Deuteronomy 29 Study Notes
General
Besides the leaders and men of Israel, who else does Moses say was standing before the LORD to enter the covenant (29:10-11)?
Answer: Foreigners who chopped wood and hauled water
Moses tells the whole assembly that they are all standing before the LORD: tribal leaders, elders, officials, every man of Israel, children, wives, and even the foreigners living in the camp who did the humble work of chopping wood and carrying water (29:10-11). The covenant was not only for leaders or for adult men. Later Joshua read the whole law to the entire assembly, including women, little ones, and foreigners (Joshua 8:35). A mixed crowd of non-Israelites had left Egypt with Israel (Exodus 12:38), and in Joshua's day the Gibeonites were assigned the same menial work of woodcutting and water carrying (Joshua 9:21).
- Deuteronomy 29:10-11 (BSB)“All of you are standing today before the LORD your God—you leaders of tribes, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water—”Moses lists every group standing before the LORD, down to the foreigners who cut wood and carry water.
- Joshua 8:35 (BSB)“There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.”Joshua read the law to the whole assembly, including women, children, and foreigners.
- Exodus 12:38 (BSB)“And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.”A mixed multitude of non-Israelites went up from Egypt with Israel.
- Joshua 9:21 (BSB)“They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.”The Gibeonites were later assigned the same work of cutting wood and carrying water.
Theological
Which group does Moses include among those assembled before the LORD to enter the covenant in 29:10-11?
Answer: Foreigners who chopped wood and hauled water
The covenant assembly is comprehensive: heads of tribes, elders, officers, all the men, children, wives, and the resident foreigners who did the menial work of gathering wood and fetching water (29:10-11). Covenant membership was not restricted to the leaders or to adult males, and it made room for the sojourner. Joshua later reads the law to precisely such an assembly, including women, children, and foreigners (Joshua 8:35); the mixed multitude that left Egypt (Exodus 12:38) and the Gibeonites later assigned to the same menial service (Joshua 9:21) illustrate how non-Israelites came to be attached to the people.
- Deuteronomy 29:10-11 (BSB)“All of you are standing today before the LORD your God—you leaders of tribes, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water—”Moses lists every group standing before the LORD, down to the foreigners who cut wood and carry water.
- Joshua 8:35 (BSB)“There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.”Joshua read the law to the whole assembly, including women, children, and foreigners.
- Exodus 12:38 (BSB)“And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.”A mixed multitude of non-Israelites went up from Egypt with Israel.
- Joshua 9:21 (BSB)“They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.”The Gibeonites were later assigned the same work of cutting wood and carrying water.
General
How does Deuteronomy 29:1 describe the covenant Moses was making with Israel in Moab?
Answer: It was a further covenant alongside Horeb's
Chapter 29 opens by naming its setting. At the LORD's command, Moses was to make a covenant (a binding agreement in which God sets out His promises and His people's obligations) with Israel in Moab, besides the earlier covenant God had made at Horeb, which is another name for Mount Sinai (29:1). The Moab covenant did not cancel Horeb; it renewed it for the new generation about to enter the land. Moses had earlier said that the Horeb covenant was made with the very people alive and listening to him in Moab, not simply with their ancestors (5:2-3). The heart of that covenant was the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (4:13), and it was in Moab, east of the Jordan, that Moses started expounding the law (1:5).
- Deuteronomy 29:1 (BSB)“These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb.”The heading names the covenant made in Moab as distinct from, and in addition to, the covenant at Horeb.
- Deuteronomy 5:2-3 (BSB)“The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.”Moses stresses that the Horeb covenant belonged to the generation alive in his day, which the Moab covenant renews.
- Deuteronomy 4:13 (BSB)“He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone.”The Horeb covenant centered on the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets.
- Deuteronomy 1:5 (BSB)“On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:”Deuteronomy locates Moses' exposition of the law east of the Jordan in Moab.
Theological
According to Deuteronomy 29:1, how does the covenant made in Moab relate to the covenant at Horeb?
