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Deuteronomy Chapter
Eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
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
Deuteronomy 8:1
and on the consideration of the blessings of the good land they were going to
possess
Deuteronomy 8:7 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
Deuteronomy 8:10
and the chapter is concluded with a warning against idolatry
lest they perish
through it as the nations before them
Deuteronomy 8:19.
Deuteronomy 8:1 “Every
commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe
that you
may live and multiply
and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers.
YLT
1`All the command which I am
commanding thee to-day ye observe to do
so that ye live
and have multiplied
and gone in
and possessed the land which Jehovah hath sworn to your fathers;
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye
observe to do
.... It is repeated over and over again
to impress it on their
minds
and to show the importance and necessity of it
how greatly it was
expected from them
and how much it was incumbent on them:
that ye may live and multiply
and go in and possess the land
which the Lord sware unto your fathers; for their temporal life
and the mercies and comforts of it
the multiplication of their offspring
and
of their substance
their entrance into the land of Canaan
possession of it
and continuance in it
all depended on their obedience to the commands of God;
see Deuteronomy 19:20.
Deuteronomy 8:2 2 And
you shall remember that the Lord your God
led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness
to humble you and
test you
to know what was in your heart
whether you would keep His
commandments or not.
YLT
2and thou hast remembered
all the way which Jehovah thy God hath caused thee to go these forty years in
the wilderness
in order to humble thee to try thee
to know that which [is] in
thy heart
whether thou dost keep His commands or not.
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led
thee these forty years in the wilderness
.... For this was now the
fortieth year of their coming out of Egypt into the wilderness
into which they
quickly came after their departure from thence
and had been in one wilderness
or another ever since
in which God went before them in a pillar of cloud and
fire
and directed their way; and now they are called upon to remember all the
occurrences in the way
what favours and mercies had been bestowed upon them
what provisions had been made for them
what enemies they had been delivered
from or overcome
as well as what afflictions and chastisements had attended
them: and so the people of God should call to mind how they were brought to see
their wilderness state and condition by nature; how they were brought out of
it
and stopped in their career of sin
and turned from their evil ways
and led
to Christ; what gracious promises have been made to them; what light has been
afforded them; what communion they have had with God; what pleasure in his
ordinances; what food they have been fed with; what temptations have befallen
them
and how delivered out of them; and what afflictions have been laid upon
them
and how supported under them
and freed from them:
to humble thee; under the mighty hand of God
to bring down
the pride of their hearts and hide it from them; to lay them low in their own
eyes
and clothe them with humility
that the Lord alone might be exalted: and
to prove thee; whether they would be obedient to his laws
or how they would behave towards him both in prosperity and adversity
and to
try their graces
their faith and patience
fear and love:
to know what was in thine heart; that is
to make it
known to themselves and others; for God knew all that was in it
the wickedness
of it
the unbelief
rebellion
and frowardness of it
and needed not any ways
and means to get into the knowledge of it; see 2 Chronicles 32:31
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no; which they
had in such a solemn manner promised to do; Deuteronomy 5:27.
Deuteronomy 8:3 3 So
He humbled you
allowed you to hunger
and fed you with manna which you did not
know nor did your fathers know
that He might make you know that man shall not
live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of the Lord.
YLT
3`And He doth humble thee
and cause thee to hunger and doth cause thee to eat the manna (which thou hast
not known
even thy fathers have not known)
in order to cause thee to know
that not by bread alone doth man live
but by every produce of the mouth of
Jehovah man doth live.
