Deuteronomy 8:14

KJV

Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

KJV (with Strong's)

Then thine heart {H3824} be lifted up {H7311}, and thou forget {H7911} the LORD {H3068} thy God {H430}, which brought thee forth {H3318} out of the land {H776} of Egypt {H4714}, from the house {H1004} of bondage {H5650};

Complete Jewish Bible

you will become proud-hearted. Forgetting ADONAI your God - who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves;

Berean Standard Bible

then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

American Standard Version

then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget Jehovah thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Deuteronomy 8:14 presents a solemn and prophetic warning from Moses to the Israelites on the verge of entering the Promised Land. It cautions against the profound spiritual dangers of pride and forgetfulness that often arise from material prosperity and comfort. Moses foresees that once the nation enjoys the abundance of Canaan, their hearts might become arrogant, leading them to disregard the Lord their God, who miraculously delivered them from the severe oppression and degradation of Egyptian bondage. This verse encapsulates a timeless admonition to cultivate profound humility and to perpetually remember divine providence, recognizing God as the sole source of all blessings and the very foundation of their national identity and freedom.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Deuteronomy 8:14 is strategically placed within Moses' second major discourse to the new generation of Israelites, spanning [Deuteronomy 5-26](/deuteronomy/5 "Deuteronomy 5-26 - Moses' Second Discourse"). More specifically, it resides in [Deuteronomy 8](/deuteronomy/8 "Deuteronomy 8 - Remember the Lord Your God"), a pivotal chapter dedicated to reminding Israel of God's faithful provision and His testing of them during their forty years in the wilderness. Moses emphasizes that the wilderness experience was not merely a period of hardship but a divine pedagogical tool, designed to humble them and teach them absolute dependence on God, demonstrating that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" ([Deuteronomy 8:3](/deuteronomy/8-3 "Deuteronomy 8:3 - Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone")). This potent warning against pride and forgetfulness serves as a crucial bridge, preparing them for the unprecedented temptations of prosperity in the land "flowing with milk and honey" ([Deuteronomy 6:3](/deuteronomy/6-3 "Deuteronomy 6:3 - A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey")). The chapter culminates in a stark choice between blessing and curse, contingent upon their remembrance and unwavering obedience to God's covenant.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Israelites stood at an epochal transition point, poised to shift from a nomadic, wilderness existence—characterized by direct, daily dependence on miraculous divine provision (manna, water from the rock)—to a settled, agricultural life in the fertile land of Canaan. This new environment, rich in natural resources and agricultural potential, presented unprecedented temptations towards self-sufficiency. Unlike the stark, humbling desert, Canaan offered the illusion of human control over their sustenance, which could easily lead to a diminished sense of reliance on God. Furthermore, the surrounding Canaanite cultures were polytheistic, attributing prosperity to various local deities and fertility gods. Moses' warning directly counters this pagan worldview, urging Israel to remember the singular, sovereign God who delivered them from the most powerful empire of their day, Egypt, and to whom all future blessings would be exclusively owed. The vivid, still-fresh memory of "the house of bondage" was a defining national trauma, intended to forever humble them and root their identity in God's redemptive act.
* **Key Themes:** The verse powerfully articulates several core themes central to the book of Deuteronomy and the broader Old Testament narrative. The primary theme is **the inherent danger of pride and self-sufficiency**, encapsulated in the phrase "thine heart be lifted up." This spiritual arrogance, often a byproduct of prosperity, is portrayed as the root cause of spiritual decline. This leads directly to the second major theme: **spiritual amnesia or forgetfulness of God**. This is not merely a benign lapse of memory but a profound, active disregard for God's covenant, His commands, and His indispensable role as their deliverer and sustainer. Such forgetfulness inevitably leads to apostasy and idolatry, as tragically demonstrated in Israel's later history (e.g., [Judges 2:10-13](/judges/2-10-13 "Judges 2:10-13 - Israel Forgets the Lord and Serves Baals")). Conversely, the verse highlights the critical importance of **remembering God's past acts of deliverance**, especially the foundational Exodus from "the house of bondage." This event, repeatedly referenced throughout Deuteronomy, served as the bedrock of Israel's identity and their unique covenant relationship with Yahweh ([Deuteronomy 6:20-25](/deuteronomy/6-20-25 "Deuteronomy 6:20-25 - Explaining the Statutes to Your Children")). Forgetting this momentous deliverance would be to deny their very history and the divine source of their existence as a free, chosen people.