Deuteronomy 4:28

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.

Deuteronomy 4:28 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 4:28

And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood
and stone
Idols made by men, cut out of wood and stone; these they should be enticed into the service of, or compelled to serve; which was still more brutish and stupid than to worship the sun, moon, and stars, which were not the works of men's hand, but the glorious works of the eternal God. But since in their captivities they were not subject to idolatry, but were cured of it thereby, another sense of the words is given by some, as by Onkelos and Jonathan, who paraphrase the words of serving the people, that serve idols; but what follows confirms the first sense:

which neither see, nor hear, nor taste, nor smell;
senseless things, which have none of the senses of seeing, hearing, and smelling, nor the faculty of eating, which they need not to support life, of which they are destitute; and therefore it must be monstrous stupidity to worship such lifeless, senseless, objects; see ( Psalms 115:4-7 ) .

Deuteronomy 4:28 In-Context

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.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.