And he humbled thee
.... Or afflicted thee
with want of bread:
and suffered thee to hunger; that there might be an
opportunity of showing his mercy
and exerting his power:
and fed thee with manna
which thou knewest not
neither did thy
fathers know; a sort of food they had never seen before
and when they saw it
knew not what it was
but asked
what is it? Exodus 16:15. Thus
the Lord humbles his people by his Spirit and grace
and brings them to see
themselves to be in want
and creates in them desires after spiritual food
and
feeds them with Christ the hidden manna
whose person
office
and grace
they
were before ignorant of:
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only; which is the
stay and staff of life
and which strengthens man's heart
and is the main
support of it
being the ordinary and usual food man lives upon
and is put for
all the rest:
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord
doth man live: not so much by the food he eats as by the blessing of God upon
it
and who can make one sort of food as effectual for such a purpose as
another; for every creature of God is good being received with thankfulness
and sanctified by the word and prayer; and particularly he could and did make
such light food as manna was to answer all the purposes of solid bread for the
space of forty years in the wilderness; the Targum of Jonathan is
"but by
all which is created by the Word of the Lord is the life of man;'which seems to
agree with 1 Timothy 4:3
4 for the meaning
is not that the Israelites in the wilderness
and when come into the land of
Canaan
should not live by corporeal food only
but by obedience to the
commands of God
by means of which they should continue under his protection
which was indeed their case; nor that man does not live in his body only by
bread
but in his soul also by the word of God
and the doctrines of it
which
is certainly true; spiritual men live a spiritual life on Christ
the Word of
God
and bread of life
and on the Gospel and the truths of it
the wholesome
words of our Lord Jesus
and are nourished up with the words of faith and sound
doctrine
by means of which their spiritual life is supported and maintained;
but this is not what is here intended.
Deuteronomy 8:4 4 Your
garments did not wear out on you
nor did your foot swell these forty years.
YLT
4`Thy raiment hath not worn
out from off thee
and thy foot hath not swelled these forty years
Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee
&c. They wanted not
clothes all the forty years they were in the wilderness; which some account for
by the rising generation being supplied with the clothes of those that died in
the wilderness
and with the spoils they took from Amalek
Exodus 17:1 and others
as Aben Ezra observes
remark that they brought much clothes with them out of
Egypt
which no doubt they did; see Exodus 12:35 and he
adds
as worthy of notice
that the manna they lived upon did not produce
sweat
which is prejudicial to clothes; but be it so
that they were
sufficiently provided with clothes
it must be miraculous that these clothes
they wore should not wax old. This
in a spiritual sense
may denote the
righteousness of Christ
which is often compared to raiment
the property of
which is
that it never waxes old
wears out
or decays; it is an everlasting
righteousness
and will never be abolished
but will answer for the saints in a
time to come; see Isaiah 51:6 neither
did thy foot swell these forty years; or puff up like paste
as Jarchi explains
it
which is often the case in long journeys; the Septuagint version is
"did not become callous"; a callousness or hardness is frequently
produced by travelling; in Deuteronomy 29:5 it
is explained of the shoes on their feet not waxing old; so Ben Melech
and the
Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan
and the Syriac and Arabic versions here
"thy feet were not naked"
were not without shoes; these were no more
wore out by travel than their clothes upon their backs
and this was equally as
miraculous: the Gibeonites
pretending to come from a far country
and to have
travelled much and long
put on old garments and old shoes
to make it probable
and plausible
Joshua 9:5. This
may be an emblem of the perseverance of the saints in faith and holiness: shoes
upon the feet denote a Gospel conversation
which is very beautiful
Song of Solomon 7:1
the feet of saints being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;
which
as shoes to the feet
guides and directs the Christian walk
strengthens
and makes fit for walking
keeps tight and preserves from slipping and falling
and protects from what is harmful
accompanied by the power and grace of God.
Deuteronomy 8:5 5 You
should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son
so the Lord your God chastens you.
YLT
5and thou hast known
with
thy heart
that as a man chastiseth his son Jehovah thy God is chastising thee
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart
....
Frequently think of
and meditate upon
revolve in their thoughts
well weigh
in their minds
and take into thorough and deliberate consideration in their
hearts; it being a matter of great moment and importance to them for their
peace and comfort and the glory of God
namely
what follows:
that as a man chasteneth his son
so the Lord thy God chasteneth
thee; that they stood in the same relation to God as a son to a
father
and therefore happy and honourable; that all their afflictions came
from God
were appointed
sent
directed
and overruled by him for his own
glory and their good; that these were the chastenings and corrections of a
father
and were not done in wrath
but in love
and therefore should be
patiently endured; and it became them to consider well from what hand they
came
and in what manner
and for what ends and purposes
how they ought to
behave under them
and what they should do
as follows.
