Deuteronomy 18:21
New International Version
You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?”

New Living Translation
“But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the LORD?’

English Standard Version
And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’—

Berean Standard Bible
You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”

King James Bible
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

New King James Version
And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’—

New American Standard Bible
And if you say in your heart, ‘How will we recognize the word which the LORD has not spoken?’

NASB 1995
“You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’

NASB 1977
“And you may say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’

Legacy Standard Bible
Now you may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?’

Amplified Bible
If you say in your heart, ‘How will we know and recognize the word which the LORD has not spoken?’

Christian Standard Bible
You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the LORD has not spoken? ’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the LORD has not spoken?’

American Standard Version
And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And if you say in your heart: ‘How shall I know the word that LORD JEHOVAH has not spoken?.’

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But if thou shalt say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?

Contemporary English Version
You may be asking yourselves, "How can we tell if a prophet's message really comes from the LORD?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if in silent thought thou answer: How shall I know the word that the Lord hath not spoken?

English Revised Version
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You may be wondering, "How can we recognize that the LORD didn't speak this message?"

Good News Translation
"You may wonder how you can tell when a prophet's message does not come from the LORD.

International Standard Version
Now you may ask yourselves, 'How will we be able to discern that the LORD has not spoken?'

JPS Tanakh 1917
And if thou say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?'

Literal Standard Version
And when you say in your heart, How do we know the word which YHWH has not spoken?

Majority Standard Bible
You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”

New American Bible
Should you say to yourselves, “How can we recognize that a word is one the LORD has not spoken?”,

NET Bible
Now if you say to yourselves, 'How can we tell that a message is not from the LORD?'--

New Revised Standard Version
You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the LORD has not spoken?”

New Heart English Bible
If you say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And if thou shalt say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

World English Bible
You may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?”

Young's Literal Translation
'And when thou sayest in thy heart, How do we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? --

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A New Prophet
20But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.” 21 You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” 22When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 18:20
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death."

Deuteronomy 18:22
When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.


Treasury of Scripture

And if you say in your heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?

1 Thessalonians 5:24
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

1 John 4:1-3
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world…

Revelation 2:2
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

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Deuteronomy 18
1. The LORD is the priests and Levites' inheritance
3. The priests' due
6. The Levites' portion
9. The abominations of the nations are to be avoided
15. Christ the Prophet is to be heard
20. The presumptuous prophet is to die














Verses 21, 22. - The test by which it was to be discovered which was the true prophet and which the false, was the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of his prediction. The reference here is to the prediction of proximate events - events that were to happen within a limited period, but which were not such as one not divinely instructed could foresee. When such came to pass, the pretensions of the prophet were thereby substantiated, and his authority established (cf. 1 Samuel 3:19; John 2:18, etc.). This was a more certain test than such as was offered by signs and wonders (Deuteronomy 13:2, etc.).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You may ask
תֹאמַ֖ר (ṯō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

in your heart,
בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ (bil·ḇā·ḇe·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

“How
אֵיכָה֙ (’ê·ḵāh)
Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

can we recognize
נֵדַ֣ע (nê·ḏa‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

a message
הַדָּבָ֔ר (had·dā·ḇār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

that
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

the LORD
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

spoken?”
דִבְּר֖וֹ (ḏib·bə·rōw)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 18:21 If you say in your heart How (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 18:20
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