Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Law about the King that is to be. This deals exclusively with the theocratic aspect peculiar to D: the picture of the ideal king here drawn was probably suggested by way of contrast to the reigning king (Hezekiah or Manasseh; cf. 1 Samuel 8:5, where D's antipathy to the monarchy inspired by what he saw is reflected).

Deuteronomy 17:15. choose: cf. 1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Samuel 6:21.

Deuteronomy 17:6. horses (for war, Deuteronomy 20:1 *).

Deuteronomy 17:17. wives: 1 Kings 1:14 f. silver and gold (cf. Isaiah 39): as in Solomon's case.

Deuteronomy 17:18. he shall write him: Hebraism = there shall be written for him. a copy: i.e. a duplicate of the Deuteronomic law. The LXX translates wrongly by this repetition of the law, thus originating and confirming the common mistake that D is essentially a later edition of the laws in the previous books of the Pentateuch. This is contrary to the sense of the Heb. and to the contents of Dt., which omits most of the laws in Ex., Lev., and Nu, and contains laws absent from these books (Deuteronomy 17:14, etc.).