Deuteronomy 8:17-18
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The verse warns against saying in your heart that "my power and the might of my hand" got you wealth. This isn't just about avoiding outright boasting; it highlights the subtle danger of feeling like you're the sole architect of your success, even if you don't say it aloud. It's a reminder that true prosperity isn't just earned, but given, and we must guard against letting our achievements blind us to God's hand.
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After reminding Israel of God’s faithfulness in leading them through the wilderness, Moses warns them that prosperity can easily lead to pride and forgetfulness of God. He urges them not to attribute their future success and wealth in the promised land to their own strength or skill, but to remember that it is God who grants them the ability to gain wealth and fulfills His covenant promises.
When life gets good, it's easy to forget who the real source is. This verse warns against a subtle but dangerous internal shift.
Moses isn't just talking about a spoken boast. He's warning against the internal conviction, the 'saying in your heart,' that your success is solely due to your own abilities.
The Subtle Shift
God gave Israel a promised land flowing with milk and honey. But with that blessing came a critical test: remembering the One who made it all possible.
This warning is given within the context of God bringing Israel into a land of abundance, a stark contrast to their difficult journey through the wilderness.
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The Wilderness Lessons
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.
berît · Hebrew Noun
A binding, solemn agreement between God and His people, characterized by divine promise and the requirement of faithful obedience.
This proverb directly contrasts the idea of wealth being earned by human might with the truth that true prosperity comes as a blessing from God, reinforcing the warning in Deuteronomy.
1 Corinthians 4:7Paul's rhetorical question, 'What do you have that you did not receive?', echoes the core message of Deuteronomy 8, challenging human pride and reminding believers that all their gifts and abilities originate from God.
James 1:17This passage highlights that every good thing, including the ability to achieve success, originates from God, directly countering the temptation to claim credit for one's own accomplishments as warned against in Deuteronomy.
Hosea 12:8This verse shows a similar prophetic warning to Israel, accusing them of boasting about their wealth and attributing it to their own efforts rather than acknowledging God's provision, mirroring the sin Deuteronomy warns against.
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 warns against saying in your heart that "my power and the might of my hand" got you wealth. This isn't just about avoiding outright boasting; it highlights the subtle danger of feeling like you're the sole architect of your success, even if you don't say it aloud. It's a reminder that true prosperity isn't just earned, but given, and we must guard against letting our achievements blind us to God's hand.
After reminding Israel of God’s faithfulness in leading them through the wilderness, Moses warns them that prosperity can easily lead to pride and forgetfulness of God. He urges them not to attribute their future success and wealth in the promised land to their own strength or skill, but to remember that it is God who grants them the ability to gain wealth and fulfills His covenant promises.
After reminding Israel of God’s faithfulness in leading them through the wilderness, Moses warns them that prosperity can easily lead to pride and forgetfulness of God. He urges them not to attribute their future success and wealth in the promised land to their own strength or skill, but to remember that it is God who grants them the ability to gain wealth and fulfills His covenant promises.
"Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your…" — The verse warns against saying in your heart that "my power and the might of my hand" got you wealth. This isn't just about avoiding outright boasting; it highlights the subtle danger of feeling li…
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Last reviewed October 2026
