Deuteronomy 11 2

Deuteronomy 11:2 kjv

And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,

Deuteronomy 11:2 nkjv

Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the chastening of the LORD your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm?

Deuteronomy 11:2 niv

Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;

Deuteronomy 11:2 esv

And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm,

Deuteronomy 11:2 nlt

Keep in mind that I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the LORD your God or seen his greatness and his strong hand and powerful arm.

Deuteronomy 11 verses

Deuteronomy 11 2 Meaning

Deuteronomy 11:2 serves as a foundational call for the generation standing before Moses to profoundly "know" or acknowledge God's mighty works. Moses underscores that he is speaking directly to them, the eyewitnesses, who have personally experienced and seen the discipline, greatness, powerful hand, and outstretched arm of the Lord their God. This direct experience sets them apart from future generations who will not have witnessed these miraculous interventions firsthand, thereby highlighting the immense responsibility placed upon the present audience to remember and internalize these truths.

Deuteronomy 11 2 Context

Deuteronomy 11 initiates a critical transition in Moses' address to Israel on the plains of Moab. Having recounted the journey through the wilderness and reiterated key laws, Moses now moves into a powerful exhortation to love the LORD, walk in His ways, and keep His commandments. Verse 2 specifically sets the stage by appealing to the lived experience of the current generation. It serves as the bedrock for the ensuing instructions and warnings. Moses reminds them that unlike an uninformed future generation, they have direct, personal knowledge of God's formidable acts of judgment, salvation, and guidance during the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings. This appeal to their personal history creates a strong imperative for obedience, emphasizing that their commitment to the covenant is not based on hearsay but on verifiable divine intervention. Historically, this generation had either witnessed the events as young children or had been born shortly after the Exodus and grown up observing God's sustaining hand for forty years in the wilderness, placing them in a unique position of accountability and privilege.

Deuteronomy 11 2 Word analysis

• And know (וִידַעְתֶּם - viyda'tem): An imperative verb from the root yada' (יָדַע), which signifies much more than mere intellectual awareness. It implies experiential knowledge, deep understanding, intimate acquaintance, and personal acknowledgment. It’s a call to internalize these truths, to embrace them fully as lived reality, leading to a changed heart and action.
• this day (הַיּוֹם - hayyôm): Emphasizes immediacy and present relevance. It's a call to immediate accountability and a reminder that their knowledge and the covenant obligation are active now.
• for I speak not with your children (כִּי לֹא אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ - kî lō’ ’eṯ b^enêḵem ’ăšer lō’ yāḏ‘û): "Your children" (benechem) here refers to a future generation or perhaps those who were too young at the time of the Exodus to have a conscious memory. The key distinction is their lack of firsthand experience compared to the current audience. This phrase serves to highlight the unique position and responsibility of the listeners, who did know and see.
• who have not known and who have not seen (אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא רָאוּ - ’ăšer lō’ yāḏ‘û w^e’ăšer lō’ rā’û): This repetition emphasizes the lack of direct sensory and experiential knowledge on the part of the future generations. It reinforces the contrast with the current audience, who possess both.
• the discipline (מוּסָר - mûsār): This word encompasses instruction, correction, moral training, and chastisement. It implies a teaching process from God designed to shape character and guide Israel into right living, similar to a parent’s loving discipline. It’s not just punishment but also the lesson learned from it.
• of the LORD your God (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - YHWH ’elōhêḵem): Uses both the covenant name (YHWH) and the general name for God (Elohim), affirming God's unique relationship with Israel while highlighting His universal power and sovereignty.
• His greatness (גָּדְלוֹ - gāḏlô): Refers to God's immense power, majesty, preeminence, and awesome nature, particularly demonstrated through His extraordinary deeds.
• His mighty hand (יָדוֹ הַחֲזָקָה - yāḏô hăḥăzāqāh): A potent anthropomorphic idiom for God's overwhelming strength and power, especially in acts of deliverance or judgment, as famously seen in the Exodus narratives.
• and His outstretched arm (וּזְרֹעוֹ הַנְּטוּיָה - ûzərō‘ô haṇn^eṭûyāh): Another vivid anthropomorphic idiom often paired with "mighty hand." It depicts God's resolute and forceful action, symbolizing His active intervention to save or punish.

Words-group analysis:

• "And know this day, for I speak not with your children...": This sets up a crucial contrast, highlighting the privileged position of the audience who directly experienced God's power. It places the burden of memory and transmission squarely on their shoulders, as the primary custodians of this foundational knowledge.
• "...who have not known and who have not seen the discipline...His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm...": This cumulative phrase precisely defines what the future generations did not experience directly and what the present generation did witness. It summarizes the core historical narrative of God's redemptive work, emphasizing His character revealed through His actions in deliverance from Egypt and wilderness preservation. These terms ("discipline," "greatness," "mighty hand," "outstretched arm") are highly significant and are regularly used throughout the Old Testament to describe God's saving power.

Deuteronomy 11 2 Bonus section

The verse powerfully underscores the didactic nature of God's historical acts. The Exodus and wilderness journey were not just events but divine lessons designed to teach Israel about God's character and their own identity as His covenant people. This forms the basis for the requirement to diligently teach the next generation (Dt 6:7, Ps 78:4-6). It highlights the cyclical responsibility of each generation to "know" God experientially, and then transmit that living knowledge to their children, preventing a lapse into forgetfulness and disobedience that plagued Israel at times (e.g., Jdg 2:10). The emphasis on direct, sensory experience ("seen") shows that God did not remain hidden but revealed Himself clearly in history.

Deuteronomy 11 2 Commentary

Deuteronomy 11:2 serves as a pivotal point, laying the theological groundwork for all subsequent exhortations to obedience. Moses directly appeals to the living memory and eyewitness experience of the current generation of Israelites. He explicitly states that the profound truths he is about to impress upon them are not for those "who have not known and who have not seen," differentiating them from future generations who would only know of God's works through oral tradition and written scripture. This direct experience includes "the discipline of the LORD," referring not just to corrective judgment (like the plagues on Egypt), but also to His fatherly instruction and molding during their forty years in the wilderness. It also includes "His greatness," manifesting His immense power, "His mighty hand," signifying His forceful acts of liberation and sustenance, and "His outstretched arm," denoting His determined and irresistible intervention.

By emphasizing "you yourselves have seen," Moses impresses upon them a unique accountability. Their faith and obedience must be rooted in tangible, historical events rather than abstract concepts. This personal witness is intended to produce not just intellectual assent but a profound experiential knowledge (the root yada) that leads to loving devotion and faithful covenant adherence. Their personal history with God creates a non-transferable obligation and privilege, making their response to the covenant intensely personal and immediately relevant.