Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 29:16
(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;
16. for ye know, etc.] The necessity for such a covenant with Jehovah: viz. Israel’s experiences of the idolatry of other peoples, which otherwise might seduce them to itself. The Egyptian idolatry has not before been mentioned in Deut. Came through and passed are the same vb.: the idem per idem construction, see Deu 1:46.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In the land of Egypt, where you have seen their idolatries, and learned too much of them, as the golden calf showed, and therefore need to renew your covenant with God; where also we were in dreadful bondage, whence God alone hath delivered us, to whom therefore we are deeply obliged, and have all reason to renew our covenant with him.
How we came through the nations, i.e. with what hazards, if God had not appeared for us.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt,…. How long they and their fathers had dwelt there, the number of years they had been in the land, as the Targum of Jonathan, which was upwards of two hundred years; and being a country the inhabitants of which were much given to idolatry, they had seen many of their idols, and much of their idolatrous worship; and their hearts had been apt to be ensnared by it, and the minds of some tinctured with it, and the remembrance thereof might make ill impressions on them; to remove or prevent which this covenant was made:
and how we came through the nations which ye passed by; as the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and Midianites, as Aben Ezra observes, through whose borders they came, as they passed by their countries in their journeys in the wilderness.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The summons to enter into the covenant of the Lord is explained by Moses first of all by an exposition of the evil results which would follow from apostasy from the Lord, or the breach of His covenant. This exposition he introduces with an allusion to the experience of the people with reference to the worthlessness of idols, both in Egypt itself, and upon their march through the nations, whose territory they passed through (Deu 29:16, Deu 29:17). The words, “ for ye have learned how we dwelt in Egypt, and passed through the nations…and have seen their abominations and their idols ” ( gillulim : lit., clods, see Lev 26:30), have this signification: In our abode in Egypt, and upon our march through different lands, ye have become acquainted with the idols of these nations, that they are not gods, but only wood and stone (see at Deu 4:28), silver and gold. , as in Deu 9:7, literally “ye know that which we dwelt,’ i.e., know what our dwelling there showed, what experience we gained there of the nature of heathen idols.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16. For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt. We know how greatly men’s minds are tickled by novelty; and this might occur to the Israelites when, upon entering the land of Canaan, they would see many forms of idolatry hitherto unknown, which would be so many snares to entangle them. Although, therefore, they were not as yet accustomed to such corruptions, he exhorts them to beware by former instances; for they were not ignorant that God had held in abomination the superstitions of Egypt, and also of other nations, which He had punished in terrible ways. Consequently Moses reminds them that there was no reason why the people should be carried away to imitate the rites of the Gentiles with which they were unacquainted, since they knew by extraordinary proofs that whatever imaginations had been invented by heathen nations were hateful to God. This argument, then, is drawn from experience, whereby the Israelites had been abundantly admonished, that they should hereafter beware of all delusions. But, when he passes from individual men and women to families and tribes, he indicates that those who are associated with others in sin, seek to excuse themselves in vain by their numbers; since a whole nation is as much to be condemned as a single person.
The conclusion of verse 18, “ lest there should be among you a root, ” etc., seems to be tamely explained by some, (267) lest there should be venomous men, who should bring forth bitter fruits to God; for by the word root I rather under stand the hidden principles of sins, which, unless they be prevented in good time, spring up with collected vigor and lift themselves on high; for indulgence in sin increases by concealment and connivance. And to this the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews seems to allude when he exhorts believers lest, through their negligence, “any root of bitterness, springing up, trouble them, and thereby many be defiled.” (Heb 12:15.) As soon, therefore, as any one should endeavor to excite his brethren to worship false gods, God commands him to be plucked up, lest the poison should burst forth, and the bitter root should produce its natural fruits in the corruption of others. Wormwood (268) ( absinthium) is here used, as often elsewhere, in a bad sense, on account of its unpleasant savour; unless perhaps it is some other herb, as is more probable.
