John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 13:6

"If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, that is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;" — Deuteronomy 13:6 (ASV)

If thy brother, the son of thy mother. The punishment which He had commanded to be inflicted on false teachers is now extended to each one of the people.

For although it is a lighter offense for a private individual to draw others with him into error, both because his ignorance is excusable and because the profession of a teacher does not increase his responsibility, yet a falling away from religion, from wherever it arises, is intolerable to God.

Only, those two points to which we have already referred are to be kept in remembrance: namely, that this judgment can have no place except where religion is duly constituted; and also, that not all who may have erred in some particular are to be put to death indiscriminately. Instead, this severity is only to be exercised against apostates who pluck up religion by the roots, so that the worship of God is adulterated, or pure doctrine abolished.

Nor indeed does God command that the slipperiness of the tongue is to be capitally punished, if it has inconsiderately let fall something wrong. Rather,⁵⁷ the punishment targets the wicked design of altering the true religion, as the words clearly express.

It is worthwhile remarking with what particularity God enforces upon us the duty of fostering and upholding religion. For, because general laws are usually eluded by various exceptions, He expressly says that neither brother, nor son, nor wife, nor intimate friend is to be spared.⁵⁸

The eye is said to pity, because the very look has great power in awakening affections on both sides. Therefore, it is not without reason that God requires⁵⁹ such courage as may be moved to pity neither by tears, nor flatteries, nor the sadness of the spectacle.

The phrases, too, are emphatic: “your brother, who proceeded from the same womb;” “the wife who sleeps in your bosom or embrace;” “the friend whom you love as yourself;” so that pure zeal, when it sees God’s sacred name profaned, may not give way to any human affection.

Christ says that no one is worthy to be acknowledged as His disciple but he who neglects his father, and mother, and children, when necessary.

So now God declares that all our tenderest affections, which are implanted in us by nature, and in which all the best persons sometimes indulge, are sinful if they hinder us from vindicating His glory.

It is pious and praiseworthy to love our wives and children as our own hearts; nor is there any reason that forbids us from regarding our brother and our friend with similar love. Only let God be preferred to all, for it is too preposterous to betray His glory for the sake of man.

For to plead the love due to our wives, or anything of the same kind, what is this but to set our affections against God and His precepts?

Therefore, the desire to mitigate that severity to which He would harden us betrays a culpable weakness which He will not endure.

Now, there are two most just grounds for the heaviness of the punishment: first, because almost all of us are lax when we ought to be very zealous in avenging the insults God may receive; and secondly, because more severe remedies are applied to perilous diseases, it is fitting that such a harmful and altogether deadly pestilence be met with extraordinary means.

And to this refers the expression “secretly.”

For although it might seem cruel to betray those who have not publicly transgressed, yet, since sectaries fly from the light and creep in by secret and deceitful arts, it is necessary to prevent them from fraudulently infecting individual houses with their poison, as is always their way.

Therefore, God would have their insidious endeavors checked promptly, lest the contagion should spread.

⁵⁷ “Une malice deliberee, et conceue de longue main;” deliberate malice, and aforethought. — ;” deliberate malice, and aforethought. — Fr..

⁵⁸ Addition in Fr, “Quand ils tomberont en ceste malheurete de vouloir attirer quelqu’un en idolatrie;” when they shall fall into this iniquity of wishing to tempt any one to idolatry.;” when they shall fall into this iniquity of wishing to tempt any one to idolatry.

⁵⁹ Addition in Fr., “., “En celuy qui se voudra monstrer bon zelateur de la religion;” in him, who would shew himself to be duly zealous in religion.;” in him, who would shew himself to be duly zealous in religion.