Deuteronomy 17:15
New International Version
be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.

New Living Translation
If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.

English Standard Version
you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

Berean Standard Bible
you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

King James Bible
Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

New King James Version
you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

New American Standard Bible
you shall in fact appoint a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses. One from among your countrymen you shall appoint as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves, anyone who is not your countryman.

NASB 1995
you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.

NASB 1977
you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.

Legacy Standard Bible
you shall surely set a king over you whom Yahweh your God chooses, one from among your brothers you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your brother.

Amplified Bible
you shall most certainly set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses. You shall set a king over you from among your countrymen (brothers); you may not choose a foreigner [to rule] over you who is not your countryman.

Christian Standard Bible
you are to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
you are to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people.

American Standard Version
thou shalt surely set him king over thee, whom Jehovah thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Certainly raise up over you a King whom LORD JEHOVAH your God has chosen for himself; raise up a King over you from among your brethren; it is not authorized for you that you raise up a foreign man over you who was not from your brethren.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
thou shalt surely set over thee the ruler whom the Lord God shall choose: of thy brethren thou shalt set over thee a ruler; thou shalt not have power to set over thee a stranger, because he is not thy brother.

Contemporary English Version
Go ahead and appoint a king, but make sure that he is an Israelite and that he is the one the LORD has chosen.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt set him whom the Lord thy God shall choose out of the number of thy brethren. Thou mayst not make a man of another nation king, that is not thy brother.

English Revised Version
thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, which is not thy brother.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Be sure to appoint the king the LORD your God will choose. He must be one of your own people. Never let a foreigner be king, because he's not one of your own people.

Good News Translation
Be sure that the man you choose to be king is the one whom the LORD has chosen. He must be one of your own people; do not make a foreigner your king.

International Standard Version
You will certainly set a king over you, whom the LORD your God will choose from among your relatives, but you must not place a foreign king over you who is not from your relatives.

JPS Tanakh 1917
thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.

Literal Standard Version
you certainly set a king over you on whom YHWH fixes; you set a king over you from the midst of your brothers; you are not able to set a stranger over you, who is not your brother.

Majority Standard Bible
you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

New American Bible
you may indeed set over you a king whom the LORD, your God, will choose. Someone from among your own kindred you may set over you as king; you may not set over you a foreigner, who is no kin of yours.

NET Bible
you must select without fail a king whom the LORD your God chooses. From among your fellow citizens you must appoint a king--you may not designate a foreigner who is not one of your fellow Israelites.

New Revised Standard Version
you may indeed set over you a king whom the LORD your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community.

New Heart English Bible
you shall surely set him king over yourselves, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from among your brothers you shall set king over you; you may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, who is not thy brother.

World English Bible
you shall surely set him whom Yahweh your God chooses as king over yourselves. You shall set as king over you one from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

Young's Literal Translation
thou dost certainly set over thee a king on whom Jehovah doth fix; from the midst of thy brethren thou dost set over thee a king; thou art not able to set over thee a stranger, who is not thy brother.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Guidelines for a King
14When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers. 16But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’…

Cross References
1 Samuel 8:5
"Look," they said, "you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations."

1 Samuel 10:24
Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

1 Samuel 16:3
Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate."

Jeremiah 30:21
Their leader will be one of their own, and their ruler will arise from their midst. And I will bring him near, and he will approach Me, for who would dare on his own to approach Me?" declares the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

You shall in any wise set him king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from among your brothers shall you set king over you: you may not set a stranger over you, which is not your brother.

whom

1 Samuel 9:15-17
Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, …

1 Samuel 10:24
And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

1 Samuel 16:12,13
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he…

from among

Jeremiah 30:21
And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.

Matthew 22:17
Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

not set

Jeremiah 2:25
Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.

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Deuteronomy 17
1. The things sacrificed must be sound
2. Idolaters must be slain
8. Hard controversies are to be determined by the priests and judges
12. The one who shows contempt for the judge must die
14. The election
16. and duty of a king














Verse 15. - The prohibition to choose a foreigner indicates that the people had the right of election. In what way this was to be exercised, and how it was subject to the Divine choice, is not declared. Judging from what actually happened in subsequent history, it would appear that only on special occasions, such as the election of the first king or a change of dynasty, did God take the initiative, and through a prophet direct the choice of the people; ultimately the monarchy became hereditary, and it was understood that the prince who succeeded to the throne did so with the Divine approval, unless the opposite was expressly intimated by a message from God.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
you are to appoint
שׂ֣וֹם (śō·wm)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

over yourselves
עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the king
מֶ֔לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

shall choose.
יִבְחַ֛ר (yiḇ·ḥar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 977: To try, select

Appoint
תָּשִׂ֤ים (tā·śîm)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

a king
מֶ֔לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

from among
מִקֶּ֣רֶב (miq·qe·reḇ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

your brothers;
אַחֶ֗יךָ (’a·ḥe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

you are not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to set
לָתֵ֤ת (lā·ṯêṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

a foreigner
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

over yourselves,
עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

or one
הֽוּא׃ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

who
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

is not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

of your brothers.
אָחִ֖יךָ (’ā·ḥî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 17:15 You shall surely set him king over (Deut. De Du)
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