Deuteronomy 13:6-8

False Prophets in the Family

13:6 Suppose your own full brother, ¹  your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods ²  that neither you nor your ancestors ³  have previously known, ⁴  13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth ⁵  to the other). 13:8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him.

Deuteronomy 33:9

33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,” ⁶ 

and he did not acknowledge his own brothers

or know his own children,

for they kept your word,

and guarded your covenant.

Psalms 73:25-26

73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?

I desire no one but you on earth. ⁷ 

73:26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, ⁸ 

but God always ⁹  protects my heart and gives me stability. ¹⁰ 

Matthew 10:37

10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Philippians 3:8

3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! ¹¹  – that I may gain Christ,

[13:6]  ¹ tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.

[13:6]  ² tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”

[13:6]  ³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).

[13:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).

[13:7]  ⁵ tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”

[33:9]  ⁶ sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).

[73:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “Who [is there] for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire [anyone] in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to emphasize that God is the sole object of his desire and worship in the entire universe.

[73:26]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew verb כָלָה (khalah, “to fail; to grow weak”) does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).

[73:26]  ⁹ tn Or “forever.”

[73:26]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to a rocky summit where one could go for protection and to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn The word here translated “dung” was often used in Greek as a vulgar term for fecal matter. As such it would most likely have had a certain shock value for the readers. This may well be Paul’s meaning here, especially since the context is about what the flesh produces.