Deuteronomy 4:26

Deuteronomy 4:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
• New International Version (NIV)I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.

Context of Deuteronomy 4:26

24For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; He is a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]. 25“When you become the father of children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, then if you corrupt yourselves by making a carved or sculpted image in the form of anything [for the purpose of worship], and do evil [things] in the sight of the Lord your God, provoking Him to anger, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27The Lord will scatter and disperse you among the peoples (pagan nations), and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you. 28And there you will serve [false and foreign] gods, the work of human hands, [lifeless images of] wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell [the offerings of food given to them].

Deuteronomy 4:26 word by word

הַעִידֹתִי֩ בָכֶ֨ם הַיּ֜וֹם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ כִּֽי־אָבֹ֣ד תֹּאבֵדוּן֮ מַהֵר֒ מֵעַ֣ל הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתֶּ֜ם עֹבְרִ֧ים אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֛ן שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ לֹֽא־תַאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עָלֶ֔יהָ כִּ֥י הִשָּׁמֵ֖ד תִּשָּׁמֵדֽוּן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I callעוּד‛ûd · to testifyH5749
• heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• to witnessעוּד‛ûd · to testifyH5749
• against you this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
• that ye shall soonמַהֵרmahêr · quicklyH4118
• utterlyאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• whereunto ye go overעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
• to possessיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
• it; ye shall not prolongאָרַךְ'ârak · to prolongH748
• upon it, but shall utterlyשָׁמַדshâmad · to destroyH8045

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 4:26

• Deuteronomy 30:18I declare to you today that you will certainly perish. You will not live long in the land which you cross the Jordan to enter and possess.
• Deuteronomy 31:28Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.
• Deuteronomy 32:1“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
• Isaiah 1:2Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth; For the Lord has spoken: “I have reared and brought up sons, But they have rebelled against Me and have broken away.
• Jeremiah 2:12Be appalled, O heavens, at this; Be shocked and shudder with horror [at the behavior of the people],” says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 6:19Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The fruit of their schemes, Because they have not listened and paid attention to My words, And as for My law, they have rejected it also.
• Jeremiah 22:29O land, land, land, Hear the word of the Lord!
• Ezekiel 36:4Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the deserted cities which have become prey and a mockery to the rest of the nations which surround you,
• Micah 1:2Hear, O peoples, all of you; Listen closely, O earth and all that is in it, And let the Lord God be witness [giving a testimony of the judgment] against you, The Lord from His holy temple [in the heavens].
• Micah 6:2Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord, And you enduring foundations of the earth, For the Lord has a case (a legal complaint) against His people, And He will dispute (challenge) Israel.
• Deuteronomy 29:28and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.’
• Leviticus 18:28[do none of these things] so that the land will not vomit you out, should you defile it, as it has vomited out the nation which has been before you.
• Leviticus 26:31I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your sweet and soothing aromas [of offerings by fire].
• Joshua 23:16When you transgress (violate) the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you [to follow], and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”
• Isaiah 6:11Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, And houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate,
• Isaiah 24:1Behold, the Lord lays waste to the earth, devastates it, twists and distorts its face and scatters its inhabitants.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26I call heaven and earth to witness against you - A most solemn method of adjuration, in use among all nations in the world. So Virgil, Aen., lib. xii., ver. 176, etc. Tum pius Aeneas stricto sic ense precatur: Esto nunc Sol testis et haec mihi terra vocanti - Fontesque fluviosque voco, quaeque aetheris alti Relllgio, et quae caeruleo sunt numina ponto, etc. "Then the great Trojan prince unsheathed his sword, And thus, with lifted hands, the gods adored…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25-28Verses 25-28 Compare with these verses Leviticus 26:33-40, and Deuteronomy 28:64 ff.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-40Verses 24-40 Moses urged the greatness, glory, and goodness of God. Did we consider what a God he is with whom we have to do, we should surely make conscience of our duty to him, and not dare to sin against him. Shall we forsake a merciful God, who will never forsake us, if we are faithful unto him? Whither can we go? Let us be held to our duty by the bonds of love, and prevailed with by the mercies of God to cleave to him. Moses urged God's authority…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26Heaven and earth would testify against Israel if the people were unfaithful to the Lord. In a covenant partnership, both parties were accountable for their promises of loyalty and commitment. They promised in front of witnesses (Isaiah 1:2–7; Micah 6:1–8). In Deuteronomy, nature serves as that witness (see also Deuteronomy 30:19).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. I call heaven and earth to witness against you--This solemn form of adjuration has been common in special circumstances among all people. It is used here figuratively, or as in other parts of Scripture where inanimate objects are called up as witnesses (De 32:1; Is 1:2).Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 4:26

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Backsliders
• Idolatry
• Minister, Christian
• Obedience

In the dictionaries

• Jordan
• Jordan River, Jordan
• Add
• Consider
• Consuming
• Diminish
• Furnace
• Hearken
• Deuteronomy
• Pentateuch

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings