Deuteronomy 29:18

Deuteronomy 29:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
• New International Version (NIV)Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit,
• New King James Version (NKJV)so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;

Context of Deuteronomy 29:18

16You remember how we lived when we were in Egypt. You remember how we travelled through other countries as we came here. 17You saw the useless gods that people of other nations worship. They worship idols that they make from wood, stone, silver and gold. So be very careful that you do not turn away from the Lord our God to worship the gods of those nations. No man, woman, clan or tribe among you must ever want to do that. That would be like the root of a plant that gives fruits which are full of poison. 19Nobody who hears the message of this covenant should think that they can go against it. Someone might say to himself, ‘I do not have to obey this covenant. I will be safe, whatever happens. God will still bless me.’ A person who thinks like that will bring trouble on everyone and on everything. 20The Lord will never forgive that person. He will be very angry with him. The Lord will punish him in all the terrible ways that are written in this book. The Lord will destroy him completely so that his family name comes to an end.

Deuteronomy 29:18 word by word

פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּ֠כֶם אִ֣ישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁ֞ה א֧וֹ מִשְׁפָּחָ֣ה אוֹ־שֵׁ֗בֶט אֲשֶׁר֩ לְבָב֨וֹ פֹנֶ֤ה הַיּוֹם֙ מֵעִם֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ לָלֶ֣כֶת לַעֲבֹ֔ד אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֖י הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָהֵ֑ם פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּכֶ֗ם שֹׁ֛רֶשׁ פֹּרֶ֥ה רֹ֖אשׁ וְלַעֲנָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Lest there should beיֵשׁyêsh · thereH3426
• among you manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• or womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• or familyמִשְׁפָּחָהmishpâchâh · familyH4940
• or tribeשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
• whose heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• turneth awayפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
• this dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• from the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• to goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• of these nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• among you a rootשֹׁ֫רֶשׁsheresh · rootH8328
• that bearethפָּרָהpârâh · be fruitfulH6509
• gallרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• and wormwoodלַעֲנָהla‛ănâh · wormwoodH3939

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 29:18

• Deuteronomy 11:16But be careful! Do not turn away from the Lord so that you worship other gods. Do not let those things deceive you.
• Deuteronomy 13:1One day, you may have a prophet among you who tells you what will happen in the future. He may have dreams about what will happen. He may promise to do miracles to show that he is right.
• Deuteronomy 17:2The Lord your God will give you towns to live in. You may hear that a man or a woman who lives in one of your towns has done a bad thing. He has done a sin that is against the covenant of the Lord your God.
• Hebrews 3:12So be careful, my Christian friends. Do not refuse to trust God. That would be a very bad thing to do. Do not turn away from the God who lives for ever.
• Jeremiah 9:15So the Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says this: ‘I will punish my people with trouble and pain. I will give them food that is bitter. They will drink water that is poison.
• Hosea 10:4They promise to do many things, but they never do what they promise. They make useless agreements. So people accuse each other in the courts. They are like weeds that grow in a farmer's field.
• Amos 6:12Horses cannot run on rocks. People do not try to plough the sea. But you Israelites have changed what is fair and honest into something bad. You have made justice seem like poison.
• Acts 8:23You are very upset because you are jealous. I can see that sin rules your life.’
• Hebrews 12:15Remember that God is very kind. Nobody should refuse to let God help them. Make sure that nobody among you causes trouble so that people turn against God. A person who is angry against God is like poison. He spoils many other people's lives so that God does not accept them.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 29:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18A root that beareth gall and wormwood - That is, as the apostle expresses it, Hebrews 3:12, An evil heart of unbelief departing from the living God; for to this place he evidently refers. It may also signify false doctrines, or idolatrous persons among themselves.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18The word here and in Deuteronomy 32:32 rendered “gall,” is in Hosea 10:4 translated “hemlock.” It is the name of a plant of intense bitterness, and of quick growth; and is therefore repeatedly used in conjunction with “wormwood” (compare Jeremiah 9:15; Lamentations 3:19; Amos 6:12), to express figuratively the nature and effects of sin (compare the marginal references.). The herb is probably the poppy. Hence, the “water” (i. e. juice) “of gall” Jeremiah…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-21Verses 10-21 The national covenant made with Israel, not only typified the covenant of grace made with true believers, but also represented the outward dispensation of the gospel. Those who have been enabled to consent to the Lord's new covenant of mercy and grace in Jesus Christ, and to give up themselves to be his people, should embrace every opportunity of renewing their open profession of relation to him, and their obligation to him, as the God of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18This metaphor describes idolatry as a root. If allowed to grow, it would lead to idol worship, which is the bitter fruit.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-2910-29. Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God--The whole congregation of Israel, of all ages and conditions, all--young as well as old; menials as well as masters; native Israelites as well as naturalized strangers--all were assembled before the tabernacle to renew the Sinaitic covenant. None of them were allowed to consider themselves as exempt from the terms of that national compact, lest any lapsing into idolatry might prove a root of…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 29:18

• Backsliders
• Confidence
• Family
• Gall
• Heart
• Sin
• Wormwood

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Covenant
• Gall
• Hemlock
• Moses
• Poison
• Root
• Secret
• Smoke

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 29

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings