A common misinterpretation views this verse as a universal ban on polygamy or wealth for all people rather than specific guidelines for Israelite kings to prevent idolatry and corruption through foreign influences and excess; others wrongly apply it to condemn all riches or multiple relationships outright, ignoring the contextual warning against heart deviation, or extend it to modern politics without recognizing its theocratic covenant framework rooted in preventing the pitfalls seen in surrounding nations' rulers.
Deuteronomy 17:17
King James Version (1769)
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deuteronomy 17:17 instructs Israel's future kings not to multiply wives, horses, or silver and gold excessively, emphasizing that such accumulations could turn their hearts away from wholehearted devotion to God; this core truth underscores the principle that unchecked power, alliances through marriage, and material wealth pose spiritual dangers, calling leaders to humility, reliance on divine law over human might, and singular loyalty to Yahweh amid temptations of monarchy.