Answer: It was a further covenant alongside Horeb's
The heading of chapter 29 distinguishes the Moab covenant from the covenant at Horeb (29:1). It is not a rival arrangement but a renewal and application of the Sinai covenant to the generation poised to enter Canaan. Moses had already insisted that the Horeb covenant belonged to the living generation and not merely to their fathers (5:2-3); its core was the Decalogue written on stone (4:13), and Deuteronomy as a whole presents itself as Moses expounding that law in Moab, east of the Jordan (1:5).
- Deuteronomy 29:1 (BSB)“These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb.”The heading names the covenant made in Moab as distinct from, and in addition to, the covenant at Horeb.
- Deuteronomy 5:2-3 (BSB)“The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.”Moses stresses that the Horeb covenant belonged to the generation alive in his day, which the Moab covenant renews.
- Deuteronomy 4:13 (BSB)“He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone.”The Horeb covenant centered on the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets.
- Deuteronomy 1:5 (BSB)“On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:”Deuteronomy locates Moses' exposition of the law east of the Jordan in Moab.
General
What purpose does Moses give for Israel entering the covenant and its oath (29:12-13)?
Answer: That God would confirm them as His own and be their God
Israel entered the covenant so that the LORD would establish them that day as His own and be their God, just as He had promised and sworn to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob (29:12-13). The covenant rested on God's own promise and oath, not on Israel earning a place with Him. The same words run through God's promises: to Abraham He said He would be God to him and his descendants (Genesis 17:7), at the exodus He said He would take Israel as His people (Exodus 6:7), and in Leviticus He promised to walk among them as their God (Leviticus 26:12).
- Deuteronomy 29:12-13 (BSB)“so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath, and so that He may establish you today as His people, and He may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”Israel enters the covenant so that the LORD may make them His people and be their God, as sworn to the patriarchs.
- Genesis 17:7 (BSB)“I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”God promised Abraham an everlasting covenant to be his God and the God of his descendants.
- Exodus 6:7 (BSB)“I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”At the exodus God promised to take Israel as His people and be their God.
- Leviticus 26:12 (BSB)“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.”God promised to walk among Israel as their God, with Israel as His people.
Theological
According to 29:12-13, what is the goal of Israel entering the LORD's covenant and oath?
Answer: That God would confirm them as His own and be their God
The purpose clause states the covenant formula: that the LORD might confirm Israel as His own and be their God, in keeping with His promise and His oath to the patriarchs (29:12-13). The covenant is grounded in God's prior sworn commitment, so obedience is the response of a people God has already claimed, not the means of becoming His. The formula echoes God's word to Abraham (Genesis 17:7), at the exodus (Exodus 6:7), and at Sinai (Leviticus 26:12).
- Deuteronomy 29:12-13 (BSB)“so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath, and so that He may establish you today as His people, and He may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”Israel enters the covenant so that the LORD may make them His people and be their God, as sworn to the patriarchs.
- Genesis 17:7 (BSB)“I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”God promised Abraham an everlasting covenant to be his God and the God of his descendants.
- Exodus 6:7 (BSB)“I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”At the exodus God promised to take Israel as His people and be their God.
- Leviticus 26:12 (BSB)“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.”God promised to walk among Israel as their God, with Israel as His people.
General
True or False: Moses says this covenant is made only with the Israelites standing there that day.
Answer: False
This is false. Moses says the covenant and oath include not just the people gathered before the LORD but also people absent that day (29:14-15). That includes the generations still to come. God's covenant dealings reach across generations, which is why Israel was to teach His law to children not yet born (Psalm 78:5-6). The same pattern appears at Pentecost, when Peter says the promise belongs to his hearers, to their children, and to everyone the Lord calls to Himself (Acts 2:39).
- Deuteronomy 29:14-15 (BSB)“I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God, as well as with those who are not here today.”Moses extends the covenant beyond those present to those not standing there that day.
- Psalm 78:5-6 (BSB)“For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children”God's law was to be handed down to children not yet born, showing His covenant reaching across generations.
