Deuteronomy 25:13 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 25:13 Commentary: Stones of Deceit
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Deuteronomy 25:13 forbids dishonest weights. Explore why God prohibits possession of cheating tools, the ancient practice, and its call to integrity.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God forbids even possessing two different stone weights, because they enable deceit in trade.
- Key words: ‘stone and stone’ (eben va’eben), two kinds; ‘bag’ (kis), the purse where stones were kept; ‘large/small’, the cheating method.
- Main debate: Little debate on meaning; some emphasize the prohibition of use while others stress the prohibition of possession as a safeguard.
- Theological theme: God’s justice and holiness extend to economic life; dishonest trade is an abomination to Yahweh.
- Best use: Teaching on biblical ethics, the eighth commandment, and the integration of faith and work.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, one heavy and one light.
KJV King James Version 1769
Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`Thou hast not in thy bag a stone and a stone, a great and a small.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thou shalt not have divers weights in thy bag, a greater and a less:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No tendrás en tu bolsa pesa grande y pesa chica.
Não terás em tua bolsa peso grande e peso pequeno.
Tu n’auras point dans ton sac deux sortes de poids, un gros et un petit.
Du sollst nicht zweierlei Gewicht in deinem Sack, groß und klein, haben;
Gij zult geen tweeerlei weegstenen in uw zak hebben; een groten en een kleinen.
Non avrai nella tua sacchetta due pesi, uno grande e uno piccolo.
Nie będziesz miał w worku twoim różnych gwichtów, większego i mniejszego.
В кисе твоей не должны быть двоякие гири, большие и меньшие;
「你囊中 不可 有 一大 一小 兩樣的 法碼。
Do not have in your bag different weights, a great and a small;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 25:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Deuteronomy 25:13 forbids a trader from keeping two different sets of stone weights, one heavy and one light. Gill and Keil & Delitzsch highlight the Hebrew phrase 'stone and stone' (eben va'eben), meaning two distinct kinds. The heavier stone was used to weigh goods when buying (to get more product), the lighter to weigh when selling (to give less). Matthew Henry stresses that the command targets not only use but even possession: 'they must not only not use them, but they must not have them.' Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note that Eastern shopkeepers kept their stones in a bag, and only a buyer with unusual vigilance could avoid being cheated. The law thus functions as a safeguard against temptation and a positive call to mirror God's own character. God is a God of justice; deceitful trade is an 'abomination to Yahweh' (v. 16). This is not a minor footnote in the law. It anchors commercial life in the holy nature of the covenant God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God forbids dishonest weights in trade and requires honesty as a reflection of His own just character, and the prohibition includes both use and possession as a safeguard against temptation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Possession vs. use | All agree the verse condemns dishonest weights; the text explicitly says 'not have' in the bag, not just 'not use'. | Some read 'not have' as a natural extension prohibiting use (e.g., if you have them you will use them). Others treat the possession itself as sin because the tool is inherently deceptive. Catholic and Protestant traditions converge in holding that both having and using are wrong. |
| Application to modern commerce | Christians agree the principle against deceptive practices applies to all areas of trade, not just literal weights. | There is debate about what constitutes a 'false weight' in contemporary contexts: e.g., biased algorithms in pricing, hidden fees, or manipulated measuring devices. The verse is applied generally, but specifics vary across traditions and cultures. |
| Relation to God’s holiness | The command is grounded in God’s character; dishonest weights are an 'abomination' (v.16). | Some traditions emphasize this as part of the moral law (binding on all people), while others see it as ceremonial/civil for Israel, though they still derive ethical principles. In practice, all affirm that God hates injustice in trade. |
| Promise of long days (v.15) | Honest weights are connected to blessing in the land. | Interpreted by some as a literal temporal promise to Israel; by others as a general principle that integrity leads to stability; by still others as typological of the eternal inheritance. All agree God rewards righteousness. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In the ancient Near East, weights were made of stone. A merchant carried them in a bag tied to the belt or girdle. The Hebrew word for bag (kis) appears only here and in Micah 6:11, suggesting a small pouch for carrying stones and money. Because stones did not rust or wear, they were preferred over metal, but a dishonest seller could prepare two sets: one heavy, one light.
Deuteronomy 25:13 sits inside a larger collection of laws (chapters 21, 25) governing community life. The surrounding verses address marriage obligations, violent quarrels, and the command to destroy Amalek. That a rule about trade appears here shows that God’s covenant covers every sphere, including the marketplace. Barnes connects this to the preaching of John the Baptist, who called tax collectors to 'collect no more than you are authorized' (Luke 3:13), and to the prophets like Amos, who condemned 'making the ephah small and the shekel great' (Amos 8:5). Honest weights were not merely a civic virtue; they were a sign that Israel feared God.
The command extends in verse 14 to measures (ephah for grain) and is capped by a solemn promise: honest trade brings long days in the land (v. 15). The severity of the prohibition, even having the stones, reflects a deep pastoral wisdom. Temptation begins with possession. One who owns a false scale may convince himself that he is not using it, or may be drawn into using it when profit is at stake. God’s law protects the weak and calls the powerful to integrity.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Deuteronomy 25:13. The Hebrew is stable across manuscripts. The parallel in Leviticus 19:35-36 echoes the same prohibition with nearly identical wording. The only minor variation is in the English translations: 'diverse weights' (WEB, KJV, ASV, Darby, Douay) vs. 'two differing weights' (BSB) vs. 'a stone and a stone' (YLT), all representing the same Hebrew phrase eben va'eben.
