New English Translation
Deuteronomy 4:32
32Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a rumor of it.
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
30In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, if you return to the Lord your God and obey him 31(for he is a merciful God), he will not let you down or destroy you, for he cannot forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them. Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a rumor of it. 33Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it? 34Or has God ever before tried to deliver a nation from the middle of another nation, accompanied by judgments, signs, wonders, war, strength, power, and other very terrifying things like the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
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“For inquire now of the former generation, and pay attention to the findings of their ancestors;
- Psalms 44:1O God, we have clearly heard; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in ancient times.
- Joel 1:2Listen to this, you elders; pay attention, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life or in the lifetime of your ancestors?
- Deuteronomy 30:4Even if your exiles are in the most distant land, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.
- Matthew 24:31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
- Mark 13:27Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
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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