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Deuteronomy

About this book
Chapter 27

1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Pay attention to all the commandments I am giving you today. 2 When you cross the Jordan River to the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must erect great stones and cover them with plaster. 3 Then you must inscribe on them all the words of this law when you cross over, so that you may enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to you. 4 So when you cross the Jordan you must erect on Mount Ebal these stones⁠ about which I am commanding you today, and you must cover them with plaster. 5 Then you must build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones—do not use an iron tool on them.⁠ 6 You must build the altar of the Lord your God with whole stones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 Also you must offer fellowship offerings and eat them there, rejoicing before the Lord your God. 8 You must inscribe on the stones all the words of this law, making them clear.”⁠ 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be quiet and pay attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You must obey him and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you today.” 11 Moreover, Moses commanded the people that day: 12 “The following tribes must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 “The Levites will call out to every Israelite with a loud voice: 15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or metal image—something abhorrent to the Lord, the work of the craftsman—and sets it up in a secret place.’⁠ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 16 ‘Cursed is the one who disrespects his father and mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’⁠ 18 ‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 20 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his father’s former wife, for he dishonors his father.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 21 ‘Cursed is the one who commits bestiality.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 22 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his sister, the daughter of either his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’⁠ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’⁠ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 27:15 and Judges 17:3

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Deuteronomy 27 curses anyone who makes a carved or metal idol and calls the act abhorrent. Judges 17 follows this by showing Micah violating that command when he makes a carved and molten idol, using the same language.

Passages

Deuteronomy 27:15

Hebrew Bible
13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 “The Levites will call out to every Israelite with a loud voice: 15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or metal image—something abhorrent to the Lord, the work of the craftsman—and sets it up in a secret place.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 16 ‘Cursed is the one who disrespects his father and mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Judges 17:3

Hebrew Bible
1 There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. 2 He said to his mother, “You know the 1,100 pieces of silver which were stolen from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole it, but now I am giving it back to you.” His mother said, “May the Lord reward you, my son!” 3 When he gave back to his mother the 1,100 pieces of silver, his mother said, “I solemnly dedicate this silver to the Lord. It will be for my son’s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.” 4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took 200 pieces of silver to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house. 5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine. He made an ephod and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Judges

References

"... Given the general reading of Deuteronomy 5:8 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image [that is] any form” (Deuteronomy 4:16, 23, 25) (taken originally from Exodus 20:4, “You shall not make an image and any form”), Weinfeld argues that the image ban is in fact far more comprehensive in its attack on all forms of iconoltary than the first commandment as it originally stood (Weinfeld 1991, 290). This Image Ban prohibits the production of a pesel “carved image” kal tmuna “of any likeness/form” and is also against massekah “molten image” (Deuteronomy 27:15, Judges 17:3, 4; 18:14; compare Exodus 34:17, Leviticus 19:4 ’elohei massekah; Weinfeld 1991, 290). It shows at its core a desire to eradicate the practice of fashioning other deities for worship (Mettinger 1997, 176; Levine 2007, 358-359) ..."
Bronwen Manning-Rozenblum, The Historical Probability of Hezekiah’s Reform (2 Kgs 18:4) and the Character of Yahwism in the Late Eighth Century BCE (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2010), 62.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 27:15 and Judges 17:3

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