Deuteronomy 29:26

26 and they served alien gods, and worshipped them, which they knew not, and to which they were not given; (and they served foreign, or other, gods, and worshipped them, which they knew not, and which he had not given them;)

Deuteronomy 29:26 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 29:26

For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them
As did all Israel, in the times of Solomon, and the ten tribes under Jeroboam, and other succeeding kings of Israel; and the two tribes in the times of Ahaz, and especially of Manasseh, when they worshipped all the host of heaven; see ( 1 Kings 11:33 ) ( 12:28 ) ( 2 Kings 16:4 ) ( 21:3 ) ;

gods whom they knew not;
to whom they, as well as their fathers before them, were strangers and approved not of them; and of whose power and goodness they had no experience, and of which there never were any instances; yet such was their stupidity, as to leave their God, the only true God, of whom they had many proofs in both respects, and worship these idols, which had never been profitable and serviceable to them on any account:

and [whom] he hath not given unto them;
which version seems not to afford a good sense; for to what people soever has God, the true God, given other gods to worship, which this seems to imply, though he had not given or allowed any to them? Onkelos paraphrases it, "did not do them good"; which Jarchi explains, the gods they chose them did not impart to them any inheritance, or any portion; for the word used signifies to divide, or part a portion or inheritance; now the Lord God did divide to Israel the land of Canaan for an inheritance, but these idols had never divided anything to them, and had been in no instance profitable or advantageous to them; and therefore it was madness and folly in them to worship them, as well as great ingratitude to the Lord their God, who had done such great and good things for them; for so the words may be rendered, "and did not impart" or "divide to them" F7 anything; that is, not anyone of them did; for the verb is singular.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 (Mhl qlx alw) "qui nihil impertitus est eis", Pagninus; "et quorum nullus impertitus fuerat eis quidquem", Piscator; "neque partitus est ipsis", Cocceius.

Deuteronomy 29:26 In-Context

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,
26 and they served alien gods, and worshipped them, which they knew not, and to which they were not given; (and they served foreign, or other, gods, and worshipped them, which they knew not, and which he had not given them;)
27 therefore the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth against this land, that he brought in upon it all the curses that be written in this book; (and so with strong vengeance the Lord was angry against this land, and he brought in on it all the curses that be written in this book;)
28 and he casted them out of their land, in wrath and strong vengeance, and in full great indignation; and he casted forth them into an alien land, as it is proved today. (and he threw them out of their land, in his anger and strong vengeance, and very great indignation; and he threw them forth into a foreign land, where they still be today.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.