Deuteronomy 18:22

Summary

The verse gives a criterion for identifying a prophet who speaks falsely in the name of Yehovah: if the word he pronounces does not happen or come to pass, that word was not spoken by Yehovah. Such a prophet is said to have spoken with zadon ("presumption", H2087), and the audience is instructed not to fear him.

Key words

• yedaBer ("he will speak", H1696G) — piel imperfect, describing the prophet's ongoing/future act of speaking in Yehovah's name.
• dibbero (dibBer + suffix, H1696G + H9033) — piel perfect with 3ms suffix "his," meaning "he has spoken it," referring back to ha-davar ("the thing/word", H1697G).
• zadon ("presumption", H2087) — masculine singular noun marked with be- ("with", H9003), forming the adverbial phrase "with presumption," characterizing the manner of the prophet's speech.
• ta.Gur ("you will be afraid", H1481C) — qal imperfect 2ms, a direct command-like future negated by lo' ("not", H3808), addressed to the hearer.
• ha.davar ("the thing/word", H1697G) — appears twice (lines 12 and 18), first as subject of "it will not happen/come," then repeated with the demonstrative hu' ("that", H1931) to identify it explicitly as "the word."

What the text says

The verse is built around two parallel negative clauses joined by ve- ("and", H9002): ve-lo' yihyeh ha-davar ("and the thing will not happen", H3808 + H1961 + H1697G) and ve-lo' yavo' ("and it will not come", H3808 + H0935G). Both verbs are qal imperfect, describing the non-occurrence of the spoken word as a future/ongoing test. The pronoun hu' ("that", H1931) with the article on ha-davar ("the word", H1697G) creates an emphatic restatement: "that is the word," pointing back to the failed prediction and linking it to the relative clause 'asher lo' dibbero Yehovah ("which Yehovah has not spoken it", H0834A + H3808 + H1696G + H9033 + H3068G).

The second half of the verse shifts to perfect tense verbs (dibbero, H1696G, twice) to mark completed action: the presumptuous speaking is treated as an accomplished fact once the non-fulfillment is established. The phrase be-zadon ("with presumption", H9003 + H2087) functions adverbially, qualifying how the prophet spoke rather than what he spoke. The final clause uses lo' taGur ("you will not fear", H3808 + H1481C), a second-person qal imperfect, giving the passage a directive force despite lacking a formal imperative form.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate (VULCLEM) renders the causal logic explicitly with "sed per tumorem animi sui propheta confinxit" ("but through the swelling of his own mind the prophet fabricated"), interpreting be-zadon ("with presumption", H2087) as an inner psychological state ("tumorem animi," swelling of mind) rather than a neutral manner adverb. The Hebrew zadon (H2087) itself carries no explicit reference to "mind" or "fabrication"; the Vulgate's phrasing adds interpretive color not present in the lexical data. The BSB and SBLIBRE render ta.Gur ("you will be afraid", H1481C) as a prohibition ("Do not be afraid" / "No debes tener miedo"), consistent with the negated imperfect form, while VULCLEM's "non timebis" mirrors the Hebrew's simple future negation more literally.