Deuteronomy 29:29 kjv
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 nkjv
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 niv
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 esv
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 nlt
"The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.
Deuteronomy 29 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways..." | God's inscrutable thoughts and ways. |
| Rom 11:33-36 | "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord...'" | God's unsearchable wisdom and incomprehensible judgments. |
| Job 11:7 | "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?" | Limits of human understanding regarding God's depth. |
| Prov 25:2 | "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." | God's sovereign right to hide aspects of His plan. |
| 1 Cor 2:7-10 | "But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages... For God has revealed to us through the Spirit..." | God's hidden wisdom now revealed through the Spirit. |
| Eph 3:3-5 | "...the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly... this mystery was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed..." | God's past mysteries are now revealed in Christ. |
| Matt 11:25-27 | "...you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children... no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him." | God reveals to whom He wills, not always to the "wise." |
| Amos 3:7 | "For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets." | God reveals what is necessary for His servants. |
| Dan 2:22 | "He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him." | God's unique power to reveal mysteries. |
| Deut 30:11-14 | "For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off... But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it." | The accessibility and doability of God's revealed Law. |
| Ps 119:105 | "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." | God's revealed word guides human conduct. |
| Jas 1:22 | "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." | Emphasizes the purpose of revelation is doing. |
| Jn 14:15 | "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." | Obedience as a demonstration of love for Christ. |
| Matt 7:24-27 | "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man..." | Blessing follows obedience to revealed words. |
| Deut 4:5-6 | "See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you may do them... Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding..." | The purpose of the law is for present and future wisdom through obedience. |
| Ps 78:5-7 | "He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them..." | Generational transmission of God's law. |
| Josh 1:7-8 | "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you... you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it." | Diligence in studying and doing the Law. |
| Luke 11:28 | "But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'" | Blessedness derived from hearing and keeping God's word. |
| Jer 33:3 | "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." | God reveals secrets to those who seek Him. |
| Ps 25:14 | "The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant." | God reveals covenant truths to those who respect Him. |
| 2 Tim 3:16-17 | "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." | The sufficiency of revealed Scripture for life and obedience. |
| Rom 10:5 | "For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the law, that 'the person who does the commandments will live by them.'" | Living is tied to doing God's law. |
| Ezek 36:27 | "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." | God's enablement for obedience in the New Covenant. |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." | Right posture toward God's knowledge and instruction. |
Deuteronomy 29 verses
Deuteronomy 29 29 Meaning
Deuteronomy 29:29 teaches a foundational principle concerning divine knowledge and human responsibility. It delineates between God's sovereign, unrevealed decrees and the explicit, revealed commandments of His Law. The verse states that certain truths remain exclusively within God's domain, beyond human comprehension or investigation. Conversely, God has graciously disclosed His will, statutes, and commands through the Torah, and these revealed truths are given for all generations of Israel to know and, crucially, to obey completely. The ultimate purpose of God's revelation is not for intellectual curiosity about His hidden ways, but for practical obedience to His known words, ensuring the people's fidelity to the covenant.
Deuteronomy 29 29 Context
Deuteronomy 29:29 concludes a significant section of Moses's final address to Israel before their entry into Canaan. Chapter 29 initiates the third major discourse, serving as a solemn covenant renewal ceremony between Yahweh and Israel on the plains of Moab. It recounts Israel's history of divine provision and warning, urging fidelity. Immediately preceding verse 29, Moses describes the dreadful curses and desolation that will befall those who abandon God's covenant (Deut 29:22-28). He poses rhetorical questions about why the land was laid waste, implying that future generations would inquire about the reasons for such severe judgment. In response to such potential speculation or questioning about God's deeper motives or mysterious plans regarding future judgment or specific historical outcomes, verse 29 shifts the focus from the unknowable to the clear and explicit. It functions as a sober reminder that while God's ultimate ways are beyond human ken, Israel's immediate responsibility lies in full obedience to the revealed Law. The context therefore underscores the dire consequences of disobedience and anchors Israel's responsibility in the comprehensible and explicit demands of the Torah, rather than speculative theology about God's hidden designs.
Deuteronomy 29 29 Word analysis
The secret things (הַנִּסְתָּרֹת, hannistārot):
- Derived from the Hebrew root satar (סתר), meaning "to hide," "to conceal."
- This term refers to God's ultimate plan, decrees, precise timings, and underlying reasons for certain events or judgments that are beyond human understanding or access.
