Deuteronomy 13:16

You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, and all of its plunder, to Yahweh your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, with all of its plunder, to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.

BSB

And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.

KJV

And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.

ASV

And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, unto Jehovah thy God: and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.

BBE

And take all the goods into the middle of its open space, burning the town and all its property with fire as an offering to the Lord your God; it is to be a waste for ever; there is to be no more building there.

Original Hebrew

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וְאֶת־ ve·'et and (marks the object) H853 כָּל־ kol- all H3605 שְׁלָלָהּ she·la·lah plunder its H7998 תִּקְבֹּץ tik·botz you will gather H6908 אֶל־ 'el- into H413 תּוֹךְ tokh [the] middle of H8432 רְחֹבָהּ re·cho·vah open place its H7339 וְשָׂרַפְתָּ ve·sa·raf·ta and you will burn H8313 בָאֵשׁ va·'esh with (the) fire H784 אֶת־ 'et- (marks the object) H853 הָעִיר ha·'ir the city H5892 וְאֶת־ ve·'et and (marks the object) H853 כָּל־ kol- all H3605 שְׁלָלָהּ she·la·lah plunder its H7998 כָּלִיל ka·lil a whole offering H3632 לַיהוָה la·yah·weh to Yahweh H3068 אֱלֹהֶיךָ 'e·lo·hei·kha God your H430 וְהָיְתָה ve·ha·ye·tah and it will be H1961 תֵּל tel a mound of H8510 עוֹלָם o·lam perpetuity H5769 לֹא lo' not H3808 תִבָּנֶה ti·ba·neh it will be built H1129 עוֹד od again H5750

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 12–18

Here is the case of a city revolting from the God of Israel, and serving other gods. The crime is supposed to be committed by one of the cities of Israel. Even when they were ordered to preserve their religion by force, yet they were not allowed to bring others to it by fire and sword. Spiritual judgments under the Christian dispensation are more terrible than the execution of criminals; we have not less cause than the Israelites had, to fear the Divine wrath. Let us then fear the spiritual idolatry of covetousness, and the love of worldly pleasure; and be careful not to countenance them in our families, by our example or by the education of our children. May the Lord write his law and truth in our hearts, there set up his throne, and shed abroad his love!

Read Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 13 →

Cross-references

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.