Deuteronomy 12:29 kjv
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deuteronomy 12:29 nkjv
"When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
Deuteronomy 12:29 niv
The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land,
Deuteronomy 12:29 esv
"When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,
Deuteronomy 12:29 nlt
"When the LORD your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,
Deuteronomy 12 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 15:18-21 | On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your... nations: the Kenite, the Kenizzite... Jebusite.” | Promise of land and dispossessing nations |
| Exod 23:23-24 | “When my angel goes before you... drive them out... you shall not bow down to their gods.” | Divine aid in driving out nations; warning. |
| Num 33:53 | "You shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you." | Command to possess and dwell |
| Deut 1:8 | "See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land..." | Reminder of the divine gift and command to occupy. |
| Deut 4:38 | "...driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you..." | God's power in driving out nations |
| Deut 9:1-5 | "Hear, O Israel: You are today passing over the Jordan to go in to dispossess nations... the Lord your God drives them out." | God's action in dispossessing nations |
| Josh 1:3 | "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you..." | Fulfillment of promise of land possession. |
| Josh 23:5 | "The Lord your God will push them back from before you and drive them out of your sight..." | God's continued action in conquest |
| Judg 2:2 | "...and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; their altars you shall break down.” | Warning against compromise after dispossession. |
| Neh 9:8 | "You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him a covenant... giving them the land..." | God's faithfulness in providing the land. |
| Ps 78:55 | "He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a heritage and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents." | God's past action of driving out and settling. |
| Deut 12:30-31 | "...take care that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you..." | Immediate warning following verse 29. |
| Lev 18:24-25 | "Do not defile yourselves by any of these things... the land vomited out its inhabitants." | Consequences of pagan practices, land rejects them. |
| Lev 20:23 | "You shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you..." | Explicit prohibition against imitating nations. |
| Exod 34:15-16 | "Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whre after their gods..." | Warning against idolatrous alliances |
| Deut 18:9 | "When you come into the land... you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations." | Specific command not to learn their ways. |
| Ps 106:34-39 | "They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but mingled with the nations and learned their works..." | Israel's failure to obey regarding nations. |
| Jer 10:2 | "Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens..." | Exhortation to avoid Gentile customs. |
| Rom 12:2 | "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." | New Testament application of avoiding worldly ways. |
| Eph 4:17 | "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds." | NT command to live distinctively from non-believers. |
| 1 Pet 4:3-4 | "For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do... They are surprised when you do not join them..." | NT instruction against former sinful Gentile ways. |
| Rev 21:3-4 | "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man... God himself will be with them as their God." | Ultimate dwelling with God, fulfillment of presence. |
Deuteronomy 12 verses
Deuteronomy 12 29 Meaning
Deuteronomy 12:29 serves as a crucial transitional verse, acting as a protasis or "when" clause that sets the stage for a critical warning to follow. It acknowledges God's impending fulfillment of His covenant promise: to forcefully remove the indigenous nations from the land of Canaan, allowing Israel to inherit and reside there. This divinely enabled possession, however, is not an end in itself but introduces a new phase of ethical and religious responsibility for the Israelites concerning their worship and conduct once they are settled.
Deuteronomy 12 29 Context
Deuteronomy 12:29 is embedded within Moses's instructions to Israel concerning their worship once they enter the promised land. The entire chapter 12 focuses on the proper "place" of worship – emphasizing that it must be at the singular, divinely chosen sanctuary, rather than at various high places, which were characteristic of Canaanite idolatry. The chapter opens with a command to destroy all places where the nations served their gods (Deut 12:2-3) and warns against adopting their practices. Verse 29, therefore, provides the critical temporal context for these warnings: "When" Israel has successfully dispossessed the Canaanites and settled, they must be vigilant. This future scenario leads directly into the explicit prohibition in verse 30 against inquiring about the pagan gods and practicing their detestable ways, such as child sacrifice. Historically, this address takes place just before the Israelites cross the Jordan River into Canaan, preparing them for the spiritual battles that would accompany the physical conquest and settlement. It establishes a direct polemic against the existing Canaanite cults, urging Israel towards radical separation and singular devotion to Yahweh.
Deuteronomy 12 29 Word analysis
- When (`Kī` - כִּי): This conjunction introduces a temporal clause, signaling that the following events are contingent upon God's future action and Israel's subsequent settlement. It marks a certain future occurrence, implying that this transition to occupying the land is inevitable due to God's promise and power.
- the Lord your God (`YHVH Elohīm` - יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ): Emphasizes the covenant relationship between Israel and Yahweh. It highlights His identity as the one true, personal God who acts on their behalf, differentiating Him sharply from the multitude of pagan deities worshipped by the surrounding nations. This term reiterates divine ownership and loyalty.
- cuts off (`Hikhrît` - הִכְרִית): From the verb `kārat` (כָּרַת), in the Hiphil stem, meaning to cut off, destroy, utterly remove, or make extinct. This powerful verb signifies God's decisive and violent act of divine judgment against the nations inhabiting Canaan. It indicates total eradication or expulsion, emphasizing that Israel's success in conquering the land is primarily a work of God's power and righteous judgment. This isn't just military conquest by Israel, but divine obliteration.
- before you: This phrase signifies God's active presence and leadership in the battle. He goes in front of Israel, clearing the way, indicating His protection and direct involvement in driving out the inhabitants. It means God is their vanguard, ensuring their path.
- the nations (`Ha-Goyim` - הַגּוֹיִם): Refers specifically to the Canaanite peoples and tribes (e.g., Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, listed elsewhere), who are depicted as morally corrupt due to their idolatrous and abominable practices, making them ripe for divine judgment.
- whom you are going in to dispossess: This phrase defines the specific purpose of Israel's entry into Canaan – to take rightful possession of the land promised to their ancestors. It points to a clear divine mandate and active participation on Israel's part in the process of taking the land.
- and you dispossess them (`v'yārashtā 'ôtām`): The Hebrew verb `yārash` (יָרַשׁ) means to take possession, inherit, or dispossess. Its repetition from the previous clause reinforces that Israel will indeed execute the command to occupy. It signifies Israel's active role in expelling the nations and taking what has been divinely granted to them, transitioning from nomadic wandering to settled existence.
- and dwell in their land (`v'yāshabtā b'artṣām`): `yāshav` (יָשַׁב) means to settle, inhabit, or dwell. This signifies the permanent establishment and settlement of Israel in the Promised Land. This state of dwelling marks the successful conclusion of the conquest and introduces a new set of responsibilities and temptations related to cultural and religious purity.
- "The Lord your God cuts off before you the nations... and you dispossess them": This phrase emphasizes the collaborative yet divinely led nature of the conquest. God initiates and empowers ("cuts off," "before you"), but Israel is commanded to follow through and take active possession ("you dispossess them"). This highlights both divine sovereignty and human responsibility in fulfilling the covenant. The `Hikhrît` (cuts off) points to God's severe judgment, contrasting sharply with any perceived "right" of the Canaanites to their land; it is a righteous expulsion.
- "and dwell in their land": This segment marks the culmination of the covenant promise of land possession. It signals the transition from wandering and conquest to stability and settled life, which then serves as the critical backdrop for the severe warnings about avoiding the former inhabitants' pagan practices in the subsequent verses. This phase presents new spiritual dangers.
Deuteronomy 12 29 Bonus section
This verse functions as a perfect lead-in, a protasis, for the stern and explicit warnings in Deuteronomy 12:30-31, where Moses directly addresses the danger of spiritual assimilation. It highlights that success and peace in the Promised Land bring a new set of temptations for Israel. The act of "cutting off" by God is an act of covenant justice against the pagan inhabitants due to their depravity (e.g., child sacrifice), not merely an arbitrary military maneuver. This means that Israel must understand that to mimic these nations is to invite the same judgment. The repeated use of "dispossess" (yārash) ties this future act directly to the foundational Abrahamic covenant (Gen 15), where the promise of land was explicitly tied to the disinheritance of existing inhabitants, whose sin would eventually reach its fullness. The ultimate purpose of Israel's "dwelling" was not mere comfort, but to establish a holy nation dedicated solely to Yahweh, becoming a beacon of His truth in a fallen world.
Deuteronomy 12 29 Commentary
Deuteronomy 12:29 stands as a pivotal verse, marking the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel regarding the land and the defeat of its inhabitants. It highlights God's sovereignty and might as the primary agent in "cutting off" the nations before His people, underscoring that Israel's possession of the land is a divine gift and an act of judgment against the pagan inhabitants. However, this success in dispossessing and dwelling is not an end in itself; it sets the stage for a critical spiritual challenge. Moses, anticipating Israel's settlement, prefaces it with a solemn warning that their secure habitation could lead to complacency and, more dangerously, adoption of the very abominable practices that led to the expulsion of the Canaanites. Thus, the verse signifies both divine faithfulness in keeping promises and the introduction of a new responsibility for Israel: maintaining radical distinction and uncompromised fidelity to Yahweh even after achieving rest and prosperity.