- Signifies divine transcendence, sovereignty, and the inherent limitations of human knowledge. It prohibits arrogant theological speculation.
belong to the Lord our God (לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, l'YHWH Eloheinu):
- YHWH (יהוה) is God's personal covenant name, emphasizing His relationship with Israel.
- Eloheinu (אֱלֹהֵינוּ) means "our God," reinforcing the special relationship and acknowledging His ownership over all knowledge.
- This phrase unequivocally attributes the exclusive possession of "secret things" to God alone. It underlines His omniscience and absolute authority.
but the things that are revealed (וְהַנִּגְלֹת, v'hanniglôt):
- From the Hebrew root gala (גלה), meaning "to uncover," "to reveal," "to disclose."
- Refers to God's explicit commands, statutes, ordinances, covenant terms, warnings, and promises, particularly as written and proclaimed in the Torah. This is accessible truth.
- Emphasizes God's gracious self-disclosure, making His will clear and understandable for human action.
belong to us and to our children forever (לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד עוֹלָם, lanu ulvaneinu ad olam):
- "To us and to our children": Indicates the communal and generational nature of God's revelation. The Law is a heritage passed down.
- "Forever" (ad olam): Stresses the enduring validity, relevance, and applicability of God's revealed Word through all time for Israel. It implies an everlasting responsibility.
- Highlights the permanent entrustment of God's Word to His people, implying their ongoing responsibility to learn, preserve, and transmit it.
that we may do (לַעֲשׂוֹת, la'asot):
- An infinitive construct meaning "to do" or "for doing," clearly stating the purpose of the revelation.
- The primary goal of God's revelation is not mere intellectual assent or theoretical understanding, but practical, obedient living. Knowledge must lead to action.
all the words of this law (אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת, et kol divrei hattorah hazzot):
- "All the words": Denotes comprehensive obedience; no part of the Law is to be ignored or selected against.
- "This law" (hattorah hazzot): Refers specifically to the covenant stipulations given through Moses and recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, and by extension, the entirety of God's revealed instruction.
- Establishes the sufficiency and non-negotiable demand for total obedience to the written, accessible divine instruction.
Words-group analysis:
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God": This phrase establishes God's unique prerogative over mysteries and the hidden aspects of His divine counsel. It is a profound declaration of His absolute sovereignty and our limited capacity to fully comprehend His ways. It functions as a warning against futile speculation or prying into what God has not chosen to reveal.
"but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever": This segment highlights God's gracious provision of accessible truth and outlines the enduring responsibility this revelation bestows upon humanity, not just for the present generation but for all future generations. It underscores the perpetual availability and binding nature of God's word.
"that we may do all the words of this law": This concluding clause articulates the ultimate and singular purpose for which God grants revelation: not for idle knowledge, but for active and complete obedience. It shifts the focus from passive reception of truth to the dynamic and practical outworking of that truth in daily life, emphasizing that conduct is the intended outcome of divine instruction.
Deuteronomy 29 29 Bonus section
This verse subtly contains a polemic against pagan conceptions of deity, where divine will was often considered capricious, hidden, or only decipherable through complex and often unreliable forms of divination or esoteric knowledge reserved for a select few. In contrast, Deut 29:29 asserts that the true God, Yahweh, gives His essential will explicitly and comprehensively, not for an elite, but for all His people and their descendants, making clear their obligations. This accessible, written revelation differentiates the God of Israel from the deities of surrounding cultures. Furthermore, this verse lays foundational groundwork for the concept of the sufficiency of Scripture – that God has revealed all that is necessary for His people to live righteously and obey Him fully. It delineates a critical boundary in theology: pursue all that God has revealed in His Word with diligence, but humbly acknowledge that which remains in His divine counsel.
Deuteronomy 29 29 Commentary
Deuteronomy 29:29 is a vital statement on the relationship between divine mystery and human responsibility. It grounds humanity in humble acknowledgment of God's inscrutable nature while simultaneously holding them accountable for diligent obedience to what He has made plain. When facing unexplained suffering, or seeking answers to theological "why" questions about God's ways, this verse redirects focus from what is beyond our grasp to what is clearly before us: His Law. It is a powerful antidote to both obsessive speculation about divine mysteries and complacent neglect of revealed duties. The true pursuit of divine wisdom lies not in uncovering God's hidden decrees but in wholeheartedly doing His manifest will. This principle prevents both despair over unknowables and presumptuous prying, cultivating a balanced trust in God's sovereignty and a firm commitment to His clear commands, establishing obedience as the true purpose of all revelation.