Deuteronomy 8:6 6 “Therefore
you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God
to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
YLT
6and thou hast kept the
commands of Jehovah thy God
to walk in His ways
and to fear Him.
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God
.... Not only
because they are the commands of God
and of a covenant God and Father
which
are reasons sufficient for the observance of them; but because the Lord had
dealt so bountifully with them
in providing food and raiment for them in the
wilderness
which always continued with them; and because
when he afflicted
them
it was a fatherly chastisement
with great tenderness and compassion
and
for their good; all which laid them under obligations to keep the commands of
God
whatsoever he had enjoined them
whether of the moral
ceremonial
or
judicial kind:
to walk in his ways
and to fear him; to walk in
the ways he directed
to be under an awe of his majesty
a fear of offending
him
and a reverential affection for him
such as children have to a father.
Deuteronomy 8:7 7 For
the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land
a land of brooks of
water
of fountains and springs
that flow out of valleys and hills;
YLT
7`For Jehovah thy God is
bringing thee in unto a good land
a land of brooks of waters
of fountains
and of depths coming out in valley and in mountain:
For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land
.... The land
of Canaan
abounding with good things after enumerated
a land flowing with
milk and honey
having in it plenty of everything both for convenience and
delight; which is another reason why they were under obligations to serve the
Lord
to walk in his ways and keep his commandments:
a land of brooks of water; rivers and torrents
such as Jordan
Jabbok
Kishon
Kidron
Cherith
and others:
of fountains; as Siloam
Gihon
Etam
the baths of
Tiberias
and others:
and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; deep waters
caverns
wells
and lakes
which had their rise from such places
of which
there were many. With this agrees the account of it by our countrymen
Mr.
SandysF7Travels
l. 3. p. 110.
as it was in the beginning of the
last century; that it was adorned with beautiful mountains and luxurious
valleys
the rocks producing excellent waters
and no part empty of delight or
profit.
Deuteronomy 8:8 8 a
land of wheat and barley
of vines and fig trees and pomegranates
a land of
olive oil and honey;
YLT
8a land of wheat
and
barley
and vine
and fig
and pomegranate; a land of oil olive and honey;
A land of wheat and barley
.... There were two
harvests in it
one a barley harvest
which began at the passover
and the
other a wheat harvest
which began at Pentecost: instances of the great plenty
of these might be observed in the vast quantities consumed in the times of
Solomon
in his household
and in the yearly distribution he made to Hiram
1 Kings 4:22
yea
there was such plenty of wheat in this land
that it not only supplied the
inhabitants of it
but even furnished other countries with it; with this the
merchants of Israel and Judah traded at the market of Tyre
Ezekiel 27:17.
According to the Jewish writers
the best fine wheat flour was at Mechumas and
Mezonichah
and the next to them was Chephraim
or Ephraim
in the valleyF8Misn.
Menachot
c. 8. sect. 1. :
and vines; with which this land abounded everywhere; the places most noted
were Lebanon
Eshcol
Engedi
Ashkelon
Gaza
and Sarepta; according to the
above writersF9lbid. sect. 6.
Cerotim and Hatolim were the first
for wine
and the second to them were Beth Rimah and Beth Laban in the
mountain
and Caphat Sigmah in the valley; the wine of Sharon is also highly
commended by themF11T. Bab. Sabbat
fol. 77. 1. .
and fig trees and pomegranates: according to JosephusF12De
Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 9. sect. 8.
the country of Gennesaret furnished with the
best grapes and figs for ten months without intermission
and the rest of
fruits throughout the whole year. Figs and pomegranates
the spies brought with
them when they returned from searching the land
as well as grapes
are a
specimen of the fruits of it
Numbers 13:23.
a land of oil olive; the mount of Olives was famous
for olive trees
and had its name from thence; the whole land abounded with
them
and though oil was so much in common use with the Jews
they supplied
their neighbours with it: see 1 Kings 5:11. It
was usual also
as we are told
for the ten tribes to send oil into EgyptF13Echa
Rabbati
fol. 59. 3. ; according to the Jewish doctors
Tekoah was the first
place for oil
and the second
Ragab
beyond JordanF14Misn.