- Acts 2:39 (BSB)“This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.””Peter says the promise belongs to his hearers, their children, and all whom the Lord calls.
Theological
True or False: According to 29:14-15, the covenant in Moab binds only the generation physically present.
Answer: False
This is false. Moses extends the covenant and oath beyond those present to those not there that day (29:14-15), binding future generations of Israel within the same covenant relationship. The multi-generational character of God's covenant is reflected in the charge to transmit His law to children yet unborn (Psalm 78:5-6) and in Peter's declaration that the promise is for his hearers, their children, and everyone the Lord calls (Acts 2:39).
- Deuteronomy 29:14-15 (BSB)“I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God, as well as with those who are not here today.”Moses extends the covenant beyond those present to those not standing there that day.
- Psalm 78:5-6 (BSB)“For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children”God's law was to be handed down to children not yet born, showing His covenant reaching across generations.
- Acts 2:39 (BSB)“This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.””Peter says the promise belongs to his hearers, their children, and all whom the Lord calls.
General
When the person described in 29:19 hears the covenant's curses, what does he tell himself?
Answer: That he will be safe while he follows his own way
Moses describes someone who hears the solemn warnings of the covenant and then blesses himself, assuming he will be at peace even while stubbornly following his own heart (29:19). Moses says this brings ruin, the LORD will refuse to pardon such a person, every curse in the book will fall on him, and God will wipe out his very name (29:20-21). It is a picture of false security in unrepentant sin. Jeremiah condemned prophets who promised peace to people walking in their own stubbornness (Jeremiah 23:17), and Paul warns that God is not mocked; a person reaps what he plants (Galatians 6:7).
- Deuteronomy 29:19-21 (BSB)“because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse written in this book will fall upon him. The LORD will blot out his name from under heaven and single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.”The self-deceived person promises himself peace, but Moses warns of unforgiven judgment and the covenant curses.
- Jeremiah 23:17 (BSB)“They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”Jeremiah condemns those who promised peace to people walking in the stubbornness of their hearts.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”Paul warns that God is not mocked; a person reaps what he sows.
Theological
What false confidence does the person in 29:19 express after hearing the oath's curses?
Answer: That he will be safe while he follows his own way
The apostate described in 29:19 hears the covenant sanctions and pronounces himself blessed, promising himself peace while persisting in his own obstinate will. Moses answers that the LORD will not pardon him; divine jealousy will burn, the covenant curses will settle on him, and his name will be blotted out (29:20-21). This is presumption: claiming covenant security while refusing covenant loyalty. Jeremiah indicts the false prophets who spoke peace to such people (Jeremiah 23:17), and Paul warns that God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7).
- Deuteronomy 29:19-21 (BSB)“because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse written in this book will fall upon him. The LORD will blot out his name from under heaven and single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.”The self-deceived person promises himself peace, but Moses warns of unforgiven judgment and the covenant curses.
- Jeremiah 23:17 (BSB)“They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”Jeremiah condemns those who promised peace to people walking in the stubbornness of their hearts.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”Paul warns that God is not mocked; a person reaps what he sows.
General
To which destroyed cities does Moses compare the ruined land in 29:22-23?
Answer: Sodom and Gomorrah with Admah and Zeboiim
Moses pictures a future generation, along with foreigners from far away, seeing the plagues and diseases the LORD inflicted on the land (29:22). Its soil would be scorched with sulfur and salt so that nothing could grow, like the four cities of the plain destroyed by God's fierce anger, Sodom and Gomorrah with Admah and Zeboiim (29:23). Genesis describes fire and sulfur falling from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25), and Admah and Zeboiim appear with them as cities of that same plain (Genesis 14:2). Centuries later, Hosea recalls these cities when God speaks of His compassion for Israel (Hosea 11:8).
- Deuteronomy 29:22-23 (BSB)“Then the generation to come—your sons who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land—will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it. All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.”Future observers see the land made a waste like the cities the LORD overthrew in His anger.
