Deuteronomy 8 20

Deuteronomy 8:20 kjv

As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 8:20 nkjv

As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 8:20 niv

Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 8:20 esv

Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 8:20 nlt

Just as the LORD has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 8 verses

Deuteronomy 8 20 Meaning

Deuteronomy 8:20 delivers a severe warning to the people of Israel: should they, despite having been uniquely blessed and provided for by the LORD their God, turn from Him and fail to obey His voice, they will suffer the same fate of utter destruction as the wicked nations whom the LORD dispossessed and utterly destroyed before them in the land of Canaan. It underscores that God's judgment is impartial and contingent on covenant fidelity, not merely election.

Deuteronomy 8 20 Context

Verse Context: Deuteronomy 8:20 serves as the culmination of a discourse that began in Deuteronomy 8:1. Moses has just reminded Israel to remember how the LORD tested, humbled, and sustained them in the wilderness for forty years, teaching them that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (v. 3). He urges them not to forget God when they enter the prosperous land, lest their hearts become proud and they forget the LORD who brought them out of slavery. The verse immediately preceding warns against forgetting the LORD and following other gods (v. 19), explicitly stating that they will "surely perish." Verse 20 provides the terrible comparison, emphasizing the certainty and type of destruction.

Chapter Context: Deuteronomy Chapter 8 is a powerful exhortation to remember God's faithfulness, humility, and purpose during the wilderness journey. Moses stresses that God’s allowing them to hunger and then providing manna was not to punish but to humble and test their hearts, to reveal what was within them. He warned them against forgetting the LORD in their future prosperity in the Promised Land. Forgetting God, or crediting their own strength or prosperity to themselves, would lead to worshipping other gods (v. 19), resulting in their certain destruction and perishing from the good land, just like the nations God was about to dispossess.

Historical Context: Israel stood on the threshold of the Promised Land, about to dispossess nations (primarily Canaanites) notorious for their depravity, idolatry (including child sacrifice), and grievous sins, whose "iniquity was not yet complete" (Gen 15:16). God's destruction of these nations served as both judgment and a dramatic object lesson for Israel. Moses here reminds them that their favored status as God's chosen people does not grant immunity from divine judgment if they adopt the very behaviors of the nations they are displacing. The impending conquest of Canaan provided a stark, contemporary example of God's capacity and readiness to bring about utter destruction upon disobedient peoples.

Deuteronomy 8 20 Word analysis

• Like the nations (כַּגּוֹיִם, ka-goyim):

  • "Like" (כְּ־, ke-): A comparative prefix, indicating similitude or equality in fate. It powerfully conveys that Israel is not exempt from the same standard of judgment applied to others.
  • "nations" (גּוֹיִם, goyim): Refers specifically to the non-Israelite, idolatrous peoples of Canaan and other lands. This term can sometimes carry negative connotations due to their pagan practices. The comparison directly challenges any potential self-righteousness or perceived immunity Israel might have felt due to their chosen status. It serves as a direct polemic against the assumption that their election guaranteed eternal security irrespective of behavior.

• that the LORD destroyed (אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁמִיד יְהוָה, ʾăšer hišmîd Yahweh):

  • "destroyed" (הִשְׁמִיד, hishmid): A strong verb, meaning to lay waste, utterly annihilate, or cut off. It signifies a complete and decisive action, indicating God’s total judgment upon these peoples. This active role of Yahweh as the one who performs the destruction underscores His sovereignty and justice.
  • "the LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh): The covenant name of God, emphasizing that it is the very God with whom Israel has a covenant relationship who carries out this judgment. His identity as both their covenant keeper and righteous judge is highlighted.

• before you (מִפְּנֵיכֶם, mippənêkhem):

  • "Before you" refers to their literal experience—they witnessed these acts of judgment as they conquered and settled. It also implies a precedent set and an example to be heeded. This phrase brings the historical reality directly into their current experience, making the warning tangible and immediate. It's a reminder of what they had seen with their own eyes.

• so you will perish (כֵּן תֹּאבֵדוּ, kēn tō'vêdū):

  • "so" (כֵּן, kēn): Emphasizes direct correspondence and certainty. Just as certainly as the other nations were destroyed, so too will Israel be.
  • "perish" (תֹּאבֵדוּ, to'vedu): Derived from אָבַד ('abad), meaning to be lost, stray, or be destroyed, especially with reference to loss of life or a nation ceasing to exist in the land. This indicates utter ruin, often implying loss of identity, homeland, or even life, within the context of covenant judgment. It is the antithesis of the flourishing and secure life promised through obedience.

