Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Deuteronomy 13:7 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 7. 7Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Deuteronomy 13:7 extends the proposed rival gods from nearby peoples to distant ones.
Read It With
- Deuteronomy 13:6–11
Read Deuteronomy 13:7 with 13:6–11. It extends the proposed rival gods from nearby peoples to distant ones. The complete unit establishes this contextual meaning: A close relative or friend who secretly invites other worship receives no concealment or pity in the ancient law; witness and community participate in execution so Israel will hear and fear.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Secret Enticement by Kin Is Exposed advances Deuteronomy's movement from remembered wilderness failure through covenant instruction, land-facing law, public choice, leadership succession, witness song, blessing, and Moses' death. Its particular movement is this: A close relative or friend who secretly invites other worship receives no concealment or pity in the ancient law; witness and community participate in execution so Israel will hear and fear. At 13:7, the verse extends the proposed rival gods from nearby peoples to distant ones.
What Remains True
Because Deuteronomy 13:7 extends the proposed rival gods from nearby peoples to distant ones, its proportionate enduring truth is this: Authority remains under truthful evidence, written limits, impartial judgment, public accountability, and protection against concentrated power. This unit also keeps the following boundary explicit: This law does not authorize family surveillance, honor violence, vigilantism, execution, or coercion of conscience today.
How It Can Shape Life
- Verse role: Deuteronomy 13:7 extends the proposed rival gods from nearby peoples to distant ones. Contextual meaning: A close relative or friend who secretly invites other worship receives no concealment or pity in the ancient law; witness and community participate in execution so Israel will hear and fear. Proportionate enduring truth: Authority remains under truthful evidence, written limits, impartial judgment, public accountability, and protection against concentrated power. This unit also keeps the following boundary explicit: This law does not authorize family surveillance, honor violence, vigilantism, execution, or coercion of conscience today. Application: Do not convert an ancient capital loyalty law into family surveillance or honor violence; protect conscience, report real threats through lawful channels, and maintain relationship boundaries without vigilantism.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Deuteronomy 13:6–11 — Secret Enticement by Kin Is ExposedSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Deuteronomy 13:6–11, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Deuteronomy
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech and legal clauses, poetic lines, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Deut.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 13:6–11
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Deuteronomy with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2026-08-12
Supports: Unit-bounded translation, syntax, lexical, legal, poetic, measure, name, and selected textual notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Deuteronomy PDF, complete PDF pp. 1–111, translation and translator notes attached to 13:6–11
Open source ↗