Deuteronomy 17:16

¹⁴ When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”

¹⁵ you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’

¹⁷ He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

¹⁸ When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’
KJV: But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
WEB: Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; because the LORD has said to you, “You shall not go back that way again.”
ASV: Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
DARBY: Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor lead back the people to Egypt, to multiply horses; for Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall not return again any more that way.
BLB: Only, he shall not multiply for himself horses nor cause to return the people to Egypt so as to multiply horses, for YHWH has said to you⁺, ‘You⁺ shall not return this way again.’

ÅB: Men han skal ikke holde mange hester og ikke sende folket tilbake til Egypt for å hente mange hester; for Herren har sagt til dere: Dere skal nå ikke mere vende tilbake den vei.
OTB: Kongen må ikke skaffe seg mange hester eller sende folk til Egypt for å få flere, siden Herren har sagt til deg: ‘Du må aldri gå tilbake den veien igjen.’
B1930: Men han skal ikke holde mange hester og ikke sende folket tilbake til Egypten for å hente mange hester; for Herren har sagt til eder: I skal nu ikke mere vende tilbake den vei.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 31:1–3
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 28:68
The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
Read in context
Ezekiel 17:15
But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’
Read in context
Hosea 11:5
Will they not return to the land of Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent?
Read in context
Psalms 20:7
Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Read in context
1 Kings 4:26
Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.
Read in context
1 Kings 10:26–28
Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
Read in context
Numbers 14:3–4
Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
Read in context