• if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God (עֵקֶב לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, ‘ēqev lōʾ tišmə‘ū bəqôl Yahweh ʾelōhêkhem):

  • "if you do not obey" (לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ, lōʾ tišmə‘ū): This is the crucial condition. "Obey" is from שָׁמַע (shama'), meaning to hear, listen, and, critically, to obey or pay heed to. It's not just intellectual assent but responsive action. "Do not obey" implies a willful turning away or failure to heed the divine instruction.
  • "the voice of" (בְּקוֹל, bəqôl): Signifies direct, divine communication. It emphasizes listening to and acting upon God’s specific commands and statutes, implying the full corpus of Mosaic Law given through God's spoken word.
  • "the LORD your God" (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, Yahweh ʾelōhêkhem): Reiterates God's covenantal relationship with Israel ("your God") while still upholding His supreme authority ("the LORD"). This dual emphasis highlights the personal nature of the relationship, which amplifies the offense of disobedience – it is against their very Redeemer and Lord. It also underscores the source of the commandments and the authority behind the judgment.

• Word-Group Analysis:

  • "Like the nations...so you will perish": This striking parallelism highlights God's universal justice. It forcefully breaks down any misconception that Israel's covenant election conferred immunity from the consequences of sin. Instead, it places them on a level playing field of accountability before a holy God. This serves as a strong ethical teaching and warning against presumption.
  • "destroyed...perish...if you do not obey": These words form a cause-and-effect chain. God's past actions of judgment ("destroyed") serve as the certain blueprint for Israel's future demise ("perish") if they disregard His commands ("if you do not obey"). It underlines that their relationship with God is conditional and that a departure from the covenant stipulations will inevitably lead to its curses. The very hand that blessed and redeemed could become the hand of judgment.
  • "the voice of the LORD your God": This phrase emphasizes the authoritative and personal nature of divine instruction within the covenant. Obedience is not to an abstract set of rules, but to the direct word and will of the specific, personal God who redeemed them. Disobedience is therefore not merely a breaking of rules but a rejection of their relationship with the living God.

Deuteronomy 8 20 Bonus section

The destruction of the nations "before you" implies not only an observed historical fact but also a theological pattern. God judges unrighteousness, and His judgment is neither capricious nor arbitrary. This principle holds for all, irrespective of their relationship with God, but applies with increased intensity to those who know His truth and possess His covenant (cf. Amos 3:2). This verse implicitly warns against spiritual complacency or presumption that being God's people provides a "get out of jail free" card from the consequences of serious and persistent sin. The historical narrative, particularly the later exile of both Israel and Judah, tragically confirms this very warning, demonstrating that God indeed carried out what Moses foretold. The message echoes through the prophets, who continually call Israel back to the "voice of the LORD," highlighting that their suffering and displacement were direct consequences of not obeying His covenant terms, much like the original warning of Deuteronomy 8:20.

Deuteronomy 8 20 Commentary

Deuteronomy 8:20 stands as a stern yet pivotal warning in Moses' final address to Israel. It crystallizes the Deuteronomic theology of covenant sanctions: blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The verse powerfully dismantles any notion of Israel's automatic or unconditional security in the land based solely on their status as the chosen people. By drawing a direct parallel between Israel's potential destruction and the previous destruction of the Canaanite nations, it communicates God's impartial justice. The Israelites had seen with their own eyes God's holiness exercised against flagrant wickedness; Moses asserts that this same holy standard will be applied to His own people if they fail to live by the commands they had received.

The critical condition for survival and prosperity in the land is unequivocal obedience to "the voice of the LORD your God." This "voice" encapsulates the entire revelation given at Sinai, the Torah, which prescribes how God’s people are to live in distinction from the very nations they were dispossessing. To ignore or reject this voice is to align themselves spiritually and ethically with the idolatrous and immoral ways of the nations. Their unique election was not a license for sin, but an invitation to a deeper, more demanding relationship characterized by responsive faithfulness. Ultimately, the verse emphasizes that relationship with the holy God demands a responsive life; anything less results in a covenant breach and inevitable divine judgment, including displacement from the land given as a covenant promise. It teaches that God values righteous conduct and fidelity more than ethnic identity alone, foreshadowing prophetic judgments against Israel and Judah when they eventually succumbed to apostasy and were exiled.

• Practical Example: A believer today might rely on being "saved" or "Christian" for automatic security, neglecting to actively follow Christ's teachings or engage in spiritual disciplines. Deuteronomy 8:20 serves as a profound reminder that mere affiliation or initial profession is not enough; a continuous, responsive obedience to the Word of God is vital for walking in His blessings and avoiding spiritual "perishing" from His purposes or even from His favor in disciplinary ways.