What Does Deuteronomy 17:14 Mean in the King James?
When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse turns on two kinds of placing: a life is received as a gift, then authority is deliberately set over the self.
THE MEANING
You can inhabit what is given and still want the form of life you see around you. That desire becomes a choice about who stands over you, shaped by comparison with the surrounding peoples.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Receiving a place and settling into it does not automatically free you from wanting the surrounding world’s model.
THE ROOT
אָשִׂימָה
asima
GROWS FROM
שׂים
To place, put, or set.
“set” in this verse is asima. The same verb can describe placing a ruler over oneself or placing words within the heart. The root itself is neutral; what matters is what gets placed, and where.
ALSO GROWS
sam: he placed, he put
שָׂם
This form names the same act of placing, making clear that the speaker is actively choosing what to set over himself.
vesamtem: and you shall place, set
וְשַׂמְתֶּם
In Deuteronomy 11:18, this same root describes placing words in the heart and soul; its use here invites comparison between what is set over a person and what is held within.
מֶלֶךְ
melech
GROWS FROM
מלך
To reign or rule.
This word belongs to a family that names both the act of reigning and the realm of a kingdom. A king placed “over me” therefore brings a whole mode of rule into view, not only a person.
ALSO GROWS
malakh: to reign, rule
מָלַךְ
The verb names what the king does: the title carries the action of rule within it.
mamlakhah: kingdom, realm
מַמְלָכָה
The same root extends from the ruler to the domain of rule, revealing the larger structure implied by choosing a king.
סְבִיבֹתַי
sevivotai
GROWS FROM
סבב
To turn around, go around, or surround.
“about me” in this verse is sevivotai. The neighboring peoples are pictured as encircling the speaker. The sentence links that surrounding circle to the ruler chosen in their likeness, making social influence part of its spatial image.
ALSO GROWS
sabab: he turned around, went around, surrounded
סָבַב
This verbal form makes the spatial word “about” part of a root that can describe circling or surrounding.
saviv: around, round about
סָבִיב
This related form names what encircles; here, the surrounding nations become the model for the choice being made.
THE PATTERN
Surrounding forms can become the standard a person or people use to shape their own life.
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.THE THREAD
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.Both verses use שׂים (sim), meaning “to place.” In this verse a king is set over the self; in Deuteronomy 11:18, words are placed in the heart and soul, so the shared verb brings outer rule and inner holding into view together.
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