Deuteronomy-Chap-29

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Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“Deuteronomy Chapter 29

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction:
In this chapter, Moses enters the final stage of his leadership by renewing the covenant between the Almighty and the Children of Israel on the plains of Moab. Having already reviewed the laws and the consequences of disobedience, Moses now addresses the entire assembly from leaders to water-carriers, emphasising that this bond is communal, perpetual, and binding upon both those present and all future generations. It serves as a bridge between the Exodus generation and the nation about to cross the Jordan.

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Below are the verses of Deuteronomy Chapter 29, verses 1 to 28: Whilst below the verses are the Explanation’s and more. (The Chapter is from JPS-1917 version of the Torah).

1. And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: ‘Ye have seen all that יְהוָה - the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

Explanation: Verse 1 clarifies that this covenant in Moab is distinct from, yet linked to, the original covenant made at Mount Horeb (not Sinai), serving as a necessary reaffirmation for the new generation.

2. the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs and those great wonders;

Explanation: Verse 2 begins Moses’ historical review, reminding the people that although they witnessed the miracles of Egypt with their own eyes, sight does not always equate to internalisation.

3. but יְהוָה - the LORD hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Explanation: Verse 3 highlights the “great trials” and “signs” that defined the transition from slavery to nationhood.

4. And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

Explanation: Verse 4 observes that, until this very moment, the nation lacked the heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear the full spiritual weight of their journey.

5. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye might know that I am יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloheichem (God).

Explanation: Verse 5 notes the supernatural sustenance provided during the forty years in the wilderness, where clothing and shoes did not wear out, and proving Divine providence.

6. And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them.

Explanation: Verse 6 reminds them they did not eat bread or drink wine, so they would recognise that their existence depended solely on the Word of the Almighty.

7. And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.

Explanation: Verse 7 recounts the recent victories over Sihon and Og, proving that the nation is now physically ready for conquest.

8 Observe therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may make all that ye do to prosper.

Explanation: Verse 8 mentions the distribution of the conquered lands to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh as the first tangible fulfilment of the territorial promise.

9. Ye are standing this day all of you before יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloheichem: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,

Explanation: Verse 9 provides the foundational instruction: keep the words of this covenant so that all actions will result in success and wisdom.

10. your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;

Explanation: Verse 10 describes the assembly’s hierarchy, showing that every soul, heads, tribes, elders, and officers is required for the covenant to be whole.

11. that thou shouldest enter into the covenant of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, and into His oath-which יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha maketh with thee this day;

Explanation: Verse 11 includes the vulnerable and the proselyte (the stranger), emphasizing that the covenant is inclusive of all who attach themselves to the community.

12. that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a people, and that He may be unto thee a אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, as He spoke unto thee, and as He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Explanation: Verse 12 defines the purpose of the gathering: to “enter” into the covenant and the oath which the Almighty is establishing today.

13. Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;

Explanation: Verse 13 reiterates the goal of the relationship, to establish Israel as His people and for Him to be their אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, as promised to the Patriarchs.

14. but with him that standeth here with us this day before יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheynu, and also with him that is not here with us this day

Explanation: Verse 14 makes a crucial legal point: the covenant is not being made with the present assembly alone.

15. for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed;

Explanation: Verse 15 explicitly binds all future generations (“those who are not here with us this day”) to the terms agreed upon in Moab.

16. and ye have seen their detestable things, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them

Explanation: Verse 16 recalls the idolatrous nations the Israelites passed during their travels, serving as a warning against cultural contamination.

17. lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheynu, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

Explanation: Verse 17 mentions the “detestable things” and idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold witnessed among the heathens.

18. and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying: ‘I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart that the watered be swept away with the dry’;

Explanation: Verse 18 warns against the “bitter poison” of an individual or family whose heart turns away from the Almighty to serve other gods.

19יְהוָה - the LORD will not be willing to pardon him, but then the anger of יְהוָה - the LORD and His jealousy shall be kindled against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and יְהוָה - the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven;

Explanation: Verse 19 describes the danger of the self-blessing individual who believes they will have “peace” while following their own stubborn heart, thinking they can escape the communal consequences.

20. and יְהוָה - the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.

Explanation: Verse 20 declares that the Almighty will not forgive such intentional defiance; rather, the curses written in the book will settle upon that individual.

21. And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith יְהוָה - the LORD hath made it sick;

Explanation: Verse 21 states that such a person will be singled out from the tribes of Israel for calamity, according to the terms of the covenant.

22. and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which יְהוָה - the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath;

Explanation: Verse 22 looks to the future, where both the next generation and the foreigner will see the devastation of the land and wonder why it occurred.

23. even all the nations shall say ‘Wherefore hath יְהוָה - the LORD done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger?

Explanation: Verse 23 describes the land’s desolation, brimstone, salt, and burning, likening it to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

24. then men shall say: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of יְהוָה - the LORD, the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt;

Explanation: Verse 24 posits the question asked by the nations of the world: “Why has יְהוָה - the LORD done this to this land?”

25. and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that He had not allotted unto them;

Explanation: Verse 25 provides the answer: it is because they forsook the covenant of the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of their fathers.

26. therefore the anger of יְהוָה - the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book;

Explanation: Verse 26 explains that the breach occurred because they went and served “other gods” whom they had not known.

27. and יְהוָה - the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day’.

Explanation: Verse 27 describes the resulting divine anger that brought all the curses of the Torah upon the land.

28. The secret things belong unto יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD our Eloheynu; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Explanation: Verse 28 concludes the section by describing the exile, how the nation was “uprooted” from their land in anger and cast into another land.

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My Closing Message:
The essence of Deuteronomy 29 is the total accountability of the Hebraic people to the Divine Law. It teaches that the covenant is not a historical relic but a living constitution that transcends time and space. By binding the “absent” generations to those standing at the border, the Torah ensures that the responsibility to uphold the Truth remains an eternal inheritance. It serves as sobering reminders that while the land is a gift; our residence upon it is contingent on our loyalty to the Source of our life!

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Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hostsMal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).

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“The More Torah, the More Life”,

For Elohim is the One who gave us our ... Life!”

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָהthe LORD of hosts, be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and regular בְּרָכָה Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

 

 

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