Deuteronomy 8:17

17 Don't think to yourself, My own strength and abilities have produced all this prosperity for me.

Deuteronomy 8:17 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:17

And thou say in thine heart
These words are in connection with the former part of the ( Deuteronomy 8:14 ) :

and thou forget the Lord thy God;
the author and giver of all the good things enjoyed, and think within themselves, though they might not express it in words at length:

my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth;
so ascribing that to themselves, their labour, and diligence, which ought to be ascribed to the bounty and blessing of God; see ( Hosea 12:8 ) .

Deuteronomy 8:17 In-Context

15 the one who led you through this vast and terrifying desert of poisonous snakes and scorpions, of cracked ground with no water; the one who made water flow for you out of a hard rock;

16 the one who fed you manna in the wilderness, which your ancestors had never experienced, in order to humble and test you, but in order to do good to you in the end.

17 Don't think to yourself, My own strength and abilities have produced all this prosperity for me.

18 Remember the LORD your God! He's the one who gives you the strength to be prosperous in order to establish the covenant he made with your ancestors—and that's how things stand right now.

19 But if you do, in fact, forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, serving and bowing down to them, I swear to you right now that you will be completely destroyed.