. How do the two illuminate each other?
“which” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
The verb «וְהָיָ֗ה» is Qal Sequential Perfect. How does its form color the action?
Reading how Tyndale Open Study Notes and Geneva Bible (1599) read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

This verse counts 13 Hebrew ↔ 20 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 14 words in this verse.
“which” occurs 2× in this single verse.
12 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 13 words in this verse.