Menachot
c. 8. sect. 3. ; very probably the same with Argob
Deuteronomy 3:4.
and honey; besides the great quantities of honey produced by bees in this
country
there was much of another sort that dropped from trees
called wild
honey
the food of John the Baptist in the wilderness
Matthew 3:4. PlinyF15Nat.
Hist. l. 23. c. 4. Tikkune Zohar
correct. 16. fol. 27. 1. speaks of a sort of
honey which he calls "eloeomeli"
or oil honey
which is said to flow
from the olive trees in Syria; but this honey here is generally thought by the
Jewish writers to be an honey which was made of the fruit of palm trees
frequent in this country
and especially about Jericho; of which JosephusF16De
Bello Jud. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 3. says
that the palm trees about Jericho
the
fatter of them (i.e. of the fruit of them) being pressed
emit a large quantity
of honey
scarce exceeded by any; and MaimonidesF17In Misn.
Menachot
c. 5. sect. 1. so Bartenora in Misn. Biccurim
c. 1. sect. 3. says
that the honey spoken of in the law
particularly in this place
is honey of
palm trees
so Ben Melech; and it was not unusual for people of other nations
to make honey of the fruit of them. HerodotusF18Clio
sive
l. 1. c.
193. reports
that the Babylonians made honey out of palm trees; so the Arabs
call honey of palm trees "dibs
dibis
dipso"F19See Shaw's
Travels
p. 143.
the same with the word here used; agreeably to which both
the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase the words
"out of whose
palm trees honey is made.'
Deuteronomy 8:9 9 a
land in which you will eat bread without scarcity
in which you will lack
nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig
copper.
YLT
9a land in which without
scarcity thou dost eat bread
thou dost not lack anything in it; a land whose
stones [are] iron
and out of its mountains thou dost dig brass;
A land wherein thou shall eat bread without scarceness
.... That is
should have plenty of all sorts of provisions
which bread is often put for:
thou shall not lack anything in it; for necessity and
convenience
and for delight and pleasure:
a land whose stones are iron; in which were iron
mines:
and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass; both which
are taken out of the earth and the stones of it
Job 28:2 and were
to be found in the land of Canaan
and particularly in the tribe of Asher
as
seems from Deuteronomy 33:25
and more particularly at Sidon and Sarepta
which were in that tribe; the
latter of which seems to have its name from the melting of metals there
and
the former is said in HomerF20
εκ μεν σιδωνος πολυχαλκου. Homer. Odyss. 15. l. 424. to abound
with brass.
Deuteronomy 8:10 10 When
you have eaten and are full
then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
YLT
10and thou hast eaten
and
been satisfied
and hast blessed Jehovah thy God
on the good land which he
hath given to thee.
When thou hast eaten and art full
then thou shalt bless the Lord
thy God
.... For as the Lord would furnish them with plenty of food
they
might eat of it liberally
provided they did not indulge to intemperance
as
everyone may whom God has blessed with a fulness of good things; and this shows
that we are to return thanks to God for a plentiful meal
as well as to ask a
blessing on it:
for the good land which he hath given thee; which
supplied them with such plenty
that they enjoyed full meals every day.
Deuteronomy 8:11 11 “Beware
that you do not forget the Lord your God
by not keeping His commandments
His judgments
and His statutes which I
command you today
YLT
11`Take heed to thyself
lest
thou forget Jehovah thy God so as not to keep His commands
and His judgments
and His statutes which I am commanding thee to-day;
Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God
.... The
Father of mercies and fountain of goodness
the author and donor of every good
and perfect gift. Plenty is apt to induce a forgetfulness of God
when on the
contrary one would think it should keep him in continual remembrance
and
engage to daily thankfulness to him:
in not keeping his commandments
and his judgments
and his
statutes
which I command thee this day; gave a repetition of
and in the name of God afresh enjoined them
even laws moral
ceremonial
and
judicial
which
when not observed
God is forgotten.
