Deuteronomy 8:11-20

11 "Be careful not to forget ADONAI your God by not obeying his mitzvot, rulings and regulations that I am giving you today.

12 Otherwise, after you have eaten and are satisfied, built fine houses and lived in them,

13 and increased your herds, flocks, silver, gold and everything else you own,

14 you will become proud-hearted. Forgetting ADONAI your God - who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves;

15 who led you through the vast and fearsome desert, with its poisonous snakes, scorpions and waterless, thirsty ground; who brought water out of flint rock for you;

16 who fed you in the desert with man, unknown to your ancestors; all the while humbling and testing you in order to do you good in the end -

17 you will think to yourself, 'My own power and the strength of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.'

18 No, you are to remember ADONAI your God, because it is he who is giving you the power to get wealth, in order to confirm his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as is happening even today.

19 If you forget ADONAI your God, follow other gods and serve and worship them, I am warning you in advance today that you will certainly perish.

20 You will perish just like the nations that ADONAI is causing to perish ahead of you, because you will not have heeded the voice of ADONAI your God."

Deuteronomy 8:11-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 8

In this chapter Moses repeats the exhortation to observe the commands of God, and urges the Israelites to it, from the consideration of the great and good things God had done for them in the wilderness, and even in those instances which were chastisements, and were of an humbling nature, De 8:1-6, and on the consideration of the blessings of the good land they were going to possess, De 8:7-9 for which blessings they are exhorted to be thankful, and are cautioned against pride of heart through them, and forgetfulness of God, and of his goodness to them while in the wilderness, and when brought into the land of Canaan, which they were to ascribe to his power and goodness, and not their own, De 8:10-18, and the chapter is concluded with a warning against idolatry, lest they perish through it as the nations before them, De 8:19,20.