- Genesis 19:24-25 (BSB)“Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.”Genesis records the LORD raining sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Genesis 14:2 (BSB)“went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).”Admah and Zeboiim appear alongside Sodom and Gomorrah as cities of the same region.
- Hosea 11:8 (BSB)“How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!”Hosea names Admah and Zeboiim as God declares His compassion toward Israel.
Theological
In 29:23, the desolation of the land is likened to the overthrow of which cities?
Answer: Sodom and Gomorrah with Admah and Zeboiim
The curse scenario is viewed through the eyes of a later generation and distant foreigners who survey a land struck with plagues (29:22). Its ruin is compared to the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, as well as Zeboiim (29:23), the paradigm of total divine judgment. Genesis 19:24-25 records the burning sulfur that fell on both Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 14:2 groups Admah and Zeboiim with them, and Hosea 11:8 uses the same pair when God's compassion recoils from giving Israel over to such a fate.
- Deuteronomy 29:22-23 (BSB)“Then the generation to come—your sons who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land—will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it. All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.”Future observers see the land made a waste like the cities the LORD overthrew in His anger.
- Genesis 19:24-25 (BSB)“Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.”Genesis records the LORD raining sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Genesis 14:2 (BSB)“went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).”Admah and Zeboiim appear alongside Sodom and Gomorrah as cities of the same region.
- Hosea 11:8 (BSB)“How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!”Hosea names Admah and Zeboiim as God declares His compassion toward Israel.
General
What danger is Moses warning about with the picture of a root that yields bitter, poisonous fruit (29:16-18)?
Answer: A heart turning from God to idols of the nations
Israel had lived in Egypt and passed through other nations, and they had seen detestable idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold (29:16-17). Moses warns them to make sure no individual, family, or tribe has a heart drifting from the LORD to serve those gods, because such a person is like a root that grows bitter, poisonous fruit (29:18). One person's idolatry can spread and harm the whole community. The letter to the Hebrews uses the same picture when it warns the church not to let a root of bitterness spring up and defile many (Hebrews 12:15), and John closes his first letter by urging believers to keep themselves from idols (1 John 5:21).
- Deuteronomy 29:16-18 (BSB)“For you yourselves know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we passed through the nations on the way here. You saw the abominations and idols among them made of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit,”After recalling the idols of the nations, Moses warns against any heart that turns away, pictured as a root with bitter fruit.
- Hebrews 12:15 (BSB)“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.”Hebrews applies the root-of-bitterness image to warn believers against what defiles the community.
- 1 John 5:21 (BSB)“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”John's charge to keep away from idols carries the same warning into the church.
Theological
In 29:16-18, what does the image of a root producing bitter, poisonous fruit represent?
Answer: A heart turning from God to idols of the nations
Having seen the abominations of Egypt and the nations (29:16-17), Israel is warned against any individual, family, or tribe whose heart turns from the LORD to serve their gods; such a person is a root whose fruit is bitter poison (29:18). The image stresses both the inward origin of apostasy and its contagious effect on the community. Hebrews 12:15 takes up this very image to warn the church against a root of bitterness that defiles many, and 1 John 5:21 gives the enduring charge to keep from idols.
- Deuteronomy 29:16-18 (BSB)“For you yourselves know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we passed through the nations on the way here. You saw the abominations and idols among them made of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit,”After recalling the idols of the nations, Moses warns against any heart that turns away, pictured as a root with bitter fruit.
- Hebrews 12:15 (BSB)“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.”Hebrews applies the root-of-bitterness image to warn believers against what defiles the community.
- 1 John 5:21 (BSB)“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”John's charge to keep away from idols carries the same warning into the church.
General
What contrast does Moses draw in 29:29?
