“You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess.
- KJV Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
- BSB You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
- NASB “You shall not displace your neighbor’s boundary marker, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
- NLT “When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone’s land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property.
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
Israel must not move a neighbor's boundary marker set by previous generations. Respecting others' rightful property is part of loving one's neighbor.
Overview
Moving a landmark was a stealthy way of stealing a neighbor's inheritance, and it is forbidden. This protected the family allotments God had given and upheld honesty in the community. The command expresses the broader principle of respecting what rightly belongs to others, consistent with the commandment against theft.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 22:28Don’t move the ancient boundary stone, which your fathers have set up.
- Deut 27:17‘Cursed is he who removes his neighbor’s landmark.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
- Job 24:2There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
- Prov 23:10Don’t move the ancient boundary stone. Don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless:
- Hos 5:10The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark. I will pour out my wrath on them like water.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 19:14 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.