Deuteronomy 29 11

Deuteronomy 29:11 kjv

Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:

Deuteronomy 29:11 nkjv

your little ones and your wives?also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water?

Deuteronomy 29:11 niv

together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.

Deuteronomy 29:11 esv

your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water,

Deuteronomy 29:11 nlt

Your little ones and your wives are with you, as well as the foreigners living among you who chop your wood and carry your water.

Deuteronomy 29 verses

Deuteronomy 29 11 Meaning

Deuteronomy 29:11 continues the inclusive list of those standing before the Lord to enter into a covenant with Him, following the initial listing of leaders and tribes. It specifically extends the covenant participation to the most vulnerable, significant, and humble members of the community: the children (future generations), the women (wives and mothers), the resident foreigners, and those engaged in the most menial labor, symbolized by cutting wood and drawing water. This emphasizes that no one within the Israelite community is excluded from the covenant, highlighting its universal reach and the collective responsibility shared by all members, regardless of age, gender, social status, or origin within the "camp."

Deuteronomy 29 11 Context

Deuteronomy 29:11 is embedded within Moses' final discourse to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. This particular section, chapters 29 and 30, marks a formal covenant renewal ceremony, building upon the original Sinai covenant. Moses emphasizes that the covenant is not merely with the generation that stood at Sinai but is re-affirmed with all the current generation, including those too young to remember or participate previously. Verse 10 established the broad range of leadership present ("chiefs, your tribes, your elders, your officers, all the men of Israel"). Verse 11 meticulously expands this comprehensive listing, ensuring that every demographic and social stratum is explicitly included in the corporate commitment. This inclusion underscored the gravity of the oath and ensured collective responsibility for adherence to the covenant, guarding against any claim of exemption based on status. Historically, it prepares them for unified living under God's law in the promised land, recognizing that future disobedience would have consequences for the entire community.

Deuteronomy 29 11 Word analysis

• your little ones (Hebrew: טַפְכֶם, taphchem): This refers to young children, infants, and dependent offspring. Their inclusion signifies that the covenant encompasses not just the present generation capable of making a rational choice but also the continuity of God's promises through future generations. It highlights the generational nature of God's covenant with His people, extending God's grace and Israel's obligations to the lineage. It means God intends His covenant blessings and commands to be passed down and upheld from generation to generation, fostering collective responsibility within the family unit.
• your wives (Hebrew: נְשֵׁיכֶם, nesheichem): Refers to women in the capacity of wives and, by extension, all adult women within the community. Their explicit mention signifies their full participation and responsibility within the covenant. In an ancient Near Eastern context, where women's legal standing often differed from men's, their direct inclusion in this communal covenant ceremony is significant, affirming their vital role in the spiritual life and well-being of the nation. It asserts their moral agency and accountability before God.
• and the sojourner who is in your camp (Hebrew: וְגֵרְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקֶרֶב מַֽחֲנֶיךָ֙, vegerkha asher beqereb machanekha): The ger is a resident alien, a non-Israelite living within the Israelite community, distinct from a fleeting visitor. Their inclusion demonstrates God's universal reach and compassion. It also highlights Israel's unique ethical responsibility, rooted in their own history as sojourners in Egypt, to welcome and treat non-Israelites justly and allow them to participate in the communal life, including its covenant responsibilities and blessings. This sets Israel apart from other nations, promoting justice and care for the vulnerable within their borders.
• from the cutter of your wood to the drawer of your water (Hebrew: מֵחֹטֵב֩ עֵצֶ֙יךָ֙ עַד־שֹׁאֵ֤ב מֵימֶ֙יךָ֙, mechotev etzeikha ad sho'ev meimeikha): This is an idiomatic phrase denoting those performing the most basic, menial, and laborious tasks within the community, signifying the lowest social or economic status. This phrasing ensures that the covenant's reach is truly exhaustive, encompassing every stratum of society, from the highest leaders mentioned in the previous verse to those in the humblest positions. It underscores the principle that everyone, regardless of social standing, is equally accountable to God's law and partakes equally in the covenant's benefits and burdens.
• your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner: This grouping encompasses the dependents, a key part of the household, and the vulnerable outsiders. It speaks to the societal breadth of the covenant, emphasizing family units and community inclusivity as core to God's plan. This contrasts with exclusive religious practices common in ancient cultures.
• from the cutter of your wood to the drawer of your water: This specific pairing forms a merism (a figure of speech in which two contrasting parts represent the whole), illustrating the full range of societal standing. It's a symbolic inclusion of every occupational and social status, from the lowest laborer up. It removes any hierarchical distinctions when it comes to covenant participation and accountability before God.

Deuteronomy 29 11 Bonus section

The careful enumeration of various groups in this verse, following the initial listing of leaders in Deuteronomy 29:10, forms a "covenant assembly" model that profoundly impacts Israelite identity. It teaches that the covenant is not a mere contract between God and a few elite, but a living bond embracing the entire spectrum of society, from top to bottom, old to young, native to resident alien. This full corporate identity meant that the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience would affect all within the community. Furthermore, the Gibeonites (Josh 9:21-27) later became perpetual "cutters of wood and drawers of water" for the congregation, exemplifying how this phrase symbolized their specific role as servants of Israel and the Lord's sanctuary, despite being non-Israelites, reinforcing the sojourner's inclusion in defined roles within the broader covenant community. This inclusive covenant provides a foreshadowing of the New Covenant in Christ, where distinctions of ethnicity, gender, and social status are transcended for unity in Christ (Gal 3:28).

Deuteronomy 29 11 Commentary

Deuteronomy 29:11 delivers a powerful statement on the corporate nature and comprehensive scope of the covenant God made with Israel. By explicitly listing "your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner... from the cutter of your wood to the drawer of your water," Moses emphasizes that no one within the Israelite community is exempt from the covenant's obligations or its consequences. This detail transcends typical societal distinctions of status, gender, age, or origin. The inclusion of children underlines the intergenerational commitment inherent in God's covenant, where parents have the responsibility to teach their offspring God's ways, ensuring the continuity of faith and obedience (Deut 6:7). The inclusion of wives acknowledges their vital, active role in the spiritual and communal life of the nation, affirming their accountability before God. The sojourner's inclusion highlights God's justice and Israel's ethical duty to care for the vulnerable outsider, a distinctive feature of the Mosaic Law. Finally, specifying the "cutter of wood" and "drawer of water"—those engaged in the humblest, most physically demanding tasks—dramatizes the fact that every single person, regardless of their social standing or perceived importance, stood equally before God and was equally bound by the sacred covenant. This inclusivity forged a cohesive nation, unified under God's law, and bound by collective responsibility.