Deuteronomy 8:12 12 lest—when
you have eaten and are full
and have built beautiful houses and dwell in
them;
YLT
12lest thou eat
and hast
been satisfied
and good houses dost build
and hast inhabited;
Lest when thou hast eaten and art full
.... Not only
once and again
but continually
day after day
being indulged with great
plenty:
and hast built goodly houses
and dwelt therein; who for forty
years had only dwelt in tents
moving from place to place in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 8:13 13 and
when your herds and your flocks multiply
and your silver and your gold
are multiplied
and all that you have is multiplied;
YLT
13and thy herd and thy flock
be multiplied
and silver and gold be multiplied to thee; and all that is thine
be multiplied:
And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply
.... Having
good pasture for them in so fruitful a land:
and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied; by trading
with other nations:
and all that thou hast is multiplied; children
servants
and substance.
Deuteronomy 8:14 14 when
your heart is lifted up
and you forget the Lord your God
who brought you out of the land of Egypt
from the house of bondage;
YLT
14`And thy heart hath been
high
and thou hast forgotten Jehovah thy God (who is bringing thee out of the
land of Egypt
out of a house of servants;
Then thine heart be lifted up
.... As the heart is apt
to be when riches increase; hence the advice in 1 Timothy 6:17.
and thou forget the Lord thy God; from whom all good
things come
and who can take them away when he pleases
and therefore should
be ever kept in mind
for ever looked to and trusted in for the continuance of
them; yet such is the evil heart of man
and such the stupefying nature of
riches
that they bring on forgetfulness of the author of them
lead off from
dependence on him and obedience to him; in order to prevent which
an
enumeration is given of wonderful instances of divine goodness to Israel
as
follows:
which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt
from the house
of bondage; into a land abounding with all the above good things
and
therefore it must be the highest ingratitude to forget such a God
and disobey
his commands.
Deuteronomy 8:15 15 who
led you through that great and terrible wilderness
in which were fiery
serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought
water for you out of the flinty rock;
YLT
15who is causing thee to go
in the great and the terrible wilderness -- burning serpent
and scorpion
and
thirst -- where there is no water; who is bringing out to thee waters from the
flinty rock;
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness
.... The
wilderness of Paran
which was great and large
reaching from Sinai to Kadesh
eleven days' journey
and terrible to the sight
nothing being to be seen but
dry rocks and barren mountains; see Deuteronomy 1:19
and especially for what follows: wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions;
fiery serpents
such as bit the Israelites
of which see Numbers 21:6 and
scorpions
a kind of serpents
venomous and mischievous
which have stings in
their tails they are continually thrusting out and striking with
as Pliny saysF21Nat.
Hist. l. 11. c. 25. ; and have their name from their great sting; for AristotleF23Hist.
Animal. l. 4. c. 7. says
this alone of insects has a large sting:
and drought where there was no water; a dry and
barren place where no water was to be had; see Psalm 63:1 or it
may be rather another kind of serpents may be meant
which is called
"dipsas"; and so the Vulgate Latin
Septuagint
and Samaritan
versions render it; the biting of which produces such a thirst as proves
mortal
and which must be intolerable in a wilderness where no water is; and
from whence it has its name
which signifies thirsty
as does the Hebrew word
here used:
who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; which was done
both at Horeb and Kadesh
Exodus 17:6 and was
very extraordinary; by striking flint
fire is ordinarily produced
and not
water. Dr. Shaw observesF24Travels
p. 317
442.
that it may be
more properly named
with other sorts of graphite marble here to be met with
"the rock of amethyst"
from their reddish or purple colour and
complexion.
