Deuteronomy 4:25-35

25 If ye beget sons, and sons of sons, and ye dwell in the land, and ye be deceived, and make to you any likeness, or image (and make for yourselves any likeness, or idol), and do evil before your Lord God, (so) that ye stir him to great wrath,

26 I call (to) witness today heaven and earth, that ye shall perish soon from the land, that ye shall wield, when ye have passed (the) Jordan; ye shall not live long time therein, but the Lord shall do away you, (I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that ye soon shall perish from the land that ye shall take, when ye have crossed over the Jordan River; ye shall not live a long time in it, but the Lord shall do you away,)

27 and he shall scatter you abroad among all heathen men, and ye shall dwell few (in number) among the nations, to which the Lord shall lead you.

28 And there ye shall serve to gods, that be made by men's hands, to tree and to stone (And there ye shall serve gods, that be made by the hands of men, out of wood and stone), (gods) that neither see, neither hear, neither eat, neither smell.

29 And when thou hast sought there thy Lord God, thou shalt find him (But if thou shalt seek the Lord thy God there, thou shalt find him); if nevertheless thou seekest him with all thy heart, and with all the tribulation of thy soul.

30 After that all things have found thee, that be before-said, soothly in the last time, thou shalt turn again to thy Lord God, and thou shalt hear his voice. (And when all these things have found thee, that be spoken of before, thou shalt finally return to the Lord thy God, and thou shalt listen to his voice, and obey him.)

31 For thy Lord God is a merciful God; he shall not forsake thee, neither he shall do thee away utterly, neither he shall forget the covenant, in which he swore to thy fathers. (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God; he shall not forsake thee, nor shall he utterly do thee away, nor shall he forget the covenant, which he swore to thy fathers.)

32 Ask thou (them) of [the] eld days, or times, that were before thee, from the day in which thy Lord God made of nought man upon (the) earth, ask thou from the one end of heaven unto the tother end thereof, that is, take heed to all things that ever were done, if such a thing was done any time, (Ask thou them about the days of old, or the former times, that were before thee, from the day in which the Lord thy God made a man out of nothing on the earth, ask thou from one end of heaven unto the other, that is, take heed of all the things that were ever done, if at any time such a thing was ever done,)

33 either if it was ever known, that a people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard and seen; (or was it ever made known, if any other people heard the voice of God speaking to them from the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and yet still lived?)

34 either if that God went in, and took to himself a folk from the midst of nations, by temptations, miracles, and great wonders, by battle, and strong hand, and arm stretched forth, and horrible sights, by all things which your Lord God did for you in Egypt, in sight of thine eyes; (or if any god went in, and took for himself a people from the midst of another nation, by temptations, and miracles, and great wonders, and by battle, and by a strong hand, and an outstretched arm, and terrible sights, yea, by all the things which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, in the sight of thine own eyes?)

35 that thou shouldest know, that the Lord himself is God, and none other is, besides (this) one. (so that thou wouldest know, that the Lord himself is God, and there is no other besides him.)

Deuteronomy 4:25-35 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 4

This chapter contains an exhortation to Israel to keep the commands, statutes, and judgments of God, urged from the superior excellency of them to those of all other nations, De 4:1-8, from the manner in which they were delivered, out of the midst of fire, by a voice of words, but no similitude seen, De 4:9-15, and particularly the Israelites are cautioned against idolatry, from the consideration of the goodness of God to them, in bringing them out of Egypt, De 4:16-20, and the rather Moses is urgent upon them to be diligent in their obedience to the laws of God, because he should quickly be removed from them, De 4:21-24, and should they be disobedient to them, it would provoke the Lord to destroy them, or to carry them captive into other lands, De 4:25-28 though even then, if they repented and sought the Lord, and became obedient, he would be merciful to them, and not forsake them, De 4:29-31 and they are put in mind again of the amazing things God had done for them, in speaking to them out of fire, and they alive; in bringing them out of another nation, and driving out other nations to make room for them; all which he improves, as so many arguments to move them to obedience to the divine commands, De 4:32-40 and then notice is taken of the three cities of refuge, separated on this side Jordan, De 4:41-43, and the chapter is concluded with observing, that this is the law, and these the testimonies, Moses declared and repeated to the children of Israel in the country of Sihon and Og, who were delivered into their hands, and their lands possessed by them, which laid them under fresh obligations to yield obedience to God, De 4:44-49.