(267) Amongst others, De Lyra, whose gloss is, “Some one corrupted by idolatry, who should further corrupt others by his wicked persuasions.” Dathe says, “It is a proverbial expression, and its meaning is: lest there should be any rebel against the primary law of worshipping one God, and he should think within himself the things which follow in the next verse.”
(268) “The word לענה certainly denotes an extremely disagreeable and bitter plant; and that it was wormwood is a well-supported and probable interpretation. We therefore give a cut of the Artemisia absinthium. It must be confessed, however, that the Scripture seems to attribute to the לענה stronger effects than the wormwood of Europe will produce. We may therefore understand that some more hurtful species is intended: unless, as suggested by Gesenius, in the strong passages which seem to call for such an explanation, the name of the plant is employed figuratively to express poison.” — Illust. Comment. on Pro 5:4
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16, 17) These verses seem rightly placed in a parenthesis. (Comp. Eze. 20:7-8; Eze. 20:18.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16-17. Ye know how we have dwelt In this passage the reference is to the idol worship of Egypt and of the nations with whom they had been brought in contact on their journey. They are told in effect to remember what they have seen of the worthlessness and vileness of such worship. These verses are not parenthetical, as in our version, but are closely connected with the following verse.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Awful Danger That Must Be Avoided: A Turning To Other Overlords, to Idols ( Deu 29:16-21 ).
Aware of their propensity to seek after idols he now warns them once more against doing so.
Analysis using the words of Moses:
a For you know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed, and you have seen their abominations (detestable things), and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them (Deu 29:16-17).
b Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations (Deu 29:18 a).
c Lest there should be among you a root which bears gall (bitter, inedible fruit) and wormwood (Deu 29:18 b).
c And it come about that, when he hears the words of this curse, he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart,” to destroy the watered with the parched (Deu 29:19).
b Yahweh will not pardon him, but then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book will lie on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven (Deu 29:20).
a And Yahweh will set him apart to evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which is written in this book of instruction (the law) (Deu 29:21).
Note that in ‘a’ they have come safely from Egypt and through the midst of the nations, seeing idols on every side, but not yielding to them, and in the parallel any who do yield to them will be set apart by Yahweh as evil in accordance with the curses in the book of Instruction. In ‘b’ there is the fear lest there should be among them any man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from Yahweh their God, to go to serve the gods of those nations, and in the parallel the warning comes that Yahweh will not pardon him, for then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book will lie on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven. In ‘c’ the fear is lest there should be among them a man who is a root which bears gall (bitter, inedible fruit) and wormwood, and in the parallel it comes about that, when he hears the words of this curse, he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart”. The danger is that he will destroy the watered with the parched (Deu 29:19).
Deu 29:16-17
‘ (For you (ye) know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you (ye) passed, and you (ye) have seen their abominations (detestable things), and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them),’
They had no excuse for turning to idolatry, for they had good reason to know about gruesome idols. They had dwelt in the land of Egypt and had seen them there. And they had seen them as they had passed through the nations on their journey. All their abominations, their idols of wood and stone (compare Deu 4:28; Deu 28:36; Deu 28:64), of silver and of gold (Deu 7:25) had been openly apparent. They had seen them everywhere. They had watched them being worshipped, and they should have recognised them for what they were, abominations, objects of stone and wood gilded with silver and gold.
Deu 29:18
‘ Lest there should be among you (ye) man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you (ye) a root which bears gall (bitter, inedible fruit) and wormwood,’
And it was good that this was known to them, lest there be any among them, whether as individuals or as a group (compare Deuteronomy 13), whose hearts would turn away from Yahweh in order to serve these other gods. For such an attitude would establish a root which would produce wormwood and gall, the bitterest things known to them, which would spread until it affected many.
For gall and wormwood which indicates distress, trouble and bitterness see Pro 5:4; Jer 9:15; Jer 23:15; Lam 3:15; Lam 3:19; Amo 5:7.
Deu 29:19
‘ And it come about that, when he hears the words of this curse, he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart,” to destroy the watered with the parched.’