Deuteronomy 8:16 16 who
fed you in the wilderness with manna
which your fathers did not know
that He
might humble you and that He might test you
to do you good in the end—
YLT
16who is causing thee to eat
manna in the wilderness
which thy fathers have not known
in order to humble
thee
and in order to try thee
to do thee good in thy latter end)
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna
.... Even all
the forty years they were in it
Exodus 16:35 which
thy fathers knew not; when they first saw it
Exodus 16:15.
that he might humble thee
and that he might prove thee; they were
kept humble
being dependent on God for their daily bread
having nothing in
the wilderness to support themselves with; and this tried them
whether they
would trust in God for their daily supply
and be thankful for it
or not:
to do thee good at thy latter end; that by living on such
light bread
and this only and continually
his goodness might appear the
greater
and be the sweeter to them
when they came into a land abounding with
all good things; which is not to be understood of the latter end and last days
of their commonwealth
as our version
with the Septuagint
Samaritan
Arabic
versions
and others
and the Targum of Onkelos; but of time following nearer
and the phrase should be rendered "hereafter"F25באחריתך "tandem"
Tigurine version
Vatablus
Piscator; "posthac"
Noldius
p. 180. No. 807. ; which better agrees
with the promise of a divine blessing; though
come when it would
it was the
more acceptable for the trial; as heaven will be the sweeter to the saints
through the afflictions
hardships
straits
and difficulties
which attend
them here.
Deuteronomy 8:17 17 then
you say in your heart
‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this
wealth.’
YLT
17and thou hast said in thy
heart
My power
and the might of my hand
hath made for me this wealth:
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 8:18 18 “And
you shall remember the Lord your God
for it is He
who gives you power to get wealth
that He may establish His covenant which He
swore to your fathers
as it is this day.
YLT
18`And thou hast remembered
Jehovah thy God
for He it [is] who is giving to thee power to make wealth
in
order to establish His covenant which He hath sworn to thy fathers as [at] this
day.
But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God
.... That he
was the author of their beings
the God of their lives and mercies; what great
and good things he had done for them in Egypt
and in the wilderness; and
particularly in putting them into the possession of such a fruitful country
abounding with all that heart could wish for:
for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; for though
men may have seeming opportunities for getting wealth
may have capacities for
the management of business for the acquisition of it
and may not be wanting in
diligence and industry
yet may not attain it; it is the blessing of God that
makes rich
and to that it should be imputed whenever it is enjoyed; see Psalm 127:2.
that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers
as it is this day; that he would give the
land of Canaan to their seed
and make them a rich and flourishing people
as
they would be and were when possessed of the land
which is supposed throughout
this discourse.
Deuteronomy 8:19 19 Then
it shall be
if you by any means forget the Lord your God
and follow other gods
and serve them and worship them
I testify against you
this day that you shall surely perish.
YLT
19`And it hath been -- if
thou really forget Jehovah thy God
and hast gone after other gods
and served
them
and bowed thyself to them
I have testified against you to-day that ye do
utterly perish;
And it shall be
if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God
.... Either
the mercies they received from him
not acknowledging they came from him
but
ascribing them to themselves; or their duty to him
to whom they were so
greatly obliged: and walk after other gods
and serve them
and worship them;
which would be to forget him indeed
forsaking his worship
and giving homage
and adoration to idols
which is what is intended by these expressions:
I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish; by one
judgment and calamity or another
as the sword
famine
pestilence
and
captivity; there being nothing more provoking to God than idolatry
which so
much detracts from his honour and glory: and which besides
in such a people
so highly favoured of God
it argued the basest ingratitude.
Deuteronomy 8:20 20 As
the nations which the Lord destroys before you
so you
shall perish
because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.
YLT
20as the nations whom Jehovah
is destroying from your presence
so ye perish; because ye hearken not to the
voice of Jehovah your God.
As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face
so
shall ye perish
.... Be cut off by the sword
or cast out as they were
the same
sins
particularly idolatry
being committed by them. This is to be understood
of the seven nations of the land of Canaan
which the Lord would be gradually
destroying when Israel came into the possession of their land; and they might
righteously expect the same treatment
should they be guilty of the same sins:
because ye would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God; expressed in
his law
especially in the two first precepts of it
which require the worship
of one God
and forbid the worshipping of idols; or to the Word of the Lord
as
the Targum of Jonathan
Christ
the essential Word
in whom the name of the
Lord was
and whose voice Israel was to obey
Exodus 23:20.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》