Answer: Hidden matters are God's; what He has revealed we must obey
After describing future judgment, Moses closes the chapter with a principle: the hidden things are the LORD's, but what He has made known is given to Israel and their children for all time, so that they may obey everything in the law (29:29). There are purposes of God that He has not made known, and people must leave those with Him in humility. What He has made known is given so that His people will obey it. Paul marvels that God's judgments are unsearchable (Romans 11:33), Isaiah says God's thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and Paul also teaches that Scripture is given to equip God's people fully for good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- Deuteronomy 29:29 (BSB)“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.”Moses distinguishes what belongs to the LORD alone from what He has revealed for His people to obey.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul praises the unsearchable depth of God's judgments and ways.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (BSB)““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”God's thoughts and ways are far higher than human thoughts and ways.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (BSB)“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.”Scripture, God's revealed word, is given to equip His people for every good work.
Theological
What distinction does 29:29 make, and what purpose does it give for what God has revealed?
Answer: Hidden matters are God's; what He has revealed we must obey
Deuteronomy 29:29 distinguishes the secret things, which are the LORD's alone, from the revealed things, which belong to Israel and their children forever for the purpose of obedience. This is the difference between God's secret will, the hidden counsel and purposes He keeps to Himself, and His revealed will, which He has made known for His people to believe and obey. The distinction grounds both humility and duty: the hidden counsel is not ours to pry into, while the revealed will is sufficient and binding. Paul's doxology over God's unsearchable judgments (Romans 11:33), Isaiah's contrast of divine and human thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9), and the sufficiency of Scripture to equip the believer fully (2 Timothy 3:16-17) express the same balance.
- Deuteronomy 29:29 (BSB)“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.”Moses distinguishes what belongs to the LORD alone from what He has revealed for His people to obey.
- Romans 11:33 (BSB)“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”Paul praises the unsearchable depth of God's judgments and ways.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (BSB)““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”God's thoughts and ways are far higher than human thoughts and ways.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (BSB)“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.”Scripture, God's revealed word, is given to equip His people for every good work.
General
What does Moses say God had not yet given Israel, even though they had witnessed His great deeds (29:2-4)?
Answer: True understanding of all they had witnessed
Israel had watched all that God did to Pharaoh and Egypt: the mighty tests, the signs, and the wonders (29:2-3). Yet Moses says that up to that day God had still withheld from them an understanding heart, seeing eyes, or hearing ears (29:4). Seeing miracles is not the same as spiritually grasping them; real understanding of God is His gift. Paul combines this verse with Isaiah's picture of the LORD pouring a deep slumber over the people and shutting the prophets' eyes (Isaiah 29:10) when he describes the hardening of much of Israel in his own day (Romans 11:8), and he teaches that the natural person, apart from God's Spirit, cannot understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). The people were still responsible to keep the covenant (29:9), and in the next chapter God promises to do the inner work Himself by circumcising their hearts, that is, changing them from within so they love Him (30:6).
- Deuteronomy 29:2-4 (BSB)“Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, and those miraculous signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.”Moses contrasts all Israel had seen in Egypt with the understanding the LORD had not yet given them.
- Romans 11:8 (BSB)“as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.””Paul combines the wording of this verse with Isaiah 29:10 to describe the hardening of much of Israel in his own day.
- Isaiah 29:10 (BSB)“For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.”Isaiah pictures the LORD sending a heavy slumber and closing the prophets' eyes, the other source Paul draws on in Romans 11:8.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 (BSB)“The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”Paul teaches that spiritual things cannot be understood apart from the Spirit of God.
- Deuteronomy 30:6 (BSB)“The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”God promises to do what Israel lacked by circumcising their hearts so that they love Him.
Theological
Despite the signs and wonders Israel had witnessed, what does 29:4 say God had withheld from them?
Answer: True understanding of all they had witnessed
Israel was an eyewitness generation: the plagues on Pharaoh, the great trials, the signs and wonders (29:2-3). Yet Moses traces their failure to a deeper lack: God had not yet granted them an understanding heart, seeing eyes, or hearing ears (29:4). External revelation, however spectacular, does not of itself produce spiritual perception. Paul joins this verse to Isaiah's image of a heavy slumber sent by the LORD (Isaiah 29:10) to describe Israel's hardening in his day (Romans 11:8), and he states the general principle that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). Here is the inability of the unregenerate heart; yet Israel remains accountable to keep the covenant (29:9), and the remedy is God's own effectual work promised in 30:6, the circumcision of the heart.
