Deuteronomy 31:28
in Deuteronomy 31Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
KJV
Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 31
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are
on Deuteronomy 31:27-29
Moses grounds the forecast in forty years of watching, rebellion “while I am still alive”. The charge of a stiff neck goes back to Exodus 32:9 at the golden calf, and 10:16 had told them to stiffen their necks no longer. Verse 29 repeats to the elders what verses 16 to 21 told Moses at the tent, and “in the days to come” carries it past the generation before him.
This site's exposition
call heaven and earth to witness
Moses has called heaven and earth as witnesses twice already, at 4:26 and 30:19. The song opens by addressing them at 32:1, and Isaiah begins his book with the same summons at Isaiah 1:2. They outlast every generation that hears the charge.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
8 And the L ORD , he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. Loth to part (we say) bids oft farewell. Moses does so to the children of Israel: not because he was loth to go to God, but because he was loth to leave them, fearing that when he had left them they would leave God.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:26w-of-74
Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers,....
It was delivered to them with a solemn appeal to heaven and earth concerning the fair warning which was given them by it of the fatal consequences of their apostasy from God, and with a declaration of the little joy and little hope Moses had in and concerning them. He declares what little joy he had had of them while he was with them,
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַקְהִ֧ילוּ | hakhilu | assemble | H6950 → | 39 times |
| אֵלַ֛י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| זִקְנֵ֥י | ziknei | [the] elders of | H2205 → | 178 times |
| שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖ם | shivteikhem | tribes your | H7626 → | 190 times |
| וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶ֑ם | veshotereikhem | and officials your | H7860 → | 25 times |
| וַאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה | vaadaberah | and let me speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗ם | veazeneihem | in ears their | H241 → | 187 times |
| אֵ֚ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדְּבָרִ֣ים | hadevarim | the words | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הָאֵ֔לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| וְאָעִ֣ידָה | veaidah | so I may call as witnesses | H5749 → | 44 times |
| בָּ֔ם | bam | against <the> them | ||
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
הַקְהִ֧ילוּassemble
hakhiluH6950 →39 times
אֵלַ֛יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
זִקְנֵ֥י[the] elders of
zikneiH2205 →178 times
שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖םtribes your
shivteikhemH7626 →190 times
וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶ֑םand officials your
veshotereikhemH7860 →25 times
וַאֲדַבְּרָ֣הand let me speak
vaadaberahH1696 →1141 times
בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗םin ears their
veazeneihemH241 →187 times
אֵ֚ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
הַדְּבָרִ֣יםthe words
hadevarimH1697 →1440 times
הָאֵ֔לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
וְאָעִ֣ידָהso I may call as witnesses
veaidahH5749 →44 times
בָּ֔םagainst <the> them
bam
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 4:26I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it,…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:1
Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 22:29
O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 32:1
Through
Deuteronomy 30:19I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live,
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 30:15
See, I have set before you today life and goodness, as well as death and disaster.
- Deuteronomy 11:26
See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse—
- Psalms 119:30
I have chosen the way of truth; I have set Your ordinances before me.
- Joshua 24:15–22
But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods…
- Proverbs 8:36
But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
- Deuteronomy 30:15
Through
Luke 19:40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
it leads to
- Habakkuk 2:11
For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.
- Habakkuk 2:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Berean Standard Bible, Deuteronomy 4:26; 30:19; 32:1; Isaiah 1:2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.