Deuteronomy 8 13

Deuteronomy 8:13 kjv

And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

Deuteronomy 8:13 nkjv

and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;

Deuteronomy 8:13 niv

and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,

Deuteronomy 8:13 esv

and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,

Deuteronomy 8:13 nlt

and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!

Deuteronomy 8 verses

Deuteronomy 8 13 Meaning

Deuteronomy 8:13 anticipates the period of immense material prosperity that Israel will experience in the Promised Land. It specifically outlines the types of wealth that will greatly increase, including their livestock (herds and flocks), precious metals (silver and gold), and encompassing all their possessions. This verse functions as a premonition of abundant blessings, setting the stage for the crucial warning that follows: the danger of forgetting God amidst such affluence. It emphasizes the scale of multiplication God intends to bestow upon them.

Deuteronomy 8 13 Context

Deuteronomy 8 is a crucial chapter in Moses' final address to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. The chapter functions as a poignant reminder of their past experiences in the wilderness and a fervent exhortation concerning their future conduct.Verses 1-6 remind them of the wilderness journey as a time of humbling, testing, and learning dependence on God (who miraculously provided manna and clothing) rather than self-reliance. It established the principle that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."Verses 7-10 then vividly describe the abundance of the land they are about to inherit—a land of brooks, springs, valleys, hills, wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, honey, and iron and copper. This is contrasted with Egypt, a land they had to irrigate with their feet, emphasizing God's direct provision in Canaan.Verse 11 initiates the warning, directly leading into our focal verse: "Beware lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments..."Verse 12 continues, "lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built good houses and dwell in them," followed by verse 13 detailing the extensive nature of the incoming wealth. This immediate context reveals that the verse is not merely a description of blessings, but an explicit setup for the urgent admonition against pride and forgetting God when their prosperity flourishes, as expressed in Dt 8:14, 17-18. Historically, Moses speaks to a generation about to enter a period of unprecedented settled abundance after generations of nomadic life and wilderness dependence, making the warning profoundly relevant.

Deuteronomy 8 13 Word analysis

• and when (וְכִ֥י wə·ḵî): This conjunction serves as a transitional element, connecting the preceding warnings (Dt 8:11-12) to a future, anticipated condition. It establishes a conditional clause, indicating an inevitable future state of abundance that will happen.
• your herds (צֹאנְכֶ֖ם ṣō·nə·ḵem): Hebrew tso'n, refers to smaller livestock, typically sheep and goats. In an ancient agrarian society, this represented a fundamental and significant form of wealth, providing food, wool, and sacrifice. The possessive "your" indicates personal ownership and direct benefit.
• and your flocks (וּבְקַרְכֶּ֣ם ū·ḇə·qar·ḵem): Hebrew baqar, refers to larger livestock, specifically cattle (oxen). Cattle were crucial for plowing fields, meat, milk, and their hide. Together with "herds," it covers the full range of livestock as primary agricultural capital.
• multiply (רָבָ֑ה rā·ḇāh): From the Hebrew verb rabah, meaning to increase, become many, be numerous. It conveys the idea of exponential growth and is frequently used in the Bible to describe God's blessing of increase (e.g., Gen 1:22; 7:17). Its repetition highlights the scale of prosperity.
• and your silver (וּכְסַ֤ףְךָ ū·ḵə·sap̄·ḵā) and your gold (וּזְהָבְךָּ֙ ū·zə·hā·ḇə·ḵā): Hebrew kesef (silver) and zahab (gold). These precious metals represented portable wealth, status, and means of exchange in the ancient Near East. Their accumulation symbolized high levels of material prosperity beyond basic sustenance.
• is multiplied (יִרְבֶּ֔ה yir·beh): Another form of the verb rabah. The repetition underscores the widespread nature and sheer quantity of the impending wealth. It is not just one category but multiple forms of assets experiencing significant growth.
• and all that you have (וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־לָכֶ֖ם wə·ḵōl ašer-lā·ḵem): This inclusive phrase broadens the scope of multiplication to everything Israel will possess. It means not just livestock or precious metals, but also land, homes, crops, and any other forms of tangible assets. This phrase makes the warning universally applicable to any kind of success or blessing.
• is multiplied (יִרְבֶּֽה yir·beh): The third repetition of rabah within the verse. This powerful repetition of the same root thrice emphasizes the comprehensive and pervasive nature of the prosperity. It assures Israel that this abundance is not hypothetical but a promised reality, therefore demanding earnest attention to the subsequent warning.

Deuteronomy 8 13 Bonus section

• The enumeration of "herds," "flocks," "silver," and "gold" represents a progression from foundational agrarian wealth to more advanced and liquid forms of assets, signifying a maturing and prosperous economy. The concluding phrase "all that you have" broadens this to an all-encompassing abundance, ensuring no category of blessing is overlooked.
• This verse underscores the biblical principle that prosperity can be a divine gift and blessing. However, it concurrently highlights that every blessing, if not stewarded correctly and with gratitude towards God, can become a spiritual hazard.
• The placement of this verse, following a recounting of Israel's humble dependence in the wilderness and preceding a direct warning against pride and forgetting God, establishes a didactic arc: dependence in trial leads to abundance, but abundance can lead to forgetfulness and spiritual peril.
• This passage is highly polemical, directly countering the common ancient Near Eastern belief that land fertility and wealth were the blessings of local gods or achieved by human strength. Moses is emphatically reorienting their understanding: all increase is from Yahweh alone.

Deuteronomy 8 13 Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:13 functions as a critical juncture, bridging God's promised blessings and the inherent spiritual dangers of wealth. It's not a simple prediction but a deeply intentional setup for the moral instruction that follows. The three-fold repetition of "multiply" (rabah) vividly paints a picture of comprehensive and overflowing prosperity that awaits Israel. This emphasis underlines that God is faithful to His promises to bless His people materially (Dt 7:13-14, 28:1-14). However, the verse also implies that such abundance comes with a profound test. It reveals that the danger is not the wealth itself, but the human tendency to grow complacent, proud, and forgetful of the Divine Giver when their self-sufficiency seems assured by material assets. This passage serves as a perpetual reminder that all prosperity comes from God's hand (Dt 8:18), and true security lies in remembering Him, not in the abundance of one's possessions. It powerfully asserts God's sovereignty over every facet of their future prosperity, directly challenging any pagan or humanistic notion that their success might arise from their own power, land fertility, or the favor of foreign deities. The very blessings bestowed by Yahweh must not become stumbling blocks to loyalty to Yahweh.