Deuteronomy 13:17
וְלֹֽא־יִדְבַּק בְּיָדְךָ מְאוּמָה מִן־הַחֵרֶם לְמַעַן יָשׁוּב יְהוָה מֵחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְנָֽתַן־לְךָ רַחֲמִים וְרִֽחַמְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וְלֹֽא־יִדְבַּ֧ק בְּיָדְךָ֛ מְא֖וּמָה מִן־הַחֵ֑רֶם לְמַעַן֩ יָשׁ֨וּב יְהוָ֜ה מֵחֲר֣וֹן אַפּ֗וֹ וְנָֽתַן־לְךָ֤ רַחֲמִים֙ וְרִֽחַמְךָ֣ וְהִרְבֶּ֔ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
καὶ οὐ προσκολληθήσεται ἐν τῇ χειρί σου οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀναθέματος, ἵνα ἀποστραφῇ Κύριος ἀπὸ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ δώσει σοι ἔλεος καὶ ἐλεήσει σε καὶ πληθυνεῖ σε ὃν τρόπον ὤμοσεν τοῖς πατράσιν σου,
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
et non adhærebit de illo anathemate quidquam in manu tua: ut avertatur Dominus ab ira furoris sui, et misereatur tui, multiplicetque te sicut juravit patribus tuis,
Nada de lo consagrado se aferrará a tu mano, para que Yehová se aparte del ardor de su cólera y se apiade de ti y te multiplique, como ha jurado a tus padres,
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Y no se pegará algo á tu mano del anatema; porque Jehová se aparte del furor de su ira, y te dé mercedes, y tenga misericordia de ti, y te multiplique, como lo juró á tus padres,
Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers,
✦ What the text says
Summary
The verse states that nothing from the cherem ("object[s] for destruction", H2764A) should remain attached to the hand of the addressee, so that Yehovah may turn from his burning anger, grant compassion, have compassion, and multiply the people, as he swore to their ancestors.
Key words
- yidBak ("it will cling", H1692) — qal imperfect, expressing an ongoing/future negated action: nothing "will cling" to the hand.
- cherem ("object[s] for destruction", H2764A) — masculine singular noun with definite article, referring to items set apart for destruction.
- yaShuv ("he may turn", H7725I) — qal jussive, expressing a wished-for or intended result ("let him turn"), introduced by lema'an ("so that", H4616).
- ricHam ("he will have compassion on", H7355) — piel sequential perfect, intensive form indicating a deliberate, active compassion, continuing the narrative chain begun by ve + perfect.
- nishBa' ("he swore", H7650) — niphal perfect, a passive/reflexive verbal form describing a completed past oath.
What the text says
The verse opens with a negated imperfect clause, ve-lo yidBak be-yadekha me'umah min ha-cherem — "and nothing from the cherem will cling to your hand." The verb yidBak ("it will cling", H1692) governs the noun me'umah ("anything", H3972) as its subject, with be-yadekha ("to your hand", from H3027G + H9021) marking the location where nothing is to remain attached.
The second half of the verse is built as a purpose/result clause introduced by lema'an ("so that", H4616), followed by a jussive verb yaShuv ("he may turn", H7725I) with subject Yehovah (H3068G). This jussive is followed by a chain of three sequential perfects — natan ("he will give", H5414G), richam ("he will have compassion on", H7355), and hirBe ("he will increase", H7235A) — each introduced by the narrative ve (H9001). This grammatical chaining ties the three actions (giving compassion, showing compassion, multiplying) together as consequences flowing from the turning away of charon appo ("the burning of his anger", H2740 + H0639G construct chain). The final clause, ka'asher nishBa' la-avoteikha ("as he swore to your ancestors", H0834D + H7650 + H0001G), uses a niphal perfect to mark the oath as a completed prior action, functioning as the standard of comparison for the multiplication promised.
Differences between versions
The LXX renders cherem (H2764A) with anathema, a term for something set apart or accursed, matching the Hebrew concept of items designated for destruction. The Vulgate similarly uses anathemate. The BSB and RV1909 translate rachamim (H7356B, "compassion[s]") and richam (H7355) as two distinct English concepts ("grant you mercy" / "show you compassion"), reflecting the Hebrew's use of both a noun (rachamim) and a related verb (richam) in sequence, a duplication not distinctly preserved in the LXX's single ἔλεος... ἐλεήσει pairing, which mirrors the Hebrew's noun-then-verb structure more closely than the Vulgate's misereatur alone.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.