Deuteronomy 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.

For when I shall have brought {H935} them into the land {H127} which I sware {H7650} unto their fathers {H1}, that floweth {H2100} with milk {H2461} and honey {H1706}; and they shall have eaten {H398} and filled {H7646} themselves, and waxen fat {H1878}; then will they turn {H6437} unto other {H312} gods {H430}, and serve {H5647} them, and provoke {H5006} me, and break {H6565} my covenant {H1285}.

For when I have brought them into the land I swore to their ancestors, flowing with milk and honey; and they have eaten their fill, grown fat and turned to other gods, serving them and despising me, and broken my covenant;

When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant.

For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxed fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

Context

Deuteronomy 31:20 is part of Moses' final discourse to the Israelites before his death and their entry into the Promised Land. In this chapter, God charges Joshua to lead the people and gives Moses a prophetic song (which begins in chapter 32) to teach Israel, serving as a witness against them. This verse specifically highlights God's foreknowledge of Israel's future apostasy. Despite the immense blessings and the fulfillment of God's promises, He knows they will turn away from Him once they are prosperous and settled in the land.

Key Themes

  • God's Foreknowledge and Sovereignty: This verse powerfully demonstrates God's omniscience, revealing His perfect knowledge of future events and human choices, even sinful ones. He knows Israel's tendency towards idolatry before they even enter the land. You can see God's declaration of the end from the beginning in Isaiah 46:10.
  • The Peril of Prosperity: The phrase "eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat" vividly describes a state of abundance and comfort. Ironically, this prosperity, a direct result of God's blessing, is predicted to lead to spiritual complacency and a turning away from the Lord. This is a recurring warning in Deuteronomy, notably in Deuteronomy 8:11-14.
  • Idolatry and Covenant Breaking: The core transgression predicted is the turning to "other gods," directly breaking the covenant made at Sinai, where Israel promised to serve only the Lord (Exodus 19:5). This act of serving false deities is described as provoking God, indicating His righteous anger and grief over their unfaithfulness.
  • The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey: This iconic phrase refers to the promised land of Canaan, symbolizing its fertility and abundance, a land God swore to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This promise is first mentioned in Exodus 3:8.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "waxen fat" (Hebrew: šāman or dāšēn) here carries a dual meaning. While literally referring to physical prosperity and abundance, it also metaphorically signifies spiritual dullness, arrogance, or a hardening of the heart due to comfort and self-sufficiency. It implies a condition where ease leads to forgetting the source of blessing and becoming unresponsive to God's will. The word "provoke" (Hebrew: ka'as) describes causing anger, grief, or indignation, highlighting the emotional impact of Israel's disobedience on God.

Practical Application

Deuteronomy 31:20 serves as a timeless warning for individuals and communities. It reminds us that:

  • Blessings Can Be a Test: Prosperity and comfort, while desirable, can become stumbling blocks if not managed with gratitude and humility. It's easy to forget God when life is good and to attribute success to our own efforts rather than His grace.
  • The Danger of Idolatry Persists: While modern idolatry may not involve physical statues, it can manifest in worshipping wealth, career, comfort, pleasure, or self. Anything that takes priority over God and His will becomes an "other god."
  • Remembering God's Faithfulness: Just as Israel was prone to forget God's mighty acts of deliverance and provision once settled, we too must intentionally remember God's past faithfulness to us to avoid spiritual complacency and unfaithfulness.
  • God's Grace Amidst Human Failure: Even with God's foreknowledge of Israel's future disobedience, He still brings them into the land and continues to work with them throughout history, demonstrating His enduring patience and grace, even when His covenant is broken.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Hosea 13:6

    According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.

  • Deuteronomy 6:10

    And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

  • Deuteronomy 6:12

    [Then] beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

  • Nehemiah 9:25

    And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

  • Nehemiah 9:26

    Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

  • Exodus 3:8

    And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

  • Jeremiah 5:28

    They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
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