DEU 25

Deuteronomy 25:19

WEB

Therefore it shall be, when Yahweh your God has given you rest from all your enemies all around, in the land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it, that you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky. You shall not forget.

BSB

When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

KJV

Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

Matthew Henry

Verses 13–19

Deuteronomy 25:13–19

Here is, I. A law against deceitful weights and measures: they must not only not use them, but they must not have them, not have them in the bag, not have them in the house (Deu 25:13, Deu 25:14); for, if they had them, they would be strongly tempted to use them. They must not have a great weight and measure to buy by and a small one to sell by, for that was to cheat both ways, when either was bad enough; as we read of those that made the ephah small, in which they measured the corn they sold, and the shekel great, by which they weighed the money they received for it, Amo 8:5. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, v. 15. That which is the rule of justice must itself be just; if that be otherwise, it is a constant cheat. This had been taken care of before, Lev 19:35, Lev 19:36. This law is enforced with two very good reasons: - 1. That justice and equity will bring down upon us the blessing of God. The way to have our days lengthened, and to prosper, is to be just and fair in all our dealings Honesty is the best policy. 2. That fraud and injustice will expose us to the curse of God, Deu 25:16. Not only unrighteousness itself, but all that do unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord. And miserable is that man who is abhorred by his Maker. How hateful, particularly, all the arts of deceit are to God, Solomon several times observes, Pro 11:1; Pro 20:10, Pro 20:23; and the apostle tells us that the Lord is the avenger of all such as overreach and defraud in any matter, Th1 4:6.

II. A law for the rooting out of Amalek. Here is a just weight and a just measure, that, as Amalek had measured to Israel, so it should be measure to Amalek again.

1. The mischief Amalek did to Israel must be here remembered, Deu 25:17, Deu 25:18. When it was first done it was ordered to be recorded (Exo 17:14-16), and here the remembrance of it is ordered to be preserved, not in personal revenge (for that generation which suffered by the Amalekites was gone, so that those who now lived, and their posterity, could not have any personal resentment of the injury), but in a zeal for the glory of God (which was insulted by the Amalekites), that throne of the Lord against which the hand of Amalek was stretched out. The carriage of the Amalekites towards Israel is here represented, (1.) As very base and disingenuous. They had no occasion at all to quarrel with Israel, nor did they give them any notice, by a manifesto or declaration of war; but took them at an advantage, when they had just come out of the house of bondage, and, for aught that appeared to them, were only going to sacrifice to God in the wilderness. (2.) As very barbarous and cruel; for they smote those that were more feeble, whom they should have succoured. The greatest cowards are commonly the most cruel; while those that have the courage of a man will have the compassion of a man. (3.) As very impious and profane: they feared not God. If they had had any reverence for the majesty of the God of Israel, which they saw a token of in the cloud, or any dread of his wrath, which they lately heard of the power of over Pharaoh, they durst not have made this assault upon Israel. Well, here was the ground of the quarrel: and it shows how God takes what is done against his people as done against himself, and that he will particularly reckon with those that discourage and hinder young beginners in religion, that (as Satan's agents) set upon the weak and feeble, either to divert them or to disquiet them, and offend his little ones.

2. This mischief must in due time be revenged, Deu 25:19. When their wars were finished, by which they were to settle their kingdom and enlarge their coast, then they must make war upon Amalek (Deu 25:19), not merely to chase them, but to consume them, to blot out the remembrance of Amalek. It was an instance of God's patience that he deferred the vengeance so long, which should have led the Amalekites to repentance; yet an instance of fearful retribution that the posterity of Amalek, so long after, were destroyed for the mischief done by their ancestors to the Israel of God, that all the world might see, and say, that he who toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye. It was nearly 400 years after this that Saul was ordered to put this sentence in execution (1 Sa. 15), and was rejected of God because he did not do it effectually, but spared some of that devoted nation, in contempt, not only of the particular orders he received from Samuel, but of this general command here given by Moses, which he could not be ignorant of. David afterwards made some destruction of them; and the Simeonites, in Hezekiah's time, smote the rest that remained (Ch1 4:43); for when God judges he will overcome.

Cross-references: Deut 25:13 · Deut 25:14 · Amos 8:5 · Lev 19:35 · Lev 19:36 · Deut 25:16 · Prov 11:1 · Prov 20:10 · Prov 20:23 · 1Thess 4:6 · Deut 25:17 · Deut 25:18 · Exod 17:14 · Deut 25:19 · 1Chr 4:43

Hebrew interlinear

לְ֠ךָlekhaprep + suffix · pronominal · 2nd · masc · sing
לְךָ֤lekhaprep + suffix · pronominal · 2nd · masc · sing

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H5117

נוּחַnûwach/noo'-akh/

v — rest, settle, dwell, stay, let fall, place, let alone, withdraw, give comfort

Derivation: a primitive root;

to rest, i.e. settle down; used in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, intransitive, transitive and causative (to dwell, stay, let fall, place, let alone, withdraw, give comfort, etc.)

