Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
Deuteronomy 8:17
What does Deuteronomy 8:17 mean?
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Deuteronomy 8:17
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse isn't just warning against outward boasting; it's revealing a subtle but dangerous internal shift. It highlights how prosperity can make us feel like we're the source of our success, leading us to inwardly claim credit for what God has freely given. This happens even when we don't say it out loud, showing that our hearts can easily forget our dependence on Him.
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
As Israel stands on the brink of entering the promised land, Moses reminds them of their journey and God's faithfulness, cautioning them not to forget Him once they are settled and prosperous. He warns that a comfortable life can breed arrogance, leading them to believe their success is due to their own strength rather than God's provision. This instruction is given to prevent them from falling into self-reliance and pride, which would lead them to neglect God's commands and blessings.
Prosperity can blind us, making us forget the true source of our blessings. This verse is a stark warning against a subtle but dangerous trap.
Moses warns the Israelites, on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, against a dangerous internal thought: 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' This isn't just about outward boasting; it's a deep-seated pride of the heart, a tendency to internalize success and attribute it to our own abilities rather than to God's gracious provision. Even when we don't say it aloud, this 'saying in our heart' can dictate our actions and attitudes, leading us to rely on ourselves instead of the One who sustains us.
This inward delusion is a form of forgetting God. When we believe our own strength is the primary driver of our success, we subtly push God out of the picture. The comfort and abundance that God provides can, ironically, become the very things that lead us to neglect Him if we're not careful.
God's blessings are meant to draw us closer to Him, not push us away. How does prosperity become a test of our humility?
The Israelites were being led into a land of abundance, a stark contrast to the hardships they endured in the wilderness. Moses reminds them that even this 'good land' and the wealth it would bring were not earned through their own merit but were a fulfillment of God's covenant promises.
Prosperity acts as a spiritual test. It can reveal whether we are truly dependent on God or if we have grown self-sufficient. The temptation is to feel entitled to our success, to see it as the natural outcome of our hard work, and thus to become arrogant. However, the Scripture reminds us that all ability, all opportunity, and all increase ultimately come from God. He gives the 'power to get wealth' (Deuteronomy 8:18). Remembering this helps cultivate humility, gratitude, and a deeper reliance on Him, regardless of our circumstances.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
lēbāb · Hebrew Noun
The inward seat of thoughts, will, and emotions; the center of moral decision-making where human arrogance or humility is expressed.
This passage directly echoes Deuteronomy's warning by reminding us that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, reinforcing that true abundance isn't self-generated.
1 Corinthians 4:7This verse challenges our sense of self-sufficiency by asking, 'What do you have that you did not receive?' It pushes us to consider the source of all our abilities and possessions, just as Deuteronomy urges us not to forget God's role in our prosperity.
Hosea 12:8This prophet also confronts a similar pride, stating, 'Ephraim said,
gillDeuteronomy 8:17: "And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth."
And thou say in thine heart,.... These words are in connection with the former part of the Deuteronomy 8:14 , and thou forget the Lord thy God; the author and giver of all the good things enjoyed, and think within themselves, though they might not express it in words at length: my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth; so ascribing that to themselves, their labo…
calvinDeuteronomy 8:11-18: "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:"
- Beware that thou forget not [263] We may easily estimable the necessity of this admonition from the common corruption of human nature, which is even yet only too general and too influential; for scarcely shall we find one person in a hundred in whom satiety does not generate headiness. Moses will hereafter speak in his Song…
The verse isn't just warning against outward boasting; it's revealing a subtle but dangerous internal shift. It highlights how prosperity can make us feel like we're the source of our success, leading us to inwardly claim credit for what God has freely given. This happens even when we don't say it out loud, showing that our hearts can easily forget our dependence on Him.
As Israel stands on the brink of entering the promised land, Moses reminds them of their journey and God's faithfulness, cautioning them not to forget Him once they are settled and prosperous. He warns that a comfortable life can breed arrogance, leading them to believe their success is due to their own strength rather than God's provision. This instruction is given to prevent them from falling into self-reliance and pride, which would lead them to neglect God's commands and blessings.
As Israel stands on the brink of entering the promised land, Moses reminds them of their journey and God's faithfulness, cautioning them not to forget Him once they are settled and prosperous. He warns that a comfortable life can breed arrogance, leading them to believe their success is due to their own strength rather than God's provision. This instruction is given to prevent them from falling into self-reliance and pride, which would lead them to neglect God's commands and blessings.
"Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’" — The verse isn't just warning against outward boasting; it's revealing a subtle but dangerous internal shift. It highlights how prosperity can make us feel like we're the source of our success, lead…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026