Deuteronomy 31:20
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It's easy to read this verse as simply predicting Israel's future failure. But notice the specific language: "eaten and are full and grown fat." This highlights how prosperity and comfort themselves become the very catalysts for their forgetting God and breaking their covenant.
For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is speaking to Moses just before Moses' death, commissioning Joshua as the new leader to bring Israel into the promised land. This verse reveals God's foreknowledge that despite His faithfulness in giving them a prosperous land, the Israelites will eventually forsake Him, grow complacent, and break their covenant. This prophecy of future unfaithfulness sets the stage for the song Moses is about to write and teach them, which will serve as a witness against them.
God promises an abundant land, but His words carry a somber warning. What happens when blessings become the very things that lead us astray?
Moses is given a stark preview of Israel's future. After God generously brings them into a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of abundance and ease, they won't just forget Him—they'll actively turn to other gods.
The Trap of Contentment
God's covenant with Israel wasn't just a list of rules; it was a sacred promise. What does it mean when one party breaks the agreement?
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The concept of a covenant is central here. God swears to give them the land, a promise He fully intends to keep. However, this promise is tied to their faithfulness.
God's Unfailing Promise, Israel's Failing Faith
Understand the original words
eretz zabat chalab u-debash · Hebrew Noun Phrase
A poetic expression representing a land of immense abundance, fertility, and prosperity, serving as a gracious gift from God to fulfill His promises to the patriarchs.
na'ats · Hebrew Verb
To treat with contempt or lack of reverence, reflecting an arrogant heart that rejects God's authority and sufficiency despite having experienced His blessings.
This passage from Deuteronomy is spoken by Moses just before his death and the Israelites' entry into the Promised Land. It highlights God's foreknowledge of human nature – that even after experiencing His faithfulness and provision, the people are prone to forget Him and break their covenant when faced with prosperity.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
After 400 years of slavery, God delivers the Israelites from Egypt under Moses' leadership, initiating their covenant relationship with Him.
c. 1446-1406 BC
Wandering in the Wilderness
The Israelites wander in the desert for 40 years, during which the Mosaic covenant is established, including the Ten Commandments and the tabernacle.
c. 1406 BC
Moses Appoints Joshua
As Moses nears the end of his life, he is instructed by God to appoint Joshua as his successor to lead Israel into the Promised Land.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Moses Delivers Final Instructions
In his final days, Moses delivers his farewell speeches and imparts God's final instructions, warnings, and a song to the Israelites, reiterating the terms of the covenant.
c. 1406 BC
Death of Moses
Moses dies on Mount Nebo after viewing the Promised Land from a distance, having faithfully led the Israelites for forty years.
c. 1405 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the Promised Land, fulfilling God's promises.
This passage describes a generation that, after the time of Joshua, did not know the Lord or what he had done for Israel, leading them to worship Baal and forsake God, echoing the cycle of blessing and disobedience described in Deuteronomy.
Nehemiah 9:26-28This prayer recounts Israel's history of rebellion after receiving blessings, including turning away from God and breaking His covenant, mirroring the specific warning in Deuteronomy 31:20.
Psalm 106:6-7The Psalmist reflects on the Israelites' disobedience, specifically their pride and turning to idols even after experiencing God's deliverance at the Red Sea, highlighting the persistent human tendency to forget God's past faithfulness.
Jeremiah 2:4-8Jeremiah calls out Israel for their unfaithfulness, reminding them that they turned to worthless idols after God led them out of Egypt and into a good land, a clear parallel to the sin foreseen in Deuteronomy 31:20.
Matthew 13:22Jesus describes the seed sown among thorns as those who hear the word but worry about worldly riches and the desires for other things, choking the word. This resonates with the idea of prosperity leading to spiritual distraction and neglect of God.
calvinDeuteronomy 31:14-30: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation."
- And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Josh…
pooleDeuteronomy 31:20: "For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant."
No text from Poole on this verse.
It's easy to read this verse as simply predicting Israel's future failure. But notice the specific language: "eaten and are full and grown fat." This highlights how prosperity and comfort themselves become the very catalysts for their forgetting God and breaking their covenant.
God is speaking to Moses just before Moses' death, commissioning Joshua as the new leader to bring Israel into the promised land. This verse reveals God's foreknowledge that despite His faithfulness in giving them a prosperous land, the Israelites will eventually forsake Him, grow complacent, and break their covenant. This prophecy of future unfaithfulness sets the stage for the song Moses is about to write and teach them, which will serve as a witness against them.
God is speaking to Moses just before Moses' death, commissioning Joshua as the new leader to bring Israel into the promised land. This verse reveals God's foreknowledge that despite His faithfulness in giving them a prosperous land, the Israelites will eventually forsake Him, grow complacent, and break their covenant. This prophecy of future unfaithfulness sets the stage for the song Moses is about to write and teach them, which will serve as a witness against them.
"For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covena…" — It's easy to read this verse as simply predicting Israel's future failure. But notice the specific language: "eaten and are full and grown fat." This highlights how prosperity and comfort themselves…
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Last reviewed October 2026
