Deuteronomy 8 19

Deuteronomy 8:19 kjv

And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

Deuteronomy 8:19 nkjv

Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.

Deuteronomy 8:19 niv

If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

Deuteronomy 8:19 esv

And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.

Deuteronomy 8:19 nlt

"But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.

Deuteronomy 8 verses

Deuteronomy 8 19 Meaning

Deuteronomy 8:19 issues a grave warning from the Lord to the people of Israel: should they ever forsake their covenant with Him by forgetting His lordship, His works, and His commands, and instead turn to follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, the consequence is certain and severe perishing. It underscores that spiritual apostasy, stemming from forgetfulness of God, inevitably leads to national and personal destruction.

Deuteronomy 8 19 Context

Deuteronomy chapter 8 serves as a profound sermon from Moses to the new generation of Israelites on the brink of entering the promised land. The overarching theme is the critical importance of remembering the Lord and His faithful dealings, particularly during the wilderness wandering, to prevent pride and apostasy in the prosperity of Canaan. Moses meticulously recounts God's humbling of Israel, His provision of manna, and His discipline, all designed to teach them dependence and that "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Dt 8:3). The chapter vividly paints a picture of the good land they are about to enter, emphasizing its abundant resources. The explicit warning in verse 19, following closely on the heels of the command to "remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Dt 8:18), highlights the acute danger of prosperity leading to self-sufficiency, pride, and ultimately, forgetting the source of their blessings, paving the way for idolatry and the resultant covenant curses. It's a foundational text warning against the seductive power of affluence that leads away from God.

Deuteronomy 8 19 Word analysis

• And if you ever forget: The Hebrew verb for "forget" is shakach (שָׁכַח). It signifies more than a mere lapse of memory; it implies forsaking, abandoning, or deliberately neglecting. It's an active failure to recall and internalize God's character, commands, and past redemptive acts. This "forgetting" is not passive but leads to active apostasy. The "if you ever" (literally "and it shall be, if forgetting you forget") indicates a hypothetical but foreseen possibility, emphasized by the intensive repetition of the verb in the original, stressing the certainty of the consequence should this act occur.
• the Lord your God: Hebrew: YHWH Eloheicha (יהוה אלהיך). This covenant name "YHWH" emphasizes God's self-existence, His active presence in covenant relationship with Israel, and His exclusive right to worship. "Your God" highlights the personal and intimate nature of this covenant. Forgetting Him is to deny this foundational relationship.
• and follow other gods: Hebrew: lekh 'acharey 'elohim 'acherim (לֵךְ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים). "Follow" implies active pursuit, allegiance, and adherence, going after these false deities as one would follow a master or leader. "Other gods" refers to foreign, pagan deities, especially those of the Canaanites, which were considered abominable and a direct affront to YHWH's sovereignty. This phrase encompasses turning allegiance away from YHWH.
• and worship and bow down to them: Hebrew: v'avaditem otam u'hishtachavitem lahem (וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתָם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם לָהֶם).
  • worship (avad): עָבַד (from which we get 'service' or 'work') means to serve, labor, or worship. It indicates active participation in rituals, service, and devotion to these false gods.
  • bow down (shachah): שָׁחָה means to prostrate oneself, to bow down in reverence or submission. This is the act of physical worship and complete submission to another god. Together, these terms encompass both the inner devotion and the outward acts of homage that constitute idolatry.
• I testify against you today: Hebrew: ha'idoti bakem haYom (הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם). This is a solemn, formal declaration, akin to a legal summons or a divine verdict. "Testify" means to warn clearly and with divine authority. Moses is acting as God's witness, presenting the covenant terms and their sure consequences, leaving no room for misunderstanding. The "today" underscores the immediacy and seriousness of the pronouncement.
• that you will surely perish: Hebrew: avod to'vedun (אָבֹד תֹּאבֵדוּן). This uses an infinitive absolute before the finite verb, a common Hebrew literary device to intensify meaning. It signifies absolute certainty and complete destruction or eradication. This is not mere difficulty, but utter ruin, implying loss of the land, covenant blessings, and possibly life itself, marking the total end of their national existence and relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 8 19 Bonus section

The strong emphasis on "forgetting" (shakach) as the root sin in this verse highlights the importance of spiritual mindfulness and active remembrance in the walk of faith. The Israelites were being warned that while in the wilderness, they depended solely on God; once in the prosperous land, the temptation would be to forget that dependence and attribute their success to themselves. This 'forgetting' then naturally led to a search for other gods, often associated with fertility cults believed to ensure agricultural prosperity in Canaan, thus displacing YHWH as the sole provider. The severity of "surely perish" underscores that idolatry is not merely a social misstep but a violation of the foundational relationship with the living God, carrying the most dire existential consequences for the nation of Israel, resulting in exile and loss of land.

Deuteronomy 8 19 Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:19 encapsulates a fundamental principle of covenant theology: God’s blessings are contingent upon obedience, and turning away from Him carries severe penalties. The verse exposes the dangerous trajectory from spiritual amnesia ("forgetting") to active apostasy ("following other gods," "worshipping and bowing down"), and ultimately, to divine judgment ("surely perish"). The "forgetting" here is not an accidental memory lapse, but a profound and willful disregard of God's identity, His grace in their past, and His rightful claim on their worship. It is a spiritual infidelity where prosperity becomes a snare, leading the heart away from its true source of blessing. The progression described—from an internal turning away (forgetting) to external acts of rebellion (worship of idols)—demonstrates that the state of the heart directly informs outward behavior. Moses' "testimony" is a stark, prophetic declaration, underscoring that the consequences of such actions are not arbitrary, but the natural and certain outcome of forsaking the Life-Giver. This divine pronouncement of "surely perish" speaks to the absolute finality of the judgment, emphasizing national collapse, loss of identity, and the revocation of covenant blessings. It is a timeless warning for all generations, cautioning against allowing earthly comforts or self-reliance to displace true devotion to the Lord.