Deuteronomy 29

King James Version

Full text for Deuteronomy Chapter 29

1¶ These [are] the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

2And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

3The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:

4Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

5And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

6Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I [am] the LORD your God.

7And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:

8And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.

9Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

10¶ Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, [with] all the men of Israel,

11Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that [is] in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:

12That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:

13That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and [that] he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;

15But with [him] that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with [him] that [is] not here with us this day:

16(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;

17And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which [were] among them:)

18Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go [and] serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

19And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

20The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

21And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:

22So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;

23[And that] the whole land thereof [is] brimstone, and salt, [and] burning, [that] it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

24Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what [meaneth] the heat of this great anger?

25Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:

26For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and [whom] he had not given unto them:

27And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:

28And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as [it is] this day.

29The secret [things belong] unto the LORD our God: but those [things which are] revealed [belong] unto us and to our children for ever, that [we] may do all the words of this law.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Deuteronomy 29 records a new covenant established by the LORD with Israel in the land of Moab, distinct from the one at Horeb. Moses reminds the people of God's past mighty acts and provision, urging them to keep this covenant for prosperity. The chapter issues a severe warning against any individual or group who might secretly turn to idolatry, promising dire consequences of divine wrath and land desolation.

Medium Summary

Moses convenes all Israel in Moab to establish a new covenant, reminding them of the LORD's powerful deeds in Egypt and His miraculous provision during their forty years in the wilderness. He emphasizes that this covenant binds not only those present but also future generations and strangers among them, establishing Israel as God's people. The chapter sternly warns against any individual or family whose heart turns away to serve other gods, likening such apostasy to a 'root that beareth gall and wormwood.' It declares that the LORD's anger and jealousy will fall upon those who presume peace in their disobedience, blotting out their name and bringing upon them all the curses of the law. The land itself will suffer desolation, becoming brimstone and salt like Sodom, serving as a perpetual sign to future generations and nations of the consequences of forsaking God's covenant.

Long Summary

Deuteronomy 29 details the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in Moab, supplementing the covenant made at Horeb. Moses recounts God's powerful acts in Egypt, His miraculous sustenance of Israel for forty years in the wilderness (where their clothes and shoes did not wear out, and they subsisted without bread or strong drink), and their recent victories over Sihon and Og. He gathers all Israel, from leaders to the humblest wood-hewers and water-drawers, to enter into this solemn oath, establishing them as God's people, just as He had sworn to their fathers. This covenant is explicitly stated to include not only those present but also future generations and those not yet born. A significant portion of the chapter is dedicated to a severe warning against idolatry and apostasy. Moses cautions against any individual, family, or tribe whose heart might turn away from the LORD to serve the gods of other nations, describing such a person as a 'root that beareth gall and wormwood.' The LORD will not spare anyone who, hearing the curses, blesses himself in his heart, presuming peace despite walking in the imagination of his heart. Instead, divine anger and jealousy will smoke against such a person, blotting out their name and separating them for evil. The land itself will bear witness to this judgment, becoming brimstone, salt, and burning, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, so that future generations and foreign nations will inquire why the LORD brought such desolation. The answer will be that Israel forsook the covenant of the LORD their God and served other gods. The chapter concludes by stating that secret things belong to the LORD, but revealed things belong to Israel and their children forever, that they may obey all the words of this law.

Core Concepts

  • Covenant in MoabThis chapter establishes a new covenant between the LORD and Israel in the land of Moab, distinct from the covenant previously made at Horeb, signifying a renewed commitment before entering the promised land.
  • Divine Provision and RemembranceMoses reminds Israel of God's miraculous care during their forty years in the wilderness, including clothes that did not wear out and sustenance without conventional food, demonstrating God's faithfulness and power.
  • Inclusivity of the CovenantThe covenant is declared to encompass all generations of Israel, both those present and those yet to be born, as well as the strangers dwelling among them, ensuring its enduring reach.
  • Warning Against IdolatryA strong admonition is given against any individual or group whose heart might turn away to serve other gods, with this apostasy described as a 'root that beareth gall and wormwood,' leading to bitterness and destruction.
  • Consequences of DisobedienceThe chapter outlines severe judgments for covenant-breakers, including divine wrath, the blotting out of their name, and the desolation of the land with brimstone and salt, akin to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
  • Revealed vs. Secret ThingsThe text distinguishes between God's hidden counsels ('secret things') which belong to Him, and His revealed laws ('revealed things') which are given to humanity to obey.