KJV: cease, be confederate, lay, let down, (be) quiet, remain, (cause to, be at, give, have, make to) rest, set down. Compare 3241.

נוּחַ

vb — rest

נוּחַ vb. rest

Qal

1. rest, settle down and remain

2. repose, be quiet, have rest

Hiph.

A.

1. cause to rest = give rest to

2. cause to rest (i.e. light) upon

B.

1. lay or set down, deposit, let lie

2. let remain, leave (in present condition)

3. leave = depart from

4. abandon

5. let alone (refrain from interfering with)

6. permit

Hoph.

A. no rest is granted to us

B. as subst. = space left, open space

H3068

יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/

n-pr — Existent, Jeho-vah

Derivation: from 1961;

(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God

KJV: Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

יהוה

n.pr.dei — God

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

I. יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

II.

1. יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

2. the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

3. יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

H430

אֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym/el-o-heem'/

n-m — gods, God, magistrates

Derivation: plural of 433;

gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative

KJV: angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.

אֱלֹהִים

n.m.pl — gods

אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.

1. pl. in number.

a. rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power

b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels

c. angels

d. gods

2. pl. intensive

a. god or goddess

b. godlike one

c. works of God, or things belongng to him

d. God

3. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God

4. אֱלֹהִים = God

H3605

כֹּלkôl/kole/

n-m — whole, all, any, every

Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;

properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)

KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).

כֹּל

n.m — the whole

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

2. Absolutely:

a. without the art., all things, all

b. with the art. הַכֹּל

(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

H341

אֹיֵבʼôyêb/o-yabe'/

n-m — hating, adversary

Derivation: or (fully) אוֹיֵב; active participle of 340;

hating; an adversary

KJV: enemy, foe.

אָיַב

vb — be hostile to

[אָיַב] 283 vb. be hostile to (enemy = אֹיֵב)

H5439

סָבִיבçâbîyb/saw-beeb'/

adv — circle, neighbour, environs, around

Derivation: or (feminine) סְבִיבָה; from 5437;

(as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around

KJV: (place, round) about, circuit, compass, on every side.

סָבִיב

subst — Magormissabib

סָבִיב 336 subst., used mostly as adv. and prep., circuit, round about

H776

אֶרֶץʼerets/eh'-rets/

n-f — earth, land

Derivation: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm;

the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

KJV: × common, country, earth, field, ground, land, × natins, way, + wilderness, world.

אֶ֫רֶץ

n. f — earth

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

1.

a. earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

b. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

c. earth = inhabitants of earth

2. land =

a. country, territory

b. district, region

c. trial territory

d. piece of ground

e. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

f. = inhabitants of land

g. used even of Shᵉʼôl

3.

a. ground, surface of ground

b. soil, as productive

4. אֶרֶץ in phrases

a. people of the land

b. in measurements of distance

c. the country of the plain, level or plain country

d. land of the living

e. end(s) of the earth

5. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

H834

אֲשֶׁרʼăsher/ash-er'/

r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.

KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.

אֲשֶׁר

part. of relation — who

אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.

בַאֲשֶׁר

adv — in which

בַאֲשֶׁר

a. in (that) which

b. adv. in (the place) where

c. conj. in that, inasmuch as

d. on account of whom?

כַּאֲשֶׁר

conj — according as

כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when

1. according to that which, according as, as

2. with a causal force, in so far as, since

3. with a temporal force, when

מֵאֲשֶׁר

adv — who

מֵאֲשֶׁר

a. from (or than) that which

b. adv. from (the place) where

c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since

H5414

נָתַןnâthan/naw-than'/

v — give, put, make

Derivation: a primitive root;

to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)

KJV: add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, × avenge, × be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, × doubtless, × without fail, fasten, frame, × get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), × have, × indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), lie, lift up, make, O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, × pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), sing, slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, × surely, × take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, weep, willingly, withdraw, would (to) God, yield.

נָתַן

vb — give

נָתַן 2007 vb. give, put, set

Qal 1917

1. give

2. Put, set

3. Make, constitute

Niph. 82

1. be given

2. Be put, set

Hoph.

