If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
Parallel translations
- WEB If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
- KJV If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
- NKJV “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
- NASB “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
- NLT “Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Even a prophet or dreamer who offers a genuine sign or wonder must be tested. Miraculous power alone does not authenticate a message.
Overview
Moses introduces the case of a prophet whose predicted sign actually comes true, raising the hardest test of discernment. Supernatural confirmation is not by itself proof of divine authority. This warns God's people that signs must be judged by fidelity to revealed truth, a principle Jesus and the apostles affirm against false miracle-workers who lead people astray.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 20
- Jer 23:25–28“I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’
- 1 Jn 4:1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- Jer 29:8For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.
- Jer 27:9But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
- 1 Kgs 13:18Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him,
- Isa 9:15The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.
- Luke 6:26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.
- 2 Th 2:9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,
- Mark 13:22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
- Jer 23:11“For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the LORD.
- Zech 13:4And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.
- Zech 10:2For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
- Ezek 13:2–3“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD!
- Ezek 13:23therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
- Matt 24:11and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.
- Jer 6:13“For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
- Matt 7:15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- 2 Pet 2:1Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
- Matt 24:24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
- Jer 29:24You are to tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite that
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 13:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.