- Deuteronomy 29:2-4 (BSB)“Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, and those miraculous signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.”Moses contrasts all Israel had seen in Egypt with the understanding the LORD had not yet given them.
- Romans 11:8 (BSB)“as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.””Paul combines the wording of this verse with Isaiah 29:10 to describe the hardening of much of Israel in his own day.
- Isaiah 29:10 (BSB)“For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.”Isaiah pictures the LORD sending a heavy slumber and closing the prophets' eyes, the other source Paul draws on in Romans 11:8.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 (BSB)“The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”Paul teaches that spiritual things cannot be understood apart from the Spirit of God.
- Deuteronomy 30:6 (BSB)“The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”God promises to do what Israel lacked by circumcising their hearts so that they love Him.
General
True or False: Moses reminds Israel that the land taken from Sihon and Og was given to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.
Answer: True
This is true. When Israel arrived east of the Jordan, the two kings Sihon and Og attacked, but Israel defeated them, seized their territory, and handed it over as an inheritance (a family's permanent share of land) to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh (29:7-8). Numbers records both victories (Numbers 21:24, 35) and Moses' grant of those kingdoms to these tribes (Numbers 32:33). Moses draws a lesson from this history: be faithful to the covenant so that everything they undertake may prosper (29:9).
- Deuteronomy 29:7-9 (BSB)“When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. So keep and follow the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.”Moses recalls the defeat of Sihon and Og, the allotment of their land, and urges covenant faithfulness.
- Numbers 21:24 (BSB)“And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.”Numbers records Israel defeating Sihon and taking possession of his land.
- Numbers 21:35 (BSB)“So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.”Numbers records the defeat of Og and the capture of his land.
- Numbers 32:33 (BSB)“So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.”Moses gave the kingdoms of Sihon and Og to Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Theological
True or False: In 29:7-8, the territory of Sihon and Og is said to have been allotted to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.
Answer: True
This is true. Moses rehearses the Transjordan victories over Sihon of Heshbon and over Og of Bashan, and the allotment of their territory to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh (29:7-8), matching the narrative of Numbers (Numbers 21:24, 35) and the grant in Numbers 32:33. The history grounds the exhortation that follows: covenant faithfulness is the path to prospering in all their work (29:9).
- Deuteronomy 29:7-9 (BSB)“When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. So keep and follow the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.”Moses recalls the defeat of Sihon and Og, the allotment of their land, and urges covenant faithfulness.
- Numbers 21:24 (BSB)“And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.”Numbers records Israel defeating Sihon and taking possession of his land.
- Numbers 21:35 (BSB)“So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.”Numbers records the defeat of Og and the capture of his land.
- Numbers 32:33 (BSB)“So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.”Moses gave the kingdoms of Sihon and Og to Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
General
According to 29:24-28, what answer will be given when the nations ask why the LORD devastated the land?
Answer: Israel abandoned its covenant and worshiped foreign gods
Moses foresees the nations asking why the LORD brought such ruin on the land (29:24). The answer is plain: Israel abandoned the covenant God made with their fathers at the exodus from Egypt and turned to gods unknown to them, so the LORD's anger brought every written curse on the land and uprooted them to a foreign land (29:25-28). The disaster was not a sign of God's weakness but of His faithfulness to His warnings. God gave Solomon the same warning about the temple (1 Kings 9:8-9), Jeremiah repeated it about Jerusalem (Jeremiah 22:8-9), and when the northern kingdom was exiled to Assyria, Kings records that they remained there to that day (2 Kings 17:23).
- Deuteronomy 29:24-28 (BSB)“So all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’ And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them. Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against this land, and He brought upon it every curse written in this book. The LORD uprooted them from their land in His anger, rage, and great wrath, and He cast them into another land, where they are today.’”The nations ask why the land was ruined, and the answer is Israel's abandonment of the covenant for other gods.
- 1 Kings 9:8-9 (BSB)“And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’””God warned Solomon that passersby would ask the same question and receive the same answer.
