Deuteronomy 18:17 meaning
Amid the significant instructions given to the Israelites, a critical promise emerges in this passage: the assurance of a prophet like Moses. This divine appointment addresses a key moment when the people, overwhelmed by God's direct communication at Sinai, expressed their desire for God to speak through human intermediaries rather than directly. Thus, God promises to raise a prophet from among them who would communicate His words, fulfilling the people's request and maintaining a connection between God and His chosen people.
The core of Deuteronomy 18:17 highlights this prophetic role, stating that this promised figure will speak on God's behalf. This expectation not only encompasses a succession of prophets throughout Israel's history but points ultimately to Jesus Christ, who fulfills the role of the greatest prophet. His teachings, as recorded in the New Testament, validate Moses’ foresight and serve as a reminder of the necessity to heed the words of God's chosen emissaries. Rejecting this prophet's message ultimately incurs serious consequences, emphasizing the weight of divine communication.
In the words of Scripture, The LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. (Deuteronomy 18:17 NASB95).
This quick synopsis was AI autogenerated utilizing existing TheBibleSays commentaries as the primary source material. To read a related commentary that has been fully developed, see the list below. If there is an issue with this summary please let us know by emailing:[email protected]
Deeper Commentary Covering this Verse:
- Deuteronomy 18:15-22 meaning. Moses then told the Israelites that after his death, the LORD would raise up prophets like himself. The people were to turn to these godly prophets for communication with God. God also predicts Jesus will be a prophet like Moses.
Other Relevant Commentaries:
- Numbers 11:16-25 meaning. Numbers 11:16-25 contains the LORD’s answer to Moses’ question.
- Matthew 23:37-39 meaning. Jesus’s final public teaching before His arrest was a lament and acknowledgment of His people’s rejection of Him as the Messiah. It was coupled with a prophetic promise that He would be received by His people upon His return to earth at His second coming.
- Acts 9:19b-25 meaning. Saul immediately begins preaching in Damascus that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah. Everyone is amazed. They knew Saul beforehand as a persecutor of believers, and now he was a believer himself. Some of the Jews in Damascus plot to kill him for his betrayal, but he catches wind of this and escapes the city by night.