Does Deuteronomy 7:26 mean that only perfect people can go in Israelite houses?

Question

Deuteronomy 7:26 says that an Israelite can't bring an abomination in their house.
"thou shalt not bring an abomination into thine house" (Dt 7:26)

But Proverbs 16:5 gives:

"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord"
Then how can an Israelite be sure that the guy who enters in his house is not proud in heart?

Same here with Proverbs 3:32:

"For the froward is abomination to the Lord"
How an Israelite can be sure that the guy who enters in his house is not froward?

Same with Proverbs 11:20:

"They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord"

Same with Dt 25:16:

"all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God"

Answer 1

Within the context of Deuteronomy chapter 7, God's people are warned not to associate with the pagan nations. If they are obedient the LORD promises to keep them free from every disease (verse 15). God's people must remain pure and clean, and have nothing to do with the idolatry of the nations that surround them. Verse 25 makes clear what the "abomination" or "detestable thing" is:

The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 7:25 NIV).

The command not to bring an abomination or detestable thing into the house is an injunction against taking the gold and silver from the images of the pagan gods.

Edit: With regard to the now-obsolete word ‘froward’ as used in the King James Version, it refers to people who are habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition, such as the pagans. However, in Deuteronomy 7:26 the Lord God specifically commands his people not to have anything to do with the idols of the pagans, and especially not to covet the silver and gold that would be left after burning the images in the fire.

Answer 2

Deuteronomy 7:26 refers to abominable objects. The chapter warns the Israelites never to make marriages between themselves and the surrounding pagans, then it specifies some of the abominable pagan objects they must destroy - altars, standing pillars, shrines and graven images. That is why the verse before the one you quote does not speak of people, but their idols, which are objects they worship - those objects must not be taken by the Israelites into their homes, but burned in fire by them. Neither are the Israelites to desire to keep the gold or silver smelted from them; they must not take the materials into their homes. Verse 26 does not speak of people.

Now, the question of Proverbs speaking of abominable qualities of people. It is not linked to that verse in Deuteronomy. Just because the word 'abominable' (or 'abomination') is in both passages does not mean they are both speaking about certain people who must not be brought into an Israelite house.

In Proverbs, there are actually 7 things that are an abomination to God. As you mention, a froward heart [the opposite of an upright heart] which is also a proud heart. Then there's the hallmark of 'tricky' business dealings (false balances), lying lips, wicked thoughts, wicked ways, twisted measurements, and justifying the wicked while condemning the just. Proverbs 11:1, 20; 12:22; 15:9, 26; 17:15; 20:10

Proverbs shows that a person with an upright heart will not DO those abominable things, which God can see, even if the wicked think they are getting off with their wickedness as other people cannot see as God sees. Proverbs is not dealing with the matters Deuteronomy chapter 7 is dealing with. You are trying to compare apples with oranges, spiritually speaking. Yes, both Bible chapters deal with spiritual 'fruit' (produce) but one is about pagan idolatry while the other is a warning to the people of God about the need for them to be upright in heart because God 'reads' the hearts of all, including theirs. God’s people should know that what people ARE is shown by what they DO, and that is how God’s people can learn to avoid those wicked people whose hearts are an abomination to God, even if they don’t worship idols.

Answer 3

Not so fast - let us look at the previous verse in Deut 7:25, 26 -

You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God. And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.

Thus, the instruction in Deut 7:25 is talking about the false gods and idols that were so detestable to the LORD. It is these false gods and idols they should not be placed in Israelite houses. This does not include people with a proud heart etc, just false gods and idols. See also Deut 27:15, 32:16.

The same warning is repeated in Jer 16:18 -

And I will first repay them double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and they have filled My inheritance with their abominations.

Sadly, this prophecy was fulfilled according to Eze 6:9, 10 -

Then in the nations to which they have been carried captive, your survivors will remember Me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from Me, and by their eyes that lusted after idols. So they will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their abominations. And they will know that I am the LORD; I did not declare in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.

Answer 4

This seems a simple case of mixed metaphors:

• On a physical or literal level, some physical objects (idols, corpses, etc.) are deemed unclean. They are forbidden by Deuteronomy (7:26) to be brought into someone's physical or literal house.

• On a spiritual or metaphorical level, our own bodies are a house not only for our own spirit, but for God's Holy Spirit as well (1 Corinthians 6:19, 3:16-17). Within these spiritual houses, Proverbs (16:5) forbids the introduction of spiritual abominations, such as pride, for instance. Our hearts cannot house both God's spirit of humility, as well as pride (1 Peter 5:5).