- Jeremiah 22:8-9 (BSB)“And many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’ Then people will reply, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’””Jeremiah repeats the pattern: the nations ask why, and the answer is forsaking the covenant.
- 2 Kings 17:23 (BSB)“Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.”The exile of the northern kingdom records Israel removed from its land to another land.
Theological
What explanation does 29:25-28 give for the devastation that onlookers from other nations ask about?
Answer: Israel abandoned its covenant and worshiped foreign gods
The question of the nations (29:24) receives a theological answer: Israel forsook the covenant made at the exodus and served gods that were strangers to them, so the LORD executed every written curse and uprooted them to another land (29:25-28). The judgment vindicates God's covenant faithfulness rather than impugning His power. The same question-and-answer pattern recurs in God's warning to Solomon (1 Kings 9:8-9) and in Jeremiah's oracle over Jerusalem (Jeremiah 22:8-9), and the exile of the northern kingdom is recorded as its historical outworking (2 Kings 17:23).
- Deuteronomy 29:24-28 (BSB)“So all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’ And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them. Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against this land, and He brought upon it every curse written in this book. The LORD uprooted them from their land in His anger, rage, and great wrath, and He cast them into another land, where they are today.’”The nations ask why the land was ruined, and the answer is Israel's abandonment of the covenant for other gods.
- 1 Kings 9:8-9 (BSB)“And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’””God warned Solomon that passersby would ask the same question and receive the same answer.
- Jeremiah 22:8-9 (BSB)“And many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’ Then people will reply, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’””Jeremiah repeats the pattern: the nations ask why, and the answer is forsaking the covenant.
- 2 Kings 17:23 (BSB)“Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.”The exile of the northern kingdom records Israel removed from its land to another land.
General
What reason does Moses give for Israel's forty years without ordinary bread or wine (29:5-6)?
Answer: So they would learn that the LORD was their God
For forty years in the wilderness Israel's clothing and footwear held up, and they lived without ordinary bread or any wine or beer (29:5-6). Moses says this was so they would know that the LORD was their God. Their daily survival depended entirely on Him, not on farming or vineyards. Earlier Moses explained that the manna taught them that man lives by every word from the LORD's mouth, not by bread alone (8:3), and he had already pointed to their clothing lasting and their feet staying unswollen (8:4). Nehemiah's prayer later remembers these same forty years of care (Nehemiah 9:21).
- Deuteronomy 29:5-6 (BSB)“For forty years I led you in the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out. You ate no bread and drank no wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”Moses recalls clothes that did not wear out and life without bread or wine, so that Israel would know the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (BSB)“He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”The manna taught Israel to live by every word from the LORD, not by bread alone.
- Deuteronomy 8:4 (BSB)“Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.”Moses had earlier pointed to the same miracle of clothing that did not wear out.
- Nehemiah 9:21 (BSB)“For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.”The later prayer of confession remembers God sustaining Israel for forty years so that they lacked nothing.
Theological
According to 29:6, what was the purpose of Israel living without bread and wine in the wilderness?
Answer: So they would learn that the LORD was their God
Moses recalls God's preserving care in the wilderness: garments and sandals that lasted, and forty years without bread or any fermented drink (29:5-6). The purpose clause is explicit: that they might know the LORD as their God. Deprivation of ordinary means was itself the lesson, teaching dependence on God's word rather than bread (8:3); the same providence is recorded in 8:4 and rehearsed in the Levites' prayer in Nehemiah 9:21.
- Deuteronomy 29:5-6 (BSB)“For forty years I led you in the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out. You ate no bread and drank no wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”Moses recalls clothes that did not wear out and life without bread or wine, so that Israel would know the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (BSB)“He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”The manna taught Israel to live by every word from the LORD, not by bread alone.
- Deuteronomy 8:4 (BSB)“Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.”Moses had earlier pointed to the same miracle of clothing that did not wear out.
- Nehemiah 9:21 (BSB)“For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.”The later prayer of confession remembers God sustaining Israel for forty years so that they lacked nothing.