Deuteronomy 8:20

20 Like the nations the Lord is about to destroy before you, you will perish if you do not obey the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 8:20 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:20

As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so
shall ye perish
Be cut off by the sword, or cast out as they were, the same sins, particularly idolatry, being committed by them. This is to be understood of the seven nations of the land of Canaan, which the Lord would be gradually destroying when Israel came into the possession of their land; and they might righteously expect the same treatment, should they be guilty of the same sins:

because ye would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God;
expressed in his law, especially in the two first precepts of it, which require the worship of one God, and forbid the worshipping of idols; or to the Word of the Lord, as the Targum of Jonathan, Christ, the essential Word, in whom the name of the Lord was, and whose voice Israel was to obey, ( Exodus 23:20-22 ) .

Deuteronomy 8:20 In-Context

18 but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will perish.
20 Like the nations the Lord is about to destroy before you, you will perish if you do not obey the Lord your God.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.