Deuteronomy 10:17

My Notes

What Does Deuteronomy 10:17 Mean?

Deuteronomy 10:17 is Moses declaring the nature of God in terms that demolish every human power structure: "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward."

The superlatives — God of gods, Lord of lords — place Israel's God above every other claimed authority. Whatever powers exist, He is above them. Whatever lords demand allegiance, He outranks them. The Hebrew hagadol, hagibbor, vĕhannora — great, mighty, terrible (awe-inspiring) — pile up like waves, each one adding to the cumulative weight of who God is.

Then the practical application that changes everything: "regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward." The Hebrew lo yissa panim means He doesn't lift the face — doesn't show favoritism, doesn't defer to status. And He takes no bribe — lo yiqqach shochad. In the ancient world, justice was routinely bought. The wealthy got favorable rulings. The powerful got exceptions. God operates outside that entire system. His justice cannot be influenced by your status or purchased with your resources. The most powerful being in existence is also the most impartial.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Have you experienced a system — at work, in church, in your community — where favoritism or money determined outcomes? How does God's impartiality speak to that?
• 2.God 'regardeth not persons.' Are there people you regard — whose status or appearance changes how you treat them? What would impartiality look like in your life?
• 3.Does it comfort you or challenge you that God cannot be bribed — not even with religious performance?
• 4.God's impartiality leads directly to defending the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger. Who in your world is being overlooked that God might be asking you to see?

Devotional

In a world where money talks, connections open doors, and the powerful write the rules — God doesn't play that game. At all.

"Regardeth not persons" — He doesn't care about your résumé, your family name, your social media following, or your bank balance. The CEO and the janitor stand on identical ground before Him. The well-connected insider and the invisible outsider receive the same judicial attention. God's courtroom has no VIP section.

"Nor taketh reward" — you cannot buy His favor. Not with money, not with religious performance, not with impressive sacrifices, not with anything. Every system in the world can be gamed. God's cannot. That should terrify the powerful and liberate the powerless.

This verse is anchored to the verses that follow (10:18): "He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger." God's impartiality isn't cold neutrality. It tilts toward the people the world ignores. Because when you remove favoritism and bribery from the equation, the vulnerable finally get justice. The orphan's case is heard. The widow's plea matters. The immigrant is loved.

If you've ever been on the wrong side of a system that favored someone with more power than you, this verse is your appeal. Your judge cannot be bought. Your judge does not regard faces. And your judge has a documented preference for defending exactly the kind of person the world overlooks.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture