Deuteronomy — Chapter 29

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1These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

2And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

3The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:

4Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

5And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

6Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.

7And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:

8And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.

9Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

10Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,

11Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:

12That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:

13That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;

15But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:

16(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;

17And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)

18Lest 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;

19And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

20The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

21And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:

22So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;

23And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

24Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?

25Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:

26For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:

27And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:

28And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.

29The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

1These are the words of the covenant which Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

2And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

3the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders:

4but Jehovah hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

5And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxed old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxed old upon thy foot.

6Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God.

7And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:

8and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.

9Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

10Ye stand this day all of you before Jehovah your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,

11your little ones, your wives, and thy sojourner that is in the midst of thy camps, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;

12that thou mayest enter into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into his oath, which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day;

13that he may establish thee this day unto himself for a people, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he spake unto thee, and as he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,

15but with him that standeth here with us this day before Jehovah our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day

16(for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed;

17and ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);

18lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

19and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.

20Jehovah will not pardon him, but then the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven.

21And Jehovah will set him apart unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.

22And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith Jehovah hath made it sick;

23[and that] the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, [and] a burning, [that] it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

24even all the nations shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?

25Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,

26and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them:

27therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book;

28and Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as at this day.

29The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

1(28:69) These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.

2Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land.

3Your eyes have seen the great judgments, those signs and mighty wonders.

4But to this very day the Lord has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears!

5I have led you through the wilderness for 40 years. Your clothing has not worn out nor have your sandals deteriorated.

6You have eaten no bread and drunk no wine or beer—all so that you might know that I am the Lord your God!

7When you came to this place King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to make war and we defeated them.

8Then we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

9“Therefore, keep the terms of this covenant and obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do.

10You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God—the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officials, every Israelite man,

11your infants, your wives, and the resident foreigners living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water—

12so that you may enter by oath into the covenant the Lord your God is making with you today.

13Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God, just as he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

14It is not with you alone that I am making this covenant by oath,

15but with whoever stands with us here today before the Lord our God as well as those not with us here today.

16“(For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we crossed through the nations as we traveled.

17You have seen their detestable things and idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold.)

18Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away from the Lord our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations; beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit.

19When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself and says, ‘I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.’ This will destroy the watered ground with the parched.

20The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger will rage against that man; all the curses written in this scroll will fall upon him, and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory.

21The Lord will single him out for judgment from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law.

22The generation to come—your descendants who will rise up after you, as well as the foreigner who will come from distant places—will see the afflictions of that land and the illnesses that the Lord has brought on it.

23The whole land will be covered with brimstone, salt, and burning debris; it will not be planted nor will it sprout or produce grass. It will resemble the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord destroyed in his intense anger.

24Then all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done all this to this land? What is this fierce, heated display of anger all about?’

25Then people will say, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

26They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they did not know and that he did not permit them to worship.

27That is why the Lord’s anger erupted against this land, bringing on it all the curses written in this scroll.

28So the Lord has uprooted them from their land in anger, wrath, and great rage and has deported them to another land, as is clear today.’

29The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we might obey all the words of this law.

1These are the words of the covenant which Yahweh commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

2Moses called to all Israel, and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that Yahweh did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land;

3the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders.

4But Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.

5I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not grown old on you, and your shoes have not grown old on your feet.

6You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink; that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.

7When you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us to battle, and we struck them.

8We took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.

9Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

10All of you stand today in the presence of Yahweh your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,

11your little ones, your wives, and the foreigners who are in the middle of your camps, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water;

12that you may enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God, and into his oath, which Yahweh your God makes with you today;

13that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

14Neither do I make this covenant and this oath with you only,

15but with those who stand here with us today before Yahweh our God, and also with those who are not here with us today

16(for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the middle of the nations through which you passed;

17and you have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);

18lest there should be among you man, woman, family, or tribe whose heart turns away today from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that produces bitter poison;

19and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.”

20Yahweh will not pardon him, but then Yahweh’s anger and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book will fall on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under the sky.

21Yahweh will set him apart for evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.

22The generation to come, your children who will rise up after you, and the foreigner who will come from a far land, will say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses with which Yahweh has made it sick;

23and that all of its land is sulfur, salt, and burning, that it is not sown, doesn’t produce, nor does any grass grow in it, like the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath;

24even all the nations will say, “Why has Yahweh done thus to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?”

25Then men will say, “Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt,

26and went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods that they didn’t know, and that he had not given to them.

27Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against this land, to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book.

28Yahweh rooted them out of their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and thrust them into another land, as it is today.”

