God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 4:32
32Search the distant past, long before your time. Start from the very day God created people on earth. Search from one end of heaven to the other. Has anything as great as this ever happened before, or has anything like it ever been heard of?
Deuteronomy 4:32 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
- New International Version (NIV)Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?
- English Standard Version (ESV)"For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard.
Context of Deuteronomy 4:32
30When you’re in distress and all these things happen to you, then you will finally come back to the Lord your God and obey him. 31The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the promise to your ancestors that he swore he would keep. Search the distant past, long before your time. Start from the very day God created people on earth. Search from one end of heaven to the other. Has anything as great as this ever happened before, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33Have any ⌞other⌟ people ever heard God speak from a fire and lived? You did! 34Or has any god ever tried to come and take one nation away from another for himself? The Lord your God used his mighty hand and powerful arm to do this for you in Egypt. He did this using plagues, miraculous signs, amazing things, and war. He did his great and awe-inspiring deeds in front of you.
Read all of Deuteronomy 4Deuteronomy 4:32 word by word
כִּ֣י שְׁאַל־נָא֩ לְיָמִ֨ים רִֽאשֹׁנִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־הָי֣וּ לְפָנֶ֗יךָ לְמִן־הַיּוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁר֩ בָּרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים׀ אָדָם֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּלְמִקְצֵ֥ה הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְעַד־קְצֵ֣ה הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם הֲנִֽהְיָ֗ה כַּדָּבָ֤ר הַגָּדוֹל֙ הַזֶּ֔ה א֖וֹ הֲנִשְׁמַ֥ע כָּמֹֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For askשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
- now of the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- that are pastרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · first: previousH7223
- which wereהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- that Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- createdבָּרָאbârâ' · to createH1254
- manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- from the one sideקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
- of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- as this greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- thingדָּבָרdâbâr · ChroniclesH1697
- or hath been heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 4:32
- Job 8:8“Ask the people of past generations. Find out what their ancestors had learned.
- Psalms 44:1O God, we have heard it with our own ears. Our ancestors have told us about the miracle you performed in their day, in days long ago.
- Joel 1:2Listen to this, you leaders! Open your ears, all inhabitants of this land! Nothing like this has ever happened in your lifetime or in your ancestors’ lifetime.
- Deuteronomy 30:4Even if you are scattered to the most distant country in the world, the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back from there.
- Matthew 24:31He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen.
- Mark 13:27He will send out his angels, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4:32
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29-40Verses 29-40 Unwilling, as it might seem, to close his discourse with words of terror, Moses makes a last appeal to them in these verses in a different strain. Deuteronomy 4:34 Temptations - Compare Deuteronomy 7:18-19; Deuteronomy 29:2-3; not, “i. e.” the tribulations and persecutions undergone by the Israelites, out the plagues miraculously inflicted on the Egyptians. Deuteronomy 4:37 He chose their seed after them - literally, “his seed after him.”…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. 1-40Moses gave a long speech to the Israelites because of their recent failures and what he thought would happen in Canaan.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-4015. Take ... good heed ... for ye saw no manner of similitude--The extreme proneness of the Israelites to idolatry, from their position in the midst of surrounding nations already abandoned to its seductions, accounts for their attention being repeatedly drawn to the fact that God did not appear on Sinai in any visible form; and an earnest caution, founded on that remarkable circumstance, is given to beware, not only of making representations of false…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 4:32
In the dictionaries
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
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