Deuteronomy 28 36

Deuteronomy 28:36 kjv

The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

Deuteronomy 28:36 nkjv

"The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods?wood and stone.

Deuteronomy 28:36 niv

The LORD will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors. There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.

Deuteronomy 28:36 esv

"The LORD will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone.

Deuteronomy 28:36 nlt

"The LORD will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone!

Deuteronomy 28 verses

Deuteronomy 28 36 Meaning

Deuteronomy 28:36 prophesies a severe covenant curse for Israel's disobedience, particularly idolatry. It foretells that the LORD will directly orchestrate the deportation of the nation, including their king, to an unfamiliar land. There, they will be forced to serve foreign deities, specifically described as lifeless idols made of wood and stone. This is a profound punishment, marking a complete disruption of their national identity, land, and exclusive relationship with the living God, culminating in the humiliation of forced idolatry.

Deuteronomy 28 36 Context

Deuteronomy 28:36 stands as a core curse within the comprehensive covenant presented in Deuteronomy, specifically Moses's final addresses to the Israelites before entering Canaan. Chapters 27-30 lay out the stipulations of the renewed Mosaic covenant: blessings for obedience (28:1-14) and increasingly severe curses for disobedience (28:15-68). Verse 36 describes a crucial phase of the national judgment – exile and forced idolatry. Historically, Israel was about to inherit the Promised Land, surrounded by nations deeply steeped in polytheism and idol worship. The covenant emphasized exclusive worship of YHWH, but the constant temptation to assimilate or compromise with surrounding pagan practices was anticipated. The prophecy of a "king" acknowledges the future establishment of the monarchy, directly involving leadership in the fate of the nation. The threat of exile was a common geopolitical tool of powerful ancient Near Eastern empires like Assyria and Babylon, making this curse both understandable within their context and deeply terrifying in its implications for a people whose identity was tied to their land and God.

Deuteronomy 28 36 Word Analysis

• The LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): Refers to the covenant God of Israel, the one true God. This highlights His absolute sovereignty and active involvement in both blessing and cursing; this judgment is not random but divinely ordained as a consequence of covenant infidelity.
• will bring (יָבִיא, yavi): A causative verb. YHWH is the active agent in delivering this judgment. It is not merely a passive allowing of calamity but a direct, deliberate act of God.
• you (אַתָּה, atta): Refers collectively to the entire nation of Israel, indicating a comprehensive judgment that spares no one who is part of the covenant people.
• and your king (וּמַלְכְּךָ, umalkekha): Explicitly includes the future monarch in the judgment. This is significant because the Deuteronomic covenant applies to leaders as well as the populace (cf. Deut 17:14-20). It points to the shared responsibility for the nation's spiritual well-being and foresees the eventual failures of the monarchy leading to exile.
• whom you set over you (אֲשֶׁר תָּקִים עָלֶיךָ, asher takim ʿaleikha): Emphasizes Israel's agency in establishing the monarchy, reminding them that their choices (both in selecting a king and in collective obedience) have national consequences.
• to a nation (אֶל־גּוֹי, ʾel-goy): "Goy" often refers to a Gentile or foreign nation. This signifies being transported into foreign territory, outside of their covenant land and spiritual protection.
• which neither you nor your fathers have known (לֹא יָדַעְתָּה אַתָּה וַאֲבֹתֶיךָ, lo yadaʿta atta vaʾavoteikha): Stresses the complete disruption and terrifying unfamiliarity of their new circumstances. It means no ancestral connections, no shared culture, no known alliances, thus intensifying their vulnerability and helplessness. It signifies a radical uprooting from their heritage and everything familiar.
• and there (וְשָׁם, vəsham): Pinpoints the specific location of this forced idolatry—in the foreign land, indicating it is an intrinsic part of their punitive experience in exile.
• you shall serve (וְעָבַדְתָּה, veʿavadta): This verb means "to serve" or "to worship." Here, it implies forced servitude or unwilling worship, contrasting starkly with the free and willing worship expected by YHWH. The irony is severe: by refusing to truly serve YHWH, they would be compelled to serve worthless idols.
• other gods (אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, ʾĕlohim ʾakhērim): Directly opposes the first commandment (Ex 20:3; Deut 5:7), highlighting the nature of their sin (apostasy). It signifies the deities of foreign nations.
• wood and stone (עֵץ וָאֶבֶן, ʿetz vaʾeven): This is a derogatory, metonymic description for idols. It emphasizes their inanimate, lifeless, and ultimately powerless nature, sharply contrasting them with the living and active God of Israel. To be forced to worship such objects adds profound humiliation and insult to the punishment.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "The LORD will bring you and your king... to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known": This phrase powerfully conveys the divine decree of comprehensive judgment. It underlines God's direct hand in the exile, encompassing both the people and their leadership. The "unknown nation" highlights the psychological terror and cultural displacement inherent in the punishment, severing ties to heritage and homeland.
• "and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone": This clause describes the ultimate consequence and irony of their disobedience. The people who abandoned the living God for "other gods" would be compelled to serve worthless, lifeless images in a foreign land. It serves as a profound object lesson on the futility of idolatry and the degrading outcome of rejecting divine truth.

Deuteronomy 28 36 Bonus section

• The "wood and stone" polemic is a recurrent theme in biblical prophecy, highlighting the contrast between the impotence of human-made deities and the power of YHWH (e.g., Ps 115, Isa 44, Jer 10, Hab 2). The exile, prophesied in Deut 28:36, was intended by God to vividly demonstrate the folly and degradation of serving such idols.
• This verse represents a divinely orchestrated "discipline" aimed at drawing Israel back to true worship. Though punitive, the ultimate goal was repentance and restoration, demonstrating that YHWH's judgment is not without redemptive purpose, though it comes at a terrible cost for their disobedience.
• The severity of the curses, including this one, underscored the absolute necessity of faithful adherence to YHWH for Israel's survival and well-being in the land. It taught them that covenant obedience was directly linked to their national security and identity.

Deuteronomy 28 36 Commentary

Deuteronomy 28:36 encapsulates a terrifying core promise of the Mosaic covenant's curses: total national collapse due to covenant infidelity. God, as the active sovereign, would directly oversee Israel's forced removal, alongside their monarch, to an alien land. This isn't just about geographical relocation; it's a comprehensive undoing of their distinctiveness as YHWH's people, aimed at demonstrating the catastrophic consequences of spiritual compromise.

The inclusion of "your king whom you set over you" is prescient. It directly implicates Israel's future leadership in their fate, foreshadowing instances where kings led the nation into idolatry and subsequently into exile. This prophetic word confirms that no one, regardless of position, is exempt from the covenant's requirements or its judgment.

Perhaps the most potent aspect of this verse is the consequence: "there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone." This is the ultimate, ironic humiliation. Israel, which was called to exclusively worship the living YHWH, would be compelled to bow before lifeless, powerless images – the very idols they might have dabbled with. This served as a harsh, real-world lesson in the emptiness of idolatry and the severe cost of forsaking the one true God for tangible, yet utterly inert, substitutes. This prophecy found its literal fulfillment particularly in the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles, where Israelites, including their kings (like Jehoiachin and Zedekiah), were led away to foreign lands and exposed to pervasive pagan practices. This experience solidified a lasting anti-idolatry stance in post-exilic Judaism.