Deuteronomy 31:20

KJV

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.

KJV (with Strong's)

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}.

Complete Jewish Bible

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;

Berean Standard Bible

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.

American Standard Version

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.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Deuteronomy 31:20 presents God's poignant prophecy to Moses, foretelling Israel's future apostasy. Despite being faithfully brought into the Promised Land—a region of abundant blessing described as flowing with milk and honey—and experiencing the fullness of God's provision and prosperity, the people are foreknown to become complacent, turn to idolatry, serve other gods, provoke the Lord, and ultimately break the sacred covenant He established with them. This verse profoundly underscores God's omniscience, highlights the inherent spiritual perils of prosperity, and reveals the persistent human tendency towards unfaithfulness.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Deuteronomy 31 serves as a pivotal chapter in Moses' final discourse before his death and Israel's imminent entry into Canaan. Following the renewal of the covenant and the detailed recitation of blessings and curses in chapters 28-30, Moses prepares the nation for the transition of leadership to Joshua. This verse is embedded within God's direct instruction to Moses to write down a song (which appears in [Deuteronomy 32](/deuteronomy/32 "Deuteronomy 32 - The Song of Moses")) that will serve as an enduring witness against Israel in future generations, explicitly anticipating their future rebellion. The immediate preceding verses, [Deuteronomy 31:16-19](/deuteronomy/31-16-19 "Deuteronomy 31:16-19 - God's Prophecy of Israel's Apostasy and the Song of Witness"), detail God's declaration that Israel will "play the harlot after the gods of the strangers of the land" and forsake Him, leading to His anger and the hiding of His face. Verse 20 specifically elaborates on the precise circumstances under which this apostasy will occur: after they have enjoyed the land's bounty and grown prosperous.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Israelites stand on the precipice of entering Canaan, a land dramatically different from the wilderness they have traversed for forty years. Canaan was renowned for its agricultural fertility and was inhabited by various peoples (Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, etc.) who practiced polytheistic religions, often involving fertility cults, ritual prostitution, and even child sacrifice. The iconic phrase "land flowing with milk and honey" was a common descriptor of agricultural richness and natural abundance, promising a life of ease and prosperity far beyond their nomadic existence. Culturally, the temptation to adopt the religious practices of the surrounding nations, particularly those tied to agricultural success (like Baal worship), was a constant and potent threat, as these practices seemed to promise direct control over prosperity. This verse reflects God's profound awareness of this impending cultural assimilation and spiritual compromise, a danger that would plague Israel throughout its history.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Deuteronomy and the broader Pentateuch. It highlights God's **foreknowledge and sovereignty**, demonstrating His perfect understanding of future human choices, even sinful ones, as seen in [Isaiah 46:10](/isaiah/46-10 "Isaiah 46:10 - God Declares the End from the Beginning"). It also underscores the **peril of prosperity**, warning that abundance—a direct blessing from God—can ironically lead to spiritual complacency, self-sufficiency, and a turning away from the Lord. This theme is powerfully reiterated throughout Deuteronomy, particularly in [Deuteronomy 8:11-14](/deuteronomy/8-11-14 "Deuteronomy 8:11-14 - Warning Against Forgetting God in Prosperity"). Furthermore, it emphasizes the gravity of **idolatry and covenant breaking**, revealing that turning to "other gods" directly violates the exclusive covenant relationship established at Sinai, where Israel vowed to serve only Yahweh, as outlined in [Exodus 19:5](/exodus/19-5 "Exodus 19:5 - The Sinai Covenant"). The act of "provoking" God speaks to His righteous jealousy and profound grief over their unfaithfulness.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Waxen fat (Hebrew, _dâshên'_):** This verb (H1878) literally means "to be fat" or "to grow fat," indicating a state of physical abundance and satiety that Israel will experience in the Promised Land. However, in this context, it carries a profound metaphorical connotation, implying spiritual dullness, arrogance, or a hardening of the heart that often accompanies comfort and self-sufficiency. It suggests a state where ease leads to forgetting the source of blessing and becoming unresponsive to God's will, often culminating in rebellion, as vividly portrayed in [Deuteronomy 32:15](/deuteronomy/32-15 "Deuteronomy 32:15 - Jeshurun Grew Fat and Kicked").
* **Provoke (Hebrew, _nâʼats'_):** This verb (H5006) signifies "to scorn," "to abhor," "to contemn," or "to despise." When used in relation to God, it describes the righteous indignation, sorrow, and jealousy He experiences due to Israel's unfaithfulness and idolatry. It highlights the deeply personal nature of God's covenant relationship with His people and the profound impact their disobedience has on Him, not merely as a violation of law, but as a betrayal of trust and love, an act of contempt against His holy character.
* **Covenant (Hebrew, _bᵉrîyth'_):** This noun (H1285) refers to a "compact" or "league," conceptually linked to the ancient practice of "cutting" a covenant, often by passing between pieces of flesh. It denotes a solemn, binding agreement established between God and Israel, specifically the Mosaic Covenant. Its breach signifies a profound rupture of this sacred relationship, implying a willful disregard for the terms and obligations that Israel solemnly agreed to at Sinai, leading to severe consequences.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey;":** This initial clause establishes the divine faithfulness and the fulfillment of God's ancient promises. It reiterates the Lord's unwavering commitment to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, specifically concerning the inheritance of a fertile and prosperous land. The phrase "floweth with milk and honey" is an iconic, vivid symbol of the land's extraordinary abundance, emphasizing the richness and generosity of God's provision.
* **"and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat;":** This segment describes the direct consequence of Israel's settlement and prosperity in the promised land. "Eaten and filled themselves" signifies complete satisfaction and material prosperity, indicating that their physical needs will be abundantly met. The subsequent phrase, "waxen fat," extends this idea beyond mere physical well-being, carrying the ominous undertone of spiritual complacency, self-sufficiency, and a hardening of the heart that often accompanies prolonged ease and abundance.
* **"then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.":** This is the core prophetic warning, directly linking prosperity to apostasy. The temporal indicator "then" creates a cause-and-effect relationship, highlighting that their material blessings will ironically precede their spiritual downfall. "Turn unto other gods, and serve them" describes the act of idolatry, a direct violation of the first commandment and the very essence of the Sinai covenant. This act is not merely a deviation but an intentional rejection of Yahweh. Their idolatry is then explicitly stated to "provoke me," indicating God's righteous anger and profound grief, and to "break my covenant," signifying the dissolution of the sacred, binding agreement established between God and Israel, with all its dire consequences.

#### Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 31:20 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound and sobering message. The most prominent is **Prophecy** or **Foreshadowing**, as God explicitly declares Israel's future apostasy before they even enter the land. This divine foreknowledge underscores God's sovereignty and the certainty of His word concerning human behavior. There is also a strong element of **Irony** inherent in the verse: the very blessings of prosperity and abundance, which are direct gifts from God, are predicted to become the catalysts for Israel's turning away from Him. The phrase "waxen fat" functions as a potent **Metaphor**, extending beyond mere physical satiety to represent spiritual dullness, arrogance, and a hardening of the heart that often accompanies comfort. The description of the land as "flowing with milk and honey" is a well-known **Idiom** or **Symbol**, vividly representing fertility, divine blessing, and an ideal state of provision. Finally, the statement that Israel will "provoke me" is a clear instance of **Anthropomorphism**, attributing human emotions (anger, grief, a sense of being offended) to God, thereby emphasizing the deeply personal and relational nature of His covenant with His people and the profound offense their unfaithfulness causes Him.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Deuteronomy 31:20 is a profound theological statement on God's foreknowledge, the complexities of human nature, and the dynamics of covenant relationship. It reveals that God, in His omniscience, perfectly knows the future choices of His people, even their failures and rebellions, yet He still acts in unwavering faithfulness to His promises, bringing them into the land of blessing. This divine foreknowledge does not negate human responsibility; rather, it highlights the persistent human tendency towards spiritual amnesia, complacency, and idolatry, especially in times of ease and prosperity. The verse serves as a sober reminder that blessings, if not received with humility, gratitude, and a vigilant heart, can ironically become stumbling blocks, leading to a forgetfulness of God and a turning to "other gods"—whether literal idols or modern substitutes like wealth, comfort, self-reliance, or worldly success. It underscores the sanctity of the covenant and the gravity of its breach, revealing God's righteous anger but also His deep emotional investment in His relationship with Israel, viewing their unfaithfulness as a personal affront.

* [Isaiah 46:10](/isaiah/46-10 "God Declares the End from the Beginning")
* [Hosea 13:6](/hosea/13-6 "Israel's Forgetting God in Prosperity")
* [Jeremiah 2:13](/jeremiah/2-13 "Israel Forsakes the Fountain of Living Waters")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Deuteronomy 31:20 offers timeless warnings and profound insights for believers today, challenging us to examine our own hearts in times of prosperity and comfort. It reveals that spiritual complacency can be a subtle yet potent enemy, often emerging not in scarcity, but in abundance. When life is comfortable, needs are met, and blessings abound, it is remarkably easy to forget the divine source of our provision and to subtly shift our allegiance from God to the gifts He provides, or even to our own perceived self-sufficiency. This verse powerfully reminds us that true security, lasting satisfaction, and enduring faithfulness are found not in material abundance, but in an unwavering, dependent relationship with the Lord. It calls us to cultivate a posture of constant gratitude, humility, and spiritual vigilance, ensuring that our hearts remain fixed on God and that no "other god"—be it wealth, career, pleasure, personal achievement, or self-reliance—usurps His rightful, supreme place in our lives. The enduring temptation to idolatry, though perhaps manifested differently in a modern context, remains a real and present danger, urging us to continually evaluate what truly holds the highest affection and priority in our lives.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How might prosperity in my own life subtly lead to spiritual complacency or a turning away from God?**
* **What "other gods" might I be tempted to serve in my modern context, and how can I guard against them?**
* **In what ways can I intentionally cultivate gratitude and remembrance of God's faithfulness, especially when life is comfortable?**
* **How does God's foreknowledge of Israel's failure, yet His continued faithfulness, inform my understanding of His character and grace?**

