Deuteronomy 4:31
in Deuteronomy 4For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
for Jehovah thy God is a merciful God; he will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
KJV
(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 4
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
But if from there you will seek the LORD your God
on Deuteronomy 4:29-31
A promise to the scattered follows the threat, "you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul," the language of 6:5. They are offered what the covenant asked at the start, and Jeremiah 29:13 repeats the promise to exiles. Verse 31 grounds it in God's character, "a merciful God" who will not "forget the covenant with your fathers."
This site's exposition
a merciful God
The hope of verse 30 rests on God's character, stated as three things he will never do: abandon Israel, destroy it, or forget the oath he swore to the fathers. Matthew Henry turns the verse back on the hearer and asks whether Israel will forsake a God who will never forsake them, or forget a covenant he keeps in mind.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
For the Lord thy God is a merciful God,....
Shall we forsake a merciful God, who will never forsake us, as it follows here, if we be faithful unto him? Whither can we go to better ourselves? Shall we forget the covenant of our God, who will not forget the covenant of our fathers?
Here, [1.] He foresees their revolt from God to idols, that in process of time, when they had remained long in the land and were settled upon their lees, they would corrupt themselves, and make a graven image; this was the sin that would most easily beset them,
Thirdly, Afflictions are sent to engage and quicken us to see God, and, by the grace of God working with them, many are thus reduced to their right mind, "When these things shall come upon thee, it is to be hoped that thou wilt turn to the Lord they God, for thou seest what comes of turning from him;" see Dan. ix.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
LAST Lord's-Day the title of my discourse was, "Conversions Desired" and my earnest prayer to God has been that the effect of this morning's sermon may be conversions accomplished. I cannot be happy unless I indulge the hope that some will, this morning, turn to God with full purpose of heart, led to do so by the power of Divine Grace. For this I sought the Lord and at this I resolved to aim. I asked myself, "What is the most likely subject in the hand of the Holy Spirit to lead men to the Lord?
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
LAST Lord's-Day the title of my discourse was, "Conversions Desired" and my earnest prayer to God has been that the effect of this morning's sermon may be conversions accomplished. I cannot be happy unless I indulge the hope that some will, this morning, turn to God with full purpose of heart, led to do so by the power of Divine Grace. For this I sought the Lord and at this I resolved to aim. I asked myself, "What is the most likely subject in the hand of the Holy Spirit to lead men to the Lord? Shall I preach the terrors of the Lord, or shall I proclaim the sweetness of Divine mercy? Each of these has its proper use, but which will be most likely to answer our design today?" I remembered the fable of the sun and the wind. These rival powers competed as to which could compel the traveler to cast away his cloak. The wind blew boisterously and tugged at the garment as if it would tear it from the traveler's shoulders, but he buttoned it closer about him and held it firmly with his hands. The battle was not to the strong and threatening. Then the sun burst forth from behind a cloud, when the wind had ceased its blustering, and smiled upon the traveler with warmth of kindness until he loosened his cloak and, by-and- by, was glad to take it off altogether. The soft, sweet influence of the sun had vanquished where the storm had raged in vain. So I thought, perhaps if I preach the tender mercy of God and His readiness to forgive, it may be to my hearers as the warm beams of the sun to the traveler and they will cast away the garments of their sin and self-righteousness. I know that the arrows of love are keen and wound many hearts which are invulnerable to the sword of wrath.
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵ֤ל | ʾel | [is] a God | H410 → | 241 times |
| רַחוּם֙ | rachum | compassionate | H7349 → | |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַרְפְּךָ֖ | yarpekha | he will abandon you | H7503 → | 46 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַשְׁחִיתֶ֑ךָ | yashchitekha | he will destroy you | H7843 → | 146 times |
| וְלֹ֤א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשְׁכַּח֙ | yishkach | he will forget | H7911 → | 102 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּרִ֣ית | berit | [the] covenant of | H1285 → | 284 times |
| אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ | ʾavoteikha | ancestors your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נִשְׁבַּ֖ע | nishba' | he swore | H7650 → | 186 times |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | lahem | to them |
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֵ֤ל[is] a God
ʾelH410 →241 times
רַחוּם֙compassionate
rachumH7349 →
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יַרְפְּךָ֖he will abandon you
yarpekhaH7503 →46 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יַשְׁחִיתֶ֑ךָhe will destroy you
yashchitekhaH7843 →146 times
וְלֹ֤אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יִשְׁכַּח֙he will forget
yishkachH7911 →102 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּרִ֣ית[the] covenant of
beritH1285 →284 times
אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָancestors your
ʾavoteikhaH1 →1212 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נִשְׁבַּ֖עhe swore
nishba'H7650 →186 times
לָהֶֽם׃to them
lahem
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 31:8The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
it leads to
- Exodus 33:14
And the LORD answered, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
- Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Joshua 1:5
No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Exodus 33:14
Through
Jonah 4:2So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish.…
it leads to
- Exodus 34:6–7
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Numbers 14:18–19
‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon…
- Exodus 34:6–7
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1283: “Conversions Encouraged” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; 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.