Deuteronomy 29:26
in Deuteronomy 29They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them:
KJV
For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
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This verse in Deuteronomy 29
Commentary
7 notes on this verseGods - whom he had not given unto them - This is an unhappy translation. Houbigant renders the original words ולו חלק להם velo chalak lahem, et quibuscum nulla eis societas, “And with whom they had no society;” and falls unmercifully on Le Clerc because he had translated it, From whom they had received no benefits. I must differ from both these great men, because I think they differ from the text. חלק chalak signifies a portion, lot, inheritance, and God is frequently represented in Scripture as the portion or inheritance of his people.
This site's exposition
It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD
on Deuteronomy 29:25-28
The nations' answer names the covenant made when God brought Israel out of Egypt. Verse 28 speaks of the uprooting as past, “where they are today”, and Daniel 9:11-14 prays these verses back to God from inside the exile.
This site's exposition
gods that the LORD had
Wesley reads the gods the LORD had not given to them as the sun, moon and stars, which 4:19 says God allotted to all nations. Henry draws the rule that the creatures were given to serve people, and the Creator alone is to be served. Israel inverted the order.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Whom God had not given to them - For their worship, but hath divided them unto all nations, for their use and service. So he speaks here of the sun and moon and stars, which were the principal gods worshipped by the neighbouring nations.
), gods that they had no acquaintance with, nor lay under any obligation to either in duty of gratitude; for God has not given the creatures to be served by us, but to serve us; nor have they done any good to us (as some read it), more than what God has enabled them to do; to the Creator therefore we are debtors, and not to the creatures.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
It was of the greatest consequence to impress all with the strong and abiding conviction, that while the covenant of grace had special blessings belonging to it, it at the same time had curses in reserve for transgressors, the infliction of which would be as certain, as lasting and severe. This was the advantage contemplated in the law being rehearsed a second time.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ | vaiyelekhu | and they went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וַיַּֽעַבְדוּ֙ | vaiyaavdu | and they served | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֣ים | ʾelohim | gods | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲחֵרִ֔ים | ʾacherim | other | H312 → | 166 times |
| וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֖וּ | vaiyishtachavu | and they bowed down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| לָהֶ֑ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| אֱלֹהִים֙ | ʾelohim | gods | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְדָע֔וּם | yedaum | they had known them | H3045 → | 945 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| חָלַ֖ק | chalak | he had assigned | H2505 → | |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | lahem | to <the> them |
וַיֵּלְכ֗וּand they went
vaiyelekhuH1980 →1546 times
וַיַּֽעַבְדוּ֙and they served
vaiyaavduH5647 →288 times
אֱלֹהִ֣יםgods
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֲחֵרִ֔יםother
ʾacherimH312 →166 times
וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֖וּand they bowed down
vaiyishtachavuH7812 →172 times
לָהֶ֑םto <the> them
lahem
אֱלֹהִים֙gods
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יְדָע֔וּםthey had known them
yedaumH3045 →945 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
חָלַ֖קhe had assigned
chalakH2505 →
לָהֶֽם׃to <the> them
lahem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.