### FAQ
**Does God's foreknowledge of Israel's sin mean they weren't truly free to choose?**

Answer: God's foreknowledge, as powerfully demonstrated in [Deuteronomy 31:20](/deuteronomy/31-20 "Deuteronomy 31:20 - God's Prophecy of Israel's Apostasy"), means He perfectly knows what will happen, but it does not negate human free will or responsibility. The Bible consistently presents humans as moral agents capable of making genuine choices, for which they are held accountable. God's omniscience means He knows the choices Israel *will* make, not that He *causes* them to make those choices. His declaration here is a prophetic warning, intended to underscore the seriousness of their future actions and to provide an enduring witness (the song of Moses) that will remind them of their covenant obligations. It highlights His perfect understanding of human nature and the temptations that prosperity brings, rather than predestining their sin. For a deeper understanding of human responsibility alongside God's sovereignty, consider the theological discussions in [Romans 9:19-21](/romans/9-19-21 "Romans 9:19-21 - God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility").

**What does "waxen fat" mean in a spiritual sense?**

Answer: While "waxen fat" literally refers to physical well-being and abundance, in a spiritual sense, particularly within the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, it metaphorically describes a state of spiritual dullness, arrogance, and self-sufficiency that often accompanies material prosperity. It implies that when people are comfortable and their needs are abundantly met, they can become complacent, forget their dependence on God, and grow unresponsive to His commands or warnings. This spiritual "fatness" leads to a hardening of the heart, making one less inclined to seek God or acknowledge Him as the true source of blessing, ultimately leading to apostasy and rebellion, as powerfully illustrated in [Deuteronomy 32:15](/deuteronomy/32-15 "Deuteronomy 32:15 - Jeshurun Grew Fat and Kicked").

**How does this verse relate to the concept of covenant in the Old Testament?**

Answer: [Deuteronomy 31:20](/deuteronomy/31-20 "Deuteronomy 31:20 - God's Prophecy of Israel's Apostasy") is deeply rooted in Old Testament covenant theology. The Mosaic Covenant, established at Sinai (e.g., [Exodus 19](/exodus/19 "Exodus 19 - The Sinai Covenant")), was a conditional agreement where God promised blessings for obedience and stipulated curses for disobedience. This verse explicitly states that Israel's future actions—turning to other gods and provoking God—constitute a "breaking of my covenant." This highlights the reciprocal nature of the covenant: God is faithful to bring them into the promised land, but their unfaithfulness in turn violates their solemn obligations. The consequence of breaking the covenant was typically divine judgment and the withdrawal of blessings, though God's long-suffering mercy often provided opportunities for repentance and restoration. The entire book of Deuteronomy serves as a profound reminder of these covenant stipulations and the dire consequences of their breach.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Deuteronomy 31:20, with its stark prophecy of Israel's unfaithfulness despite God's abundant blessings, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in a direct prophecy of Jesus, but in its profound revelation of humanity's deep-seated sinfulness and the absolute necessity of a new covenant. Israel's consistent failure to uphold the Old Covenant, even in prosperity, underscores humanity's pervasive inability to perfectly obey God and remain faithful. This persistent unfaithfulness, repeatedly highlighted throughout Israel's history, points inexorably to the need for a divine intervention that would address the root problem of the human heart. Jesus Christ is the faithful Israelite, the one who perfectly obeyed God, even unto death on the cross, thereby fulfilling the covenant requirements that Israel continually broke (e.g., [Philippians 2:8](/philippians/2-8 "Philippians 2:8 - Christ's Obedience Unto Death")). Furthermore, Christ inaugurates the New Covenant, a covenant "not like the covenant that I made with their fathers" ([Jeremiah 31:31-34](/jeremiah/31-31-34 "Jeremiah 31:31-34 - The New Covenant")), where God's law is written not on stone tablets but on hearts, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This new covenant, established through Christ's shed blood ([Luke 22:20](/luke/22-20 "Luke 22:20 - The New Covenant in My Blood")), provides the grace and power for believers to truly walk in faithfulness, addressing the very propensity to "turn unto other gods" that plagued Old Testament Israel. Thus, this verse ultimately magnifies the boundless grace of God in Christ, who provides the ultimate solution to humanity's covenant-breaking nature, enabling a true, lasting, and Spirit-empowered relationship with God.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

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.