1.

a. be given, bestowed

b. = be given to one for wife

2. be put upon

H5159

נַחֲלָהnachălâh/nakh-al-aw'/

n-f — inherited, occupancy, heirloom, estate, patrimony, portion

Derivation: from 5157 (in its usual sense);

properly, something inherited, i.e. (abstractly) occupancy, or (concretely) an heirloom; generally an estate, patrimony or portion

KJV: heritage, to inherit, inheritance, possession. Compare 5158.

נַחֲלָה

n.f — possession

נַחֲלָה 224 n.f. possession, property, inheritance

1. property

2. portion, share

3. inheritance

H3423

יָרַשׁyârash/yaw-rash'/

v — occupy, driving, possessing, seize, rob, inherit, expel, impoverish, ruin

Derivation: or יָרֵשׁ; a primitive root;

to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place); by implication, to seize, to rob, to inherit; also to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

KJV: cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit, dispossess, drive(-ing) out, enjoy, expel, × without fail, (give to, leave for) inherit(-ance, -or) magistrate, be (make) poor, come to poverty, (give to, make to) possess, get (have) in (take) possession, seize upon, succeed, × utterly.

יָרַשׁ

vb — take possession of

יָרַשׁ 229 vb. take possession of, inherit, dispossess

Qal

1. take possession of, esp. bu force, have as a possession, often with collat. idea of taking in place of others, succeeding to, inheriting

2. inherit, sq. acc. pers. = be one's heir

3. = impoverish

Niph. be (dispossessed =) impoverished, come to poverty

Pi. the fruit of thy ground shall the cricket get full possession

Hiph.

1. cause to possess or inherit

2. cause (others) to possess or inherit, then gen. dispossess

3. = impoverish

4. nearly = bring to ruin, destroy

5. take possession of a land

H4229

מָחָהmâchâh/maw-khaw'/

v — stroke, rub, erase, smooth, grease, make fat, touch, reach to

Derivation: a primitive root;

properly, to stroke or rub; by implication, to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil), i.e. grease or make fat; also to touch, i.e. reach to

KJV: abolish, blot out, destroy, full of marrow, put out, reach unto, × utterly, wipe (away, out).

מָחָה

vb. denom — full of marrow

מָחָה vb. denom. only Pu. Pt. in Is 25:6 fat pieces full of marrow

מָחָה

vb — wipe

מָחָה vb. wipe, wipe out

Qal

1. wipe

2. blot out = obliterate from the memory

3. blot out = exterminate

Niph.

1. be wiped out

2. be blotted out

3. be exterminated

Hiph. blot out, from the memory

מָחָה

vb — strike

מָחָה vb. strike;—Nu 34:11 (P)

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H2143

זֵכֶרzêker/zay'-ker/

n-m — memento, recollection, commemoration

Derivation: or זֶכֶר; from 2142;

a memento, abstractly recollection (rarely if ever); by implication, commemoration

KJV: memorial, memory, remembrance, scent.

זֵ֫כֶר

n.m — remembrance

זֵ֫כֶר n.m. remembrance, memorial

H6002

עֲמָלֵקʻĂmâlêq/am-aw-lake'/

n-pr-m — Amalek

Derivation: probably of foreign origin;

Amalek, a descendant of Esau; also his posterity and their country

KJV: Amalek.

עֲמָלֵק

n.pr.gent — Amalek

עֲמָלֵק 39 n.pr.gent. Amalek

H8478

תַּחַתtachath/takh'-ath/

n-m — bottom, below, in lieu of

Derivation: from the same as 8430;

the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.

KJV: as, beneath, × flat, in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead of, under, × unto, × when...was mine, whereas, (where-) fore, with.

תַּחַת

n.[m.] — the under part

תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of

H8064

שָׁמַיִםshâmayim/shaw-mah'-yim/

n-m — sky, aloft

Derivation: dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה; from an unused root meaning to be lofty;

the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)

KJV: air, × astrologer, heaven(-s).

שָׁמַי

n.m — heavens

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

1.

a. visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

b. phrases

2.

a. as abode of God

b. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

3. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

H3808

לֹאlôʼ/lo/

adv — not, no

Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.

לֹא

adv — not

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

H7911

שָׁכַחshâkach/shaw-kakh'/

v — mislay, be oblivious

Derivation: or שָׁכֵחַ; a primitive root;

to mislay, i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention

KJV: × at all, (cause to) forget.

שָׁכַח

vb — forget

שָׁכַח 102 vb. forget

Qal 86 forget

Niph. be forgotten

Pi. י׳ hath caused to forget

Hiph. to make my people forget my name

Hithp. they were forgotten in the city.

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