Reception History
Jewish interpretation from the Talmud (Bava Batra 88b) considered this command so serious that it forbids even the possession of false weights, not just their use. Christian commentators from the Reformation onward, Matthew Henry, John Gill, and Adam Clarke, consistently read the verse as a prohibition of any double-dealing in business. The verse has been used in catechesis on the eighth commandment (against stealing) and in ethical teaching on the integration of faith and commerce. Throughout church history, this simple rule has been a touchstone for prophetic critique of economic injustice, linking the worship of God with honest scales.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God sees the tool, not just the act. The command forbids even having false weights. God’s law judges the heart’s intention and the structures that enable sin.
- Integrity in trade flows from God’s own character. Proverbs 11:1 says a false balance is an ‘abomination’ to Yahweh. Our business practices either honor or dishonor the God who is perfectly just.
- God’s justice defends the vulnerable. A merchant with two sets of stones cheats the poor, the illiterate, and the trusting. God stands with the defrauded, and He calls His people to be agents of fairness.
Five-point outline
- The bag: what we carry into daily life matters to God.
- The stones: material objects can become instruments of sin.
- The two kinds: hypocrisy wears many masks.
- The prohibition of possession: sometimes the safest path is to remove the source of temptation completely.
- The promise of long days: honest living aligns with God’s design for flourishing community.
Illustration hooks
- Everyday scales. A grocery store whose produce scale is deliberately off by half an ounce. Customers trust the store; they never check. The small cheating adds up over weeks. God’s law covers the small cheat, not just the large theft.
- The hidden app. A contractor uses two sets of invoices: one for the customer, one for the tax office. The customer sees a higher number; the tax office sees a lower one. Just like heavy stones for buying, light stones for selling, but now in a digital form.
- Ownership of temptation. Keeping a bottle of alcohol in the house when a family member struggles with addiction. The wisdom of Deut 25:13 applies: sometimes the most faithful choice is not to have the deceiving tool at all.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Does God really care about small business practices, like the way I round up or down?”
- “My industry is known for cutting corners. How can I be honest without losing my job?”
- “I’m not a merchant, but I have shortcuts in my work. Does this verse speak to me?”
Leading a Discussion
This week’s passage is short but sharp. God prohibits not just dishonest trade but even having the tools to cheat. As you gather, consider how your work, your purchases, and your habits reflect the God of justice. The goal is not guilt but freedom: to live honestly because we trust a God who does not cheat His people.
Discussion questions
- Read Deuteronomy 25:13-16 aloud. What words or phrases stand out to you? Why does the law mention having diverse weights, not just using them?
- What do the cross-references (Proverbs 11:1; 16:11; Amos 8:5) add to your understanding of this command?
- How was the cheating carried out in ancient Israel? (Use the details from the commentary above.)
- Why do you think God connects honesty in trade with the promise of long days in the land (v. 15)?
- What kinds of “diverse weights” exist in our own work or marketplace today? Think of subtle or accepted practices in your context.
- Jesus said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37). How does Deuteronomy 25:13 prepare the way for that teaching?
- What is one area of your life where you can bring more honesty this week? Share with the group if you are comfortable.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 19:35 | “‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity. |
| Leviticus 19:37 | “‘You shall observe all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them. I am Yahweh.’” |
| Proverbs 11:1 | A false balance is an abomination to Yahweh, but accurate weights are his delight. |
| Proverbs 16:11 | Honest balances and scales are Yahweh’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. |
| Proverbs 20:10 | Differing weights and differing measures, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh. |
| Ezekiel 45:10 | “You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath. |
| Ezekiel 45:11 | The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain one tenth of a homer, and the ephah one tenth of a homer. Its measure shall be the same as the homer. |
| Amos 8:5 | saying, ‘When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may market wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel large, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit; |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains that the Hebrew phrase "stone and a stone" refers to merchants who kept two sets of stone weights — a heavier one for buying and a lighter one for selling. He notes that this practice gave rise to the English term "a stone weight," a measure originally based on actual stones.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes contrasts this command to destroy the Amalekites with the spirit of the New Testament. He notes that the Law aimed at showing God’s hatred of sin by removing obstinate enemies, not at overcoming hostility through love and conversion as Jesus later taught.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary notes that the positive command for a single standard of weights is likely an interpolation, breaking the natural connection between the paired prohibitions. It also observes that the religious motivation differs from the parallel in Leviticus, suggesting the two laws may have arisen independently.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to the deliberate deception in keeping both a large and a small weight in the same bag. This is not accidental error but a prepared tool for cheating others in trade. God forbids such dishonest practice outright.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the prohibition against "divers weights" forbids using two different stone weights: large ones for buying and small ones for selling. This practice cheats in both directions, showing that dishonest trade was the precise sin being addressed.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws on Eastern trading customs to highlight how easily divers weights deceive. Shopkeepers carry stones in a bag, swapping them in the balance, and only a person unusually sharp avoids being cheated. The comment underscores the practical, everyday danger God's command addresses.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch draw attention to the specific phrase "stone and stone" in the law, explaining it means two sets of weights: large ones for buying and small ones for selling, a calculated fraud. They also note that the closing words in the passage serve as a comprehensive summary of all lawbreaking.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the law forbids not just using dishonest weights and measures, but even keeping them in the house, because possession itself would invite temptation to cheat. The standard of justice must itself be just, or it becomes a constant fraud.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws attention to two different weights, a large one and a small one, used in trade. The large weight is used when buying, and the smaller one when selling, which points to a dishonest practice of cheating by using inconsistent measures.