Deuteronomy 29:15-25

15 but to all men (but with all Israelites), present and absent.

16 For ye know how we dwelled in the land of Egypt, and how we passed by the midst of nations; which ye passed (by), (For ye know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how, when we passed through the midst of the nations,)

17 and saw abominations and filths, that is, their idols, (of) wood and stone, silver and gold, which they worshipped. (we saw their abominations and filths, that is, their idols, and false gods, made out of wood and stone, and silver and gold, which they worshipped.)

18 Lest peradventure among you be man either woman, family either lineage, whose heart is turned away today from your Lord God, that he go, and serve the gods of those folks; and a root burgeoning gall and bitterness be among you; (Lest there be among you a man or a woman, a family or a tribe, whose heart today is turned away from the Lord your God, so that they go, and serve the gods of those nations; and there be a root burgeoning gall and bitterness among you;)

19 and when he hath heard the words of this oath, he bless himself in his heart, and say, Peace shall be to me, and I shall go in the depravity of mine heart; and lest the drunken take the thirsty, (and so when he hath heard the words of this oath, he bless himself in his heart, and say, There shall still be peace for me, yea, even though I go in the depravity of my heart; but such thinking shall destroy everything;)

20 and the Lord forgive not to him, but then full greatly his strong vengeance be fierce, and his fervour burst out against that man, and all the curses that be written in this book rest upon him; and the Lord do away his name from under heaven, (for the Lord shall not forgive him, but his strong vengeance shall be greatly fierce, and his fervour shall burst out against that person, and all the curses that be written in this book shall rest upon him; and the Lord shall do away his name from under heaven,)

21 and waste him into perdition from all the lineages of Israel, by the curses that be contained in the book of this law, and of the bond of peace. (yea, he shall bring him out of all the tribes of Israel, and shall bring him down into perdition, according to all the curses of the covenant, that be contained in this Book of the Law.)

22 And the generation following shall see, and the sons that shall be born afterward, and pilgrims that shall come from [a]far, seeing the vengeances of that land, and the sicknesses by which the Lord tormented that land, (And the generation following, and the descendants who shall be born afterward, and the foreigners who shall come from afar, shall all see the plagues that be in the land, and the sicknesses with which the Lord hath tormented it,)

23 burning that land with brimstone, and heat of the sun, so that it be no more sown, neither bring forth any green thing, into ensample of [the] destroying of Sodom, and Gomorrah, of Admah, and of Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his wrath, and strong vengeance. (burning up that land with brimstone, and the heat of the sun, so that it can no more be sown, nor bring forth any green thing, following the examples of the destruction of Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboiim, all of which the Lord destroyed in his anger, and his strong vengeance.)

24 And all folks shall say, Why did the Lord so to this land? What is the great wrath of his strong vengeance? (And all the nations shall say, Why hath the Lord done so to this land? What is the reason for his great anger and strong vengeance?)

25 and they shall answer, For they forsook the covenant of the Lord, which he covenanted with their fathers, when he led them out of the land of Egypt,

Deuteronomy 29:15-25 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.