Deuteronomy 18:20

20. the prophet, etc.] These special cases prove that throughout this passage no single prophet but a succession of prophets is meant.

which shall speak presumptuously, etc.] Heb. who shall be presumptuous (Deu_17:12, see on Deu_1:43) to speak a word, etc. It is notorious how many such ‘prophets’ appeared in Israel both before and during the seventh century (see Jeremiah passim). On the rest of the v. see on Deu_13:1-5.

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.

And if thou say in thine heart, &c. Such a thought arises in the mind, and it appears to be a difficulty, and a query is made upon it:

how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? What marks, signs, and criterions are those by which it may be known that it is not a word that comes from the Lord?

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

Compare the marginal references.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

CHAPTER XVIII.

To say. These denote heretics, as the following point out apostates. (Worthington)

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).

20. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak — Deu_13:5.

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

If, however, a prophet should presume to speak in the Name of the Lord what the Lord had not commanded him to speak, or if he should speak in the name of other gods, not only was no regard to be paid to his words, but he was himself to be treated as a blasphemer, and to be put to death.

Vers. 20-22. The false prophet.

The failure of the word of a prophet was decisive proof that he had not spoken by Divine inspiration. Had his word not failed, it would not have followed that he was a true prophet, but it showed conclusively that he was a false one when his word did fail.

I CERTAINTY OF FULFILLMENT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF GOD"S WORDS. If e.g. the prophecies of the Scriptures could be shown to have been falsified by events, it would, by the rule laid down in this fundamental prophetic charter, conclusively disprove their claims to inspiration. It is vain to think of defending the inspiration of the prophets, while conceding, with rationalistic writers, occasional failures in their predictions. The prophets themselves do not shrink from this test, but confidently appeal to it. (Isa_34:16) This shows how different their inspiration was from the ordinary inspiration of genius, both in their estimation of it and in fact. No man of genius, however wide his range of vision, be he a Bacon, a Shakespeare, a Goethe, or a Carlyle, would like to rest his reputation on the absolute unfailingness of his words. While prophecy affords conspicuous instances of the certainty of fulfillment characteristic of God"s words, it is to be remembered that this certainty inheres in all God"s words alike. No word of God or of Christ will fall to the ground unfulfilled. (Mat_24:35) The thought should comfort God"s people, and make his enemies tremble. Applies to promises and threatenings equally with predictions and doctrines.

II THE PREDICTIONS OF SCRIPTURE ABIDE THIS TEST OF TRUE PROPHECY. The force of the evidence from prophecy can only be properly felt by those who have been at pains to examine the Bible predictions in detail. But it does not need more than an examination of the principal instances to convince us that here we have no chance guess-work, no mere forecasting of natural sagacity. We might point to the predictions in Deuteronomy respecting the future of the Jewish nation, and the punishment which would overtake them for their sins; (Deu_4:25-29 Deu_28:45-68) or to the Messianic prophecies; (e.g. Isa 53) or to particular predictions delivered long before the events predicted occurred, or could have been foreseen, as when Amos (B.C. 787) predicts of Israel at a time when the king and nobles were lying on beds of ivory, and indulging in every species of dissipation and amusement will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose Name is The God of hosts", (Amo_5:27) or when Micah (B.C. 710), a hundred, years before the Captivity, foretells of Judah, Zion for your sake shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps"; (Mic_3:12) "Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there shall the Lord redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies". (Mic_4:10) Discovery has not tended to discredit, but in several striking instances has confirmed the truth of prophecy, as in regard to Ezekiel"s prediction of the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, (Deu_29:8-16) a prediction pronounced by Kueuen and skeptical critics to be a mere guess, falsified by the event, but now strikingly confirmed from a contemporary hieroglyphic inscription (see Expositor, vol. 10.). And while it is true that an isolated sign and wonder is not proof sufficient of Divine inspiration, (De 13) it is certain that, taking into account the character of the prophets, the kind and number of their predictions, the holiness of their message, and the coherence of what they taught with earlier revelations, the evidence of their Divine commission is as strong as could be wished is, in fact, decisive. J.O.

