Deuteronomy 12:30
Beware lest thou imitate them, after they are destroyed at thy coming in, and lest thou seek after their ceremonies, saying: As these nations have worshipped their gods, so will I also worship.
Open Deuteronomy 12:30 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- cave ne imiteris eas, postquam te fuerint introëunte subversæ, et requiras cæremonias earum, dicens : Sicut coluerunt gentes istæ deos suos, ita et ego colam.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μὴ ἐκζητήσῃς ἐπακολουθῆσαι αὐτοῖς μετὰ τὸ ἐξολεθρευθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου σου, λέγων Πῶς ποιοῦσιν τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν; ποιήσω κἀγώ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֗ פֶּן תִּנָּקֵשׁ֙ אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם אַחֲרֵ֖י הִשָּׁמְדָ֣ם מִפָּנֶ֑יךָ וּפֶן תִּדְרֹ֨שׁ לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶ֜ם לֵאמֹ֨ר אֵיכָ֨ה יַעַבְד֜וּ הַגּוֹיִ֤ם הָאֵ֨לֶּה֙ אֶת אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם וְאֶעֱשֶׂה כֵּ֖ן גַּם אָֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
Imitate. Hebrew, "be ensnared by imitation them." The example of the wicked, is one of the most dangerous snares which the devil can place in our way. Notwithstanding these repeated admonitions of God, we see how prone the Hebrews were to adopt the superstitious customs of these nations, whose destruction ought surely to have warned them to keep at a distance. (Haydock)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Tertullian Scorpiace, Chapter II
But not yet about the good to be got from martyrdom must we learn, without our having first heard about the duty of suffering it; nor must we learn the usefulness of it, before we have heard about the necessity for it. The (question of the) divine warrant goes first, whether God has willed and also commanded ought of the kind, so that they who assert that it is not good are not plied with arguments for thinking it profitable save when they have been subdued. It is proper that heretics be driven to duty, not enticed. Obstinacy must be conquered, not coaxed. And, certainly, that will be pronounced beforehand quite good enough, which will be shown to have been instituted and also enjoined by God. …