New King James Version
Deuteronomy 31:20
20When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant.
Deuteronomy 31:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
- New International Version (NIV)When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
- New Living Translation (NLT)For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant.
Context of Deuteronomy 31:20
18And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods. 19“Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. 21Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.” 22Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
Read all of Deuteronomy 31Deuteronomy 31:20 word by word
כִּֽי־אֲבִיאֶ֜נּוּ אֶֽל־הָאֲדָמָ֣ה׀ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי לַאֲבֹתָ֗יו זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ וְאָכַ֥ל וְשָׂבַ֖ע וְדָשֵׁ֑ן וּפָנָ֞ה אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ וַעֲבָד֔וּם וְנִ֣אֲצ֔וּנִי וְהֵפֵ֖ר אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For when I shall have broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- them into the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
- which I swareשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- unto their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- that flowethזוּבzûb · to flow: flowingH2100
- with milkחָלָבchâlâb · milkH2461
- and honeyדְּבַשׁdebash · honeyH1706
- and they shall have eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- and filledשָׂבֵעַώâba‛ ώâbêa‛ · to satisfyH7646
- themselves, and waxen fatדָּשֵׁןdâshên · to prosperH1878
- then will they turnפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
- unto otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
- them, and provokeנָאַץnâ'ats · to spurnH5006
- me, and breakפָּרַרpârar · to breakH6565
- my covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 31:20
- Deuteronomy 6:10“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
- Deuteronomy 7:1“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
- Deuteronomy 8:7For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills;
- Exodus 3:8So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
- Deuteronomy 8:10When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
- Nehemiah 9:25And they took strong cities and a rich land, And possessed houses full of all goods, Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and grew fat, And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
- Deuteronomy 32:15“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
- Psalms 17:10They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly.
- Psalms 73:7Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.
- Psalms 119:70Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law.
- Jeremiah 5:28They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend.
- Jeremiah 50:11“Because you were glad, because you rejoiced, You destroyers of My heritage, Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain, And you bellow like bulls,
- Ezekiel 34:16“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”
- Hosea 13:6When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me.
- Deuteronomy 31:16And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 31:20
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14-23Verses 14-23 The transaction recorded in these verses may be regarded as the solemn inauguration of Joshua to the office to which he had some time before Numbers 27:22 been called, and his recognition in it by God, which were manifested by his being summoned into the tabernacle with Moses while the Lord appeared in the pillar of cloud (compare Numbers 11:25; Numbers 12:5). Deuteronomy 31:16 The future apostasy of the people is announced in the presence of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-22Verses 14-22 Moses and Joshua attended the Divine Majesty at the door of the tabernacle. Moses is told again that he must shortly die; even those who are most ready and willing to die, need to be often reminded of its coming. The Lord tells Moses, that, after his death, the covenant he had taken so much pains to make between Israel and their God, would certainly be broken. Israel would forsake Him; then God would forsake Israel. Justly does he cast those…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20land flowing with milk and honey: See study note on 6:3. eat their fill: Fatness suggested blessing and prosperity, not obesity or self-indulgence. reject me: Israel would ignore God and dishonor him by wrongly thinking their prosperity came from their own efforts or the false gods of the land.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-2216-22. the Lord said unto Moses, ... this people will rise up--In this remarkable interview, Moses was distinctly apprised of the infidelity of Israel, their corruptions of the true religion through intercourse with the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan (Am 5:26), and their chastisements in consequence of those national defections.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 31:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 31
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries