Deuteronomy 29:22-23
And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick— the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath—
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It's easy to overlook that the "stranger from a far land" is included in the future generations who will witness and question God's judgment. This emphasizes that the consequences of disobedience wouldn't just affect Israel internally, but would be so stark and unusual that even outsiders would be drawn to ponder the divine cause. It highlights the public, even international, testimony to God's faithfulness in enacting His warnings.
Just before this verse, Moses is recounting the covenant God made with Israel, emphasizing that it's not just for those present but for future generations and even foreigners who join them. He warns sternly against any who would turn away from God and embrace forbidden practices, detailing the severe curses that would follow such disobedience. This verse then looks ahead, predicting that even distant descendants and outsiders will witness the devastating consequences—the land itself sickened and afflicted—as a testament to God's judgment.
Understand the original words
aph · Hebrew Noun
A term describing deep, intense hostility, indignation, or divine displeasure toward sin. It is the holy reaction of God's righteousness against everything that opposes His character and commands.
chemah · Hebrew Noun
A powerful, burning indignation or fury that accompanies divine judgment. It signifies the intense and irresistible expression of God's holy hatred of evil.
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This verse reflects on the devastating consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, looking back to the curses promised in Deuteronomy and forward to the future desolation that would be evident even to outsiders after the Babylonian exile.
c. 1446 BC
Israel Departs Egypt
After centuries of slavery, God delivers Israel from Egypt under Moses. This marks the beginning of their covenant relationship with God.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Israel, after 40 years in the wilderness, enters and begins to conquer the Promised Land, displacing its inhabitants.
c. 1400-1050 BC
Period of the Judges
A tumultuous era where Israel repeatedly falls into cycles of disobedience, foreign oppression, and deliverance by judges.
c. 1050 BC
Monarchy Established
Saul is anointed king, followed by David and Solomon, ushering in a period of united kingdom and relative stability.
c. 931 BC
Divided Kingdom
After Solomon's reign, the kingdom splits into Israel (North) and Judah (South), each eventually falling into further idolatry.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judah, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, and exiles much of the population to Babylon. This fulfills the curses prophesied in Deuteronomy.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great permits the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, though a remnant nation remains susceptible to future disobedience.
This passage describes how future generations and foreigners would question the devastation of Jerusalem, drawing a direct parallel to the question posed in Deuteronomy about the afflicted land.
1 Kings 9:8-9Similar to Deuteronomy, this passage explains that the desolation of the Temple and city would lead passersby to ask why the Lord acted this way, with the answer being the people's forsaking of God.
Isaiah 22:12-14This prophecy speaks of a day of national judgment and distress, where people are called to mourn but instead turn to revelry, highlighting the severe consequences of ignoring God's impending wrath, much like the warnings in Deuteronomy.
Matthew 12:43-45Jesus uses the example of an unclean spirit returning to a cleansed but empty person, leading to a worse state, to illustrate how prolonged spiritual impurity results in severe, lasting judgment, echoing the generational consequences described in Deuteronomy.
Lamentations 4:11-12This poetic lament describes the devastating destruction of Jerusalem and its people, emphasizing that the intensity of God's wrath was such that it would shock even distant observers, aligning with the astonishment described in Deuteronomy.
calvinDeuteronomy 29:10-28: "Ye 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,"
That he may establish thee today 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.
Ut statuat te hodie sibi in populum, et ipse sit tibi in Deum, quemadmodum loquutus est tibi, et quemadmodum juravit patrib…
bensonDeuteronomy 29:22: "So 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;"
Deuteronomy 29:22-23 . So that the generation — Hebrew And the generation: for it appears to be a new paragraph, the sense whereof is, Whenever your wickedness shall arrive at such a height as to bring upon your nation the terrible desolations be…
It's easy to overlook that the "stranger from a far land" is included in the future generations who will witness and question God's judgment. This emphasizes that the consequences of disobedience wouldn't just affect Israel internally, but would be so stark and unusual that even outsiders would be drawn to ponder the divine cause. It highlights the public, even international, testimony to God's faithfulness in enacting His warnings.
Just before this verse, Moses is recounting the covenant God made with Israel, emphasizing that it's not just for those present but for future generations and even foreigners who join them. He warns sternly against any who would turn away from God and embrace forbidden practices, detailing the severe curses that would follow such disobedience. This verse then looks ahead, predicting that even distant descendants and outsiders will witness the devastating consequences—the land itself sickened and afflicted—as a testament to God's judgment.
Just before this verse, Moses is recounting the covenant God made with Israel, emphasizing that it's not just for those present but for future generations and even foreigners who join them. He warns sternly against any who would turn away from God and embrace forbidden practices, detailing the severe curses that would follow such disobedience. This verse then looks ahead, predicting that even distant descendants and outsiders will witness the devastating consequences—the land itself sickened and afflicted—as a testament to God's judgment.
"And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick— the whole land burned…" — It's easy to overlook that the "stranger from a far land" is included in the future generations who will witness and question God's judgment. This emphasizes that the consequences of disobedience wou…
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