29The secret things belong to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Moses renews the covenant with the new generation in Moab, warning that secret things belong to God but revealed things demand obedience.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses. Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch, written at the end of the 40 years of wilderness wandering (approximately 1406 BC). Hebrew title: "Devarim" — "Words/Things." Greek title: "Deuteronomion" — "Second Law" (a repetition/expansion of the Law for the new generation). The book consists of Moses' farewell speeches to Israel on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. Moses will not enter with them — these are his final words to the nation he has led for 40 years.
Historical Context: Chapter 29 begins the third and final major address of Moses in Deuteronomy. Verse 1 explicitly identifies this as a distinct covenant: "These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, BESIDE the covenant which he made with them in Horeb." This is not a repetition of Sinai but a renewal and expansion — a covenant for the new generation that will enter the land. The chapter has three movements: (1) a historical review reminding Israel of God's faithfulness despite their spiritual blindness (vv.2-9), (2) the inclusive scope of the covenant — binding on all present AND all future generations (vv.10-15), and (3) a warning against the individual who secretly blesses himself while walking in sin, and the corporate consequences of covenant violation (vv.16-28). The chapter concludes with one of the most profound theological statements in Scripture: "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (v.29). This verse establishes the boundary between divine mystery and human responsibility — we are accountable for what God has revealed, not for what He has kept hidden.
Historical Review — God's Faithfulness, Israel's Blindness (vv.2-9): "Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt" (v.2). They witnessed the signs and miracles (v.3). Yet: "the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day" (v.4). This is remarkable: they SAW but did not PERCEIVE. Physical sight without spiritual understanding. God sustained them 40 years: "your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot" (v.5). They ate no bread and drank no wine — sustained by manna and water from the rock — "that ye might know that I am the LORD your God" (v.6). Military victories over Sihon and Og (vv.7-8). Therefore: "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do" (v.9).
The Inclusive Covenant (vv.10-15): "Ye stand this day ALL of you before the LORD your God" (v.10). The scope is total: "your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water" (vv.10-11). From the highest leader to the lowest servant — all are included. The purpose: "That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God" (v.12). Critically: "Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; but with him that standeth here with us this day... and also with him that is not here with us this day" (vv.14-15). The covenant binds future generations who are not yet born. No one can opt out by claiming they weren't present.
Warning Against Secret Rebellion (vv.16-28): "Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood" (v.18) — a poisonous root hidden beneath the surface. The secret rebel: "when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart" (v.19). This is presumptuous sin — hearing God's warnings and privately dismissing them: "I'll be fine." God's response: "The LORD will not spare him" (v.20). "All the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him" (v.20). The corporate consequence: the land itself becomes like Sodom — "brimstone, and salt, and burning" (v.23). Future generations and foreigners will ask: "Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land?" (v.24). The answer: "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers" (v.25).
The Secret Things (v.29): "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." This verse draws a clear boundary: God has secrets (His hidden counsel, unrevealed purposes, the mystery of His sovereignty). These belong to Him alone. But what He HAS revealed — His law, His commands, His covenant terms — these belong to us. Our responsibility is limited to what God has made known. We cannot excuse disobedience by pointing to mystery, nor can we demand answers to questions God has chosen not to reveal.

Map & Geography

  • Moses speaks from the plains of Moab. The covenant ratified here is "beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb" (v.1) — a second, distinct covenant location.
  • Moses recounts the geographic journey: Egypt → the nations passed through → here in Moab (vv.2, 7, 16).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes verse 4 as a statement about sovereign grace: spiritual perception is God's gift, not human achievement. He notes that verse 29 establishes healthy theological boundaries — we must not speculate beyond revelation or excuse disobedience by appealing to mystery.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "The secret things belong unto the LORD.' Here is rest for the troubled mind that cannot fathom God's decrees. You are not required to understand the hidden things — only to obey the revealed things. Leave the mysteries with God and attend to your duties. He who spends his life trying to unlock God's secrets neglects the plain commands that lie open before him."

Reflection

  • 1. Seeing without perceiving (v.4). Israel witnessed miracles but lacked spiritual understanding. This is possible today: attending church, reading Scripture, even seeing God work — without genuine spiritual perception. Understanding is God's gift; we must ask for it (Ephesians 1:17-18).
  • 2. The covenant binds all generations (vv.14-15). No one can opt out of accountability to God by claiming they weren't consulted. God's covenant claims extend to those "not here with us this day" — future generations, including us. We are all under obligation to God's revealed will.
  • 3. The danger of private presumption (v.19). "I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart." This is the most dangerous spiritual condition: hearing God's warnings and privately dismissing them. The person who thinks "that won't happen to me" while continuing in sin is the most vulnerable to judgment.
  • 4. Hidden sin is a poisonous root (v.18). It may be invisible now, but it will produce bitter fruit. One secret rebel can defile an entire community (Hebrews 12:15). Sin never stays contained — it spreads.
  • 5. The boundary of mystery and responsibility (v.29). We are not required to understand everything God does. His secret purposes are His own. But we ARE required to obey everything He has revealed. We cannot use theological mystery as an excuse for moral disobedience. "I don't understand God's sovereignty" does not excuse "I won't obey God's commands."
  • 6. God's faithfulness despite our blindness (vv.5-6). Clothes that didn't wear out, shoes that didn't decay, manna every morning — God was faithful for 40 years even while Israel lacked spiritual perception. His faithfulness does not depend on our understanding.