Deuteronomy 29:17

17 You saw the horrific things, the filthy idols of wood and stone, silver and gold, that they had with them.

Deuteronomy 29:17 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 29:17

And ye have seen their abominations and their idols
Or, "their abominations, even their idols"; for the same are meant by both: it is common in Scripture to call the idols of the Gentiles abominations, without any other explanation of them; see ( 1 Kings 11:5 1 Kings 11:7 ) ; because they are abominable to God, and ought to be so to men: the word for idols has the signification of dung, and may be rendered dunghill gods, either referring to such that were bred and lived in dung, as the beetle, worshipped by the Egyptians, as Bishop Patrick observes; or which were as much to be loathed and abhorred as the dung of any creature:

wood and stone, silver and gold;
these are the materials of which the idols they had seen in the several countries they had been in, or passed through, were made of; some of wood, others of stone cut out of these, and carved; others more rich and costly were made of massive gold and silver, and were molten ones; or the images of wood were glided with gold and silver;

which [were] among them;
now these being seen by them in as they passed along, they might run in their minds, or be called to remembrance by them, and so they be in danger of being drawn aside to make the like, and worship them.

Deuteronomy 29:17 In-Context

15 but also with those standing here with us right now before the LORD our God, and also with those who aren't here with us right now.
16 You know firsthand how we used to live in Egypt and how we passed right through the nations that you passed through.
17 You saw the horrific things, the filthy idols of wood and stone, silver and gold, that they had with them.
18 Make sure there isn't any one among you right now—male or female, clan or tribe—whose mind is turning from being with the LORD our God in favor of going to serve these nations' gods. Make sure there isn't any root among you that is sprouting poison and bitterness.
19 When that kind of person hears the words of this agreement, they congratulate themselves, thinking: I'll be fine even though I insist on being stubborn. This would cause something wet to dry up and become like something parched.
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