Deuteronomy 29:10-20

10 "Today you are standing in the presence of the Lord your God, all of you - your leaders and officials, your men,

11 women, and children, and the foreigners who live among you and cut wood and carry water for you.

12 You are here today to enter into this covenant that the Lord your God is making with you and to accept its obligations,

13 so that the Lord may now confirm you as his people and be your God, as he promised you and your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

14 You are not the only ones with whom the Lord is making this covenant with its obligations.

15 He is making it with all of us who stand here in his presence today and also with our descendants who are not yet born.

16 "You remember what life was like in Egypt and what it was like to travel through the territory of other nations.

17 You saw their disgusting idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold.

18 Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of other nations. This would be like a root that grows to be a bitter and poisonous plant. ¹

19 Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.

20 The Lord will not forgive such a man. Instead, the Lord's burning anger will flame up against him, and all the disasters written in this book will fall on him until the Lord has destroyed him completely.

Deuteronomy 29:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 29

This chapter begins with an intimation of another covenant the Lord was about to make with the people of Israel, De 29:1; and, to prepare their minds to an attention to it, various things which the Lord had done for them are recited, De 29:2-9; the persons are particularly mentioned with whom the covenant would now be made, the substance of which is, that they should be his people, and he their God, De 29:10-15; and since they had seen the idols in Egypt and other countries, with which they might have been ensnared, they are cautioned against idolatry and idolaters, as being most provoking to the Lord, De 29:16-21; which would bring destruction not only on particular persons, but upon their whole land, to the amazement of posterity; who, inquiring the reason of it, will be told, it was because they forsook the covenant of God, and particularly were guilty of idolatry, which, whether privately or openly committed, would be always punished, De 29:22-29.

Cross References

• 1. 29.18Hebrews 12.15.