This bitter root at work within a man, this foolish way of thinking, could cause him, when he heard the curse against idolatry (or the oath of the covenant), to deceive himself and rather bless himself and say ‘I shall have wellbeing, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” He would foolishly, and fruitlessly, counter Yahweh’s curse with his own blessing. And by his behaviour he could then affect others. Thus would he destroy what is watered (is watered, moist and at present alive) with that which is parched (is thirsty, dry and dead).
He might foolishly think that as he was only one among a people who were blessed he could get away with it even though he walked in stubbornness of heart. What was he among so many? God would surely not pick on him alone. But the result was that he would not only destroy himself but others.
Alternately there may be a play on thought here, that the man’s intention had been to call on the gods of the land in order that they might send rain so that ‘the watered might sweep away the parched’. But what would happen would be that both watered and parched would be swept away.
This is always man’s tendency with God, to dismiss the possibility of being called to account and to suppose that God can be mocked. But it is not so. God will bring every work into judgment. We may have been forgiven, but w will still have to give account.
Deu 29:20
‘ Yahweh will not pardon him, but then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book will lie on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven.’
But he was wrong. Yahweh would see, and He would act. He would not pardon him (unless of course he repented), because His anger and jealousy for His people’s purity would be like the smoke of fiery judgment against him, and the whole curse written in the book containing Moses’ covenant speeches, would lie on him, and Yahweh would blot out his name from under heaven. He would not be remembered, he would not be ‘gathered to his fathers’, he would cease to be. He would become nothingness.
Deu 29:21
‘ And Yahweh will set him apart to evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which is written in this book of instruction (the law).’
He would be set apart to evil, to the evils as described in Deu 28:15 onwards, selected out from all the tribes of Israel because of his detestable behaviour to undergo the curses of the covenant written in this book of instruction. Note the continued emphasis that it was now in writing, as it would also be written on the stones once they were in the land.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
What a very awful scripture is contained in these verses! Observe how the sinner is described: he turns away from GOD: he grows confident in sin: he bids defiance to danger: and is ripe for ruin. Observe the awfulness of the divine judgments upon him. As he turns from the LORD, and doth not like to retain GOD in his knowledge, GOD gives him up to a reprobate mind, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Rom 1:28 . Reader! if the LORD gives up the sinner it is all over. “Let Ephraim alone, he is joined to his idols, ” is one of the most awful sentences in scripture. If GOD ceases to correct, depend upon it judgment is at hand. Hos 4:17 ; Eze 16:42 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 29:16 (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;
Ver. 16. How we have dwelt. ] And how hard is it to pass through Ethiopia, how much more to dwell there, and not to be discoloured! Sin is catching, and by the senses, those five ports of the soul, that old serpent oft winds himself into the heart. Ye have seen their abominations; oh that you would say, Satis est vidisse, &c. Now therefore, lest there should be, &c., Deu 29:18 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
through the nations: Deu 2:4, Deu 2:9, Deu 2:19, Deu 2:24, Deu 3:1, Deu 3:2
Reciprocal: Eze 16:26 – with the Eze 20:7 – defile Eze 23:3 – in Egypt
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deu 29:16. Egypt Where you have seen their idolatries, and learned too much of them, as the golden calf showed, and therefore have need to renew your covenant with God; where also we were in dreadful bondage, whence God alone hath delivered us; to whom therefore we are deeply obliged, and have all reason to renew our covenant with him. We came through the nations With what hazard, if God had not appeared for us!
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3. The consequences of disobedience 29:16-29
This generation needed to obey the laws of the Mosaic Covenant (Deu 29:21) under which the nation already lived to experience the maximum benefits of this covenant. The maximum benefits included not only ownership of the land but also the use (occupation) of it. The rebellious Israelite could anticipate physical death (Deu 29:20). Disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant (Deu 29:25) would result in the Israelites being driven out of the Promised Land. In Deu 29:29 the "secret things" refer to those things God knows but has not revealed (cf. Isa 55:8-9). In the context this refers specifically to how Israel would respond to the covenant in the future. The "things revealed" refer to what God has revealed so that humankind may enjoy God’s blessings. In the context this refers to the Mosaic Covenant.