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

Of False Prophets

v. 20. But the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in My name, with insolent haughtiness, which I have not commanded him to speak, whose message therefore is altogether false, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die, be put to death for promulgating falsehoods which took away the honor of the Lord.

v. 21. And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath spoken? How may any one be sure of the truth, since all the false teachers claim a divine call, a divine mission? The Lord gives the answer.

v. 22. When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, the fact that the prophecy is not fulfilled proves it to have been a falsehood, as so many predictions of modern sects regarding the date of the Day of Judgment have been found to be lies, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him. If, in addition to this, a person compares the teaching of the false prophets with the plain statements of Holy Writ, he will have an infallible guide to keep him from error, Deu 13:2 ff. We Christians have our refuge and our salvation in Christ alone, who as the Prophet of God speaks to us in His Word.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Yahweh continues speaking.

who speaks a word arrogantly

"who dares to speak a message" or "who is arrogant enough to speak a message"

in my name

Here "my name" refers to Yahweh himself and his authority. AT: "for me" or "with my authority" (See: Metonymy)

a word

"a message"

who speaks in the name of other gods

Here "name" represents the gods themselves or their authority. This means the prophet claims that false gods told him to speak a certain message. (See: Metonymy)

This is what you must say in your heart

Here "heart" represents the thoughts of a person. AT: "You ask yourself" or "You must say to yourself" (See: Metonymy)

How will we recognize a message that Yahweh has not spoken?

"How will we know if the message that the prophet speaks is from Yahweh?" Here "we" refers to the people of Israel.

translationWords

arrogant

name

command

false god

heart

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

אשר לא צויתיו לדבר [BUT THE PROPHET WHO SHALL PRESUME TO SPEAK A WORD …] WHICH I HAVE NOT COMMANDED HIM TO SPEAK — but which I may have commanded his fellow-prophet to speak (Sanhedrin 89a),

ואשר ידבר בשם אלהים אחרים OR THAT SHALL SPEAK IN THE NAME OF OTHER GODS — even though he be in exact agreement with the Halacha, — that he forbids what is forbidden, or permits what is permitted, [but does so in the name of other gods] (Sanhedrin 89a),

ומת HE SHALL DIE — by strangulation. — There are three false prophets who must be put to death by man (by the court): one who prophesies something which he has not heard (was not commanded to prophesy); one who prophesies something that was not spoken unto him but was spoken unto his fellow-prophet, and finally one who prophesies in the name of an idol. But he who suppresses his prophecy (does not utter it as commanded to do), and he who transgresses the words of a prophet, or, being himself a prophet, transgresses his own words — their death is by the Heavenly Judge, for it is said, (v. 19) “I” will require it from him” (Sanhedrin 89a).

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.

AND HE THAT SHALL SPEAK IN THE NAME OF OTHER GODS — “even if [his false prophecy] corresponded to the law, prohibiting what is forbidden, and permitting what is permitted. HE SHALL DIE — by strangulation.” This is Rashi’s language from the Sifre. 177-178. Now the intent thereof is not to state that if a person came and said, “In my dream I saw that Peor said to me that you should be heedful in observing the commandment of the palm-branch,” that he be liable to the death penalty — rather, in that case he is innocent. And if he said that you should do it [the commandment] in order to worship that abomination, then he is a false prophet who prophesies to worship an idol, and even if he were to say it in the name of G-d his punishment is stoning. But the case here is that he said “I saw Peor for he is god and he commanded not to eat the flesh of the swine.” Similarly, if he were to tell in its name that such-and-such [an event] is to happen, since he says that it is that worshipped object that speaks and does, decrees and fulfills, he is to be put to death by strangulation. Therefore, the Rabbis have said in the Gemara: “‘He who prophesies in the name of an idol,’ means such as the prophets of Baal.” They are the ones who would say that Baal is god, just as it is written, If the Eternal be G-d, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. They used to prophesy in his name, Go up [to Ramoth-gilead], and prosper, for the Eternal will deliver it into the hand of the king, 22:12. their intent being to say that Baal is the lord who has this glorified name, and it is he who will give Ramoth-gilead into the hand of [king] Ahab.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.