Deuteronomy 17:17
And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse doesn't just warn against having too many wives and too much wealth; it highlights the reason for these restrictions: the king's heart turning away. This wasn't about the king being ostentatious, but about the genuine danger that excess possessions—whether wives or riches—could corrupt his devotion to God and lead him astray from his responsibilities.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing the laws for Israel's future king, outlining both the qualifications and restrictions that would govern his rule. Following instructions on how to choose a king and manage the nation's resources, this verse specifically addresses how a king should handle personal wealth and relationships to prevent his heart from straying from God and his duties. The prohibitions here are meant to guard against the pride and idolatry that often accompanied royalty in surrounding nations, ensuring the king remained devoted to the Lord and just in his dealings with his people.
Why would God put specific restrictions on a king's personal life? It wasn't just about power, but about the king's inner world.
This verse is a crucial part of the instructions for Israel's kings. It's not just about outward show, but about guarding the king's inner devotion. The warnings against multiplying wives and excessive wealth aren't arbitrary rules; they're designed to prevent the king's heart from drifting away from God and his responsibilities.
The Danger of 'Turning Away'
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These restrictions were guardrails, meant to keep the king tethered to God and his people, preventing personal desires from corrupting his leadership and the nation's spiritual health.
When Israel wanted a king, God didn't say 'no,' but He did lay down some serious ground rules. What does this tell us about His perspective on human authority?
Deuteronomy 17 wasn't just about setting up a monarchy; it was about redefining monarchy within God's covenant with Israel. God, the ultimate King, was establishing boundaries for the human king He allowed them to have.
Divine Authority and Human Kingship
This passage reminds us that all authority on earth is ultimately under God's authority. Even those in positions of leadership are meant to be governed by His principles, not their own desires.
Understand the original words
lebab · Hebrew Noun
A person's inner life, encompassing the intellect, emotions, will, and conscience. Biblically, it is the center of human decision-making and the seat of one's moral character, which God examines to determine true loyalty.
This passage shows the negative consequences of a king multiplying wives, directly illustrating the warning in Deuteronomy by describing Solomon's heart being turned away to foreign gods due to his many foreign wives.
Proverbs 30:7-9Agur's prayer expresses a desire to be kept from lying and deceit, and also from extreme poverty and riches, reflecting the concern in Deuteronomy that excessive wealth can lead to pride and forgetting God.
1 Timothy 6:10This New Testament passage warns that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, echoing the Old Testament caution that the accumulation of riches can lead to spiritual compromise and detachment from God.
Matthew 6:24Jesus teaches that no one can serve two masters, God and money, highlighting the internal conflict and danger of divided loyalties that Deuteronomy warns about concerning the king's heart being turned away by excessive wealth.
gillDeuteronomy 17:17: "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold."
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away,.... From attending to the duty of his office, the care and government of his people, and from serious religion; and particularly from the worship of the true God, as the heart of Solomon was turned away from it by his numerous idolatrous wives, 1 Kings 11:3 , it is a…
calvinDeuteronomy 17:14-20: "When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;"
When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Quum ingressus fueris terrain quam Jehova Deus tuus dat tibi, et…
The verse doesn't just warn against having too many wives and too much wealth; it highlights the reason for these restrictions: the king's heart turning away. This wasn't about the king being ostentatious, but about the genuine danger that excess possessions—whether wives or riches—could corrupt his devotion to God and lead him astray from his responsibilities.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing the laws for Israel's future king, outlining both the qualifications and restrictions that would govern his rule. Following instructions on how to choose a king and manage the nation's resources, this verse specifically addresses how a king should handle personal wealth and relationships to prevent his heart from straying from God and his duties. The prohibitions here are meant to guard against the pride and idolatry that often accompanied royalty in surrounding nations, ensuring the king remained devoted to the Lord and just in his dealings with his people.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing the laws for Israel's future king, outlining both the qualifications and restrictions that would govern his rule. Following instructions on how to choose a king and manage the nation's resources, this verse specifically addresses how a king should handle personal wealth and relationships to prevent his heart from straying from God and his duties. The prohibitions here are meant to guard against the pride and idolatry that often accompanied royalty in surrounding nations, ensuring the king remained devoted to the Lord and just in his dealings with his people.
"And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold." — The verse doesn't just warn against having too many wives and too much wealth; it highlights the reason for these restrictions: the king's heart turning away. This wasn't about the king being osten…
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