Deuteronomy 29:24-26
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This verse highlights that the devastation of Israel will be so extreme, it will become a cosmic question mark, leaving even pagan nations stunned and asking God's ultimate purpose behind such immense judgment. It reveals that God's justice is not just for His people, but is a spectacle to the whole world, revealing His character and the gravity of covenant unfaithfulness.
all the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses has just outlined a solemn covenant ceremony where all of Israel, present and future, are bound to God's law, with severe curses promised for disobedience. This sets the stage for explaining that if they turn to idolatry, their land will be utterly devastated and barren, even stranger nations passing by will question why God has inflicted such a terrible judgment. The question of "what caused this great anger?" leads directly into the explanation that their forsaking God's covenant for other gods is the reason for this divine wrath.
Imagine a once-fertile land, now a wasteland of salt and fire. The nations around can only stare in stunned silence.
Deuteronomy 29:23 paints a stark picture of complete desolation: 'And 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.' This isn't just a minor setback; it's a catastrophic judgment.
This extreme ruin is not random. It's a deliberate act of God, a consequence of His people's persistent disobedience. The commentary highlights that this destruction is so profound, so unlike normal calamities, that it demands explanation. It serves as a powerful, visible testament to God's justice.
When God's anger burns intensely, even the surrounding nations will one day stop and ask: 'Why?'
The core of Deuteronomy 29:24 is a profound question echoed by all nations: 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus to this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger?' This isn't a question posed by believers seeking understanding within the covenant, but by outsiders observing a shocking, divinely-wrought catastrophe.
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Understand the original words
azab · Hebrew Verb
The act of willfully forsaking, turning away from, or rejecting a relationship or commitment. In a biblical sense, it often refers to apostasy—a deliberate turning from the true God to idols or disobedience.
abad · Hebrew Verb
To perform religious rites or acts of devotion, often implying submission, reverence, and total allegiance to the object of worship. Biblically, true worship is reserved for Yahweh alone.
elohim · Hebrew Noun
A term used in Scripture to denote false deities or idols. It implies anything that takes the place of the one true God in human hearts, devoid of divine authority or reality.
chawah · Hebrew Verb
To bow down or prostrate oneself before someone or something. It expresses honor, homage, and submission, which, when directed toward anything other than the Creator, constitutes idolatry.
This verse anticipates the future devastation of Judah, serving as a prophetic warning of the Babylonian conquest and exile. It highlights how such a catastrophic judgment on God's chosen people would shock the surrounding nations, prompting them to question the reasons behind God's intense anger.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses, establishing a covenant with them at Mount Sinai.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites, led by Joshua, conquer and settle in the Promised Land, displacing its inhabitants.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom splits into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its inhabitants and scattering them.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple, exiling the Southern Kingdom of Judah's population.
c. 500 BC
Exile and Repopulation
During the Babylonian Exile, the land of Judah lies largely desolate, serving as a stark warning to surrounding nations. Later, some exiles return.
This passage echoes the question posed in Deuteronomy, showing that future generations, when observing desolation, would ask 'Why has the LORD done this?' and would be answered because of their forsaking God.
1 Kings 9:8-9This passage describes the devastation of Solomon's Temple and city, stating that passersby would be astonished and ask 'Why has the LORD done this?', with the answer being their forsaking God for other deities.
Matthew 24:21Jesus speaks of 'great tribulation' unlike any seen before or since, which, if not cut short, would result in such devastation that it would prompt questions from observers about God's judgment.
Romans 11:22Paul discusses God's severity towards unbelieving Israel, highlighting that their cutting off is a display of His goodness and severity, a profound event that would cause astonishment and questioning from onlookers.
Revelation 18:10The fall of Babylon is described as causing onlookers to cry out in fear and astonishment, asking 'Alas! alas, that great city... in one hour your judgment has come!' reflecting a similar sense of awe at divine judgment.
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…
pulpitDeuteronomy 29:24: "Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?"
Verse 24. - What meaneth the heat of this great anger? The reply to this question comes in what follows (vers. 25-28).
This verse highlights that the devastation of Israel will be so extreme, it will become a cosmic question mark, leaving even pagan nations stunned and asking God's ultimate purpose behind such immense judgment. It reveals that God's justice is not just for His people, but is a spectacle to the whole world, revealing His character and the gravity of covenant unfaithfulness.
Moses has just outlined a solemn covenant ceremony where all of Israel, present and future, are bound to God's law, with severe curses promised for disobedience. This sets the stage for explaining that if they turn to idolatry, their land will be utterly devastated and barren, even stranger nations passing by will question why God has inflicted such a terrible judgment. The question of "what caused this great anger?" leads directly into the explanation that their forsaking God's covenant for other gods is the reason for this divine wrath.
Moses has just outlined a solemn covenant ceremony where all of Israel, present and future, are bound to God's law, with severe curses promised for disobedience. This sets the stage for explaining that if they turn to idolatry, their land will be utterly devastated and barren, even stranger nations passing by will question why God has inflicted such a terrible judgment. The question of "what caused this great anger?" leads directly into the explanation that their forsaking God's covenant for other gods is the reason for this divine wrath.
"all the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which he made with them…" — This verse highlights that the devastation of Israel will be so extreme, it will become a cosmic question mark, leaving even pagan nations stunned and asking God's ultimate purpose behind such immens…
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Last reviewed October 2026
