ABSTRACT
According to Deuteronomy 17, leaving your religion is punishable by death. The command is meant to draw a line as a safeguard against apostasy, as that would be disastrous for the whole community. In the history of both Jewish and Christian interpretation, we do not find indications that this law was much implemented. Jewish tradition added so many criteria that it became almost impossible to carry out the death penalty. Therefore, Deuteronomy 17:2‐7 does not have the last word when it comes to exclusion or inclusion in Tanakh. It should be read together with other texts with a different approach to this theme.