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Heart (Hebrew, _lêbâb'_):** This term refers to the innermost organ, representing the core of one's being, encompassing the mind, will, and emotions. In this context, it signifies the seat of one's thoughts, intentions, and moral disposition. When the heart is "lifted up," it indicates a fundamental shift in one's internal state, leading to an inflated sense of self-importance or arrogance.
* **Lifted up (Hebrew, _rûwm'_):** A primitive root meaning "to be high actively, to rise or raise." When applied to the "heart," it denotes a state of haughtiness, arrogance, or pride. It describes a spiritual posture where one attributes success or blessing to one's own strength, wisdom, or merit, rather than acknowledging divine favor and sovereignty. This pride is a direct affront to God and the covenant relationship.
* **Forget (Hebrew, _shâkach'_):** This verb means "to mislay, i.e., to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention." In a theological sense, it implies a profound neglect, abandonment, or active disregard. To "forget the LORD thy God" means to cease to recognize His authority, His past acts of faithfulness, and His ongoing claim on one's life. It is a profound spiritual disloyalty, leading to a breakdown of the covenant.
* **House of bondage (Hebrew, _bayith ʿebed'_):** This powerful, evocative phrase literally means "house of servitude" or "house of slaves." It vividly emphasizes the severity and totality of Israel's enslavement in Egypt, highlighting the profound nature of their liberation by God's mighty hand. Its inclusion here serves as a potent reminder of their utterly dependent and oppressed state before God's intervention, contrasting sharply with the temptation to self-sufficiency in the Promised Land.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Then thine heart be lifted up":** This opening clause describes the initial spiritual danger—a dangerous shift in the inner disposition. The "heart" (lêbâb), as the core of one's being, when "lifted up" (rûwm), signifies the onset of pride, arrogance, and self-exaltation. This is presented as the primary spiritual disease that prosperity can induce, causing one to mistakenly attribute success to personal merit rather than divine grace.
* **"and thou forget the LORD thy God":** This is the direct and inevitable consequence of a proud heart. The "forgetfulness" (shâkach) is not a passive memory lapse but an active, deliberate turning away—a failure to acknowledge God's covenant, His commands, and His providential care. It implies a conscious disregard for the relationship that defines Israel's very existence, leading to a spiritual amnesia about their identity and their Deliverer.
* **"which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;":** This final clause serves as the ultimate anchor of remembrance and the starkest contrast to the impending danger. It explicitly recalls the foundational event of the Exodus, God's most significant act of redemption for Israel. By reminding them of their former state as abject slaves in Egypt and God's miraculous, powerful deliverance (yâtsâʼ), Moses underscores the immense debt of gratitude and obedience they owe to the Lord (Yᵉhôvâh, ʼĕlôhîym). Forgetting this act would be to deny their very history and the covenant that established them as God's chosen people.

#### Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 8:14 effectively employs several literary devices to convey its urgent warning with profound impact. **Warning** is the overarching rhetorical mode, as Moses directly admonishes the people about a future spiritual pitfall, using a conditional structure ("Then..."). This is underscored by the strong **Contrast** between Israel's past state of abject slavery in the "house of bondage" and their anticipated future prosperity in the Promised Land. This contrast highlights the ironic danger that blessing itself can become a snare. The phrase "thine heart be lifted up" functions as a powerful **Metaphor**, depicting spiritual arrogance as an elevated, haughty internal state, a swollen sense of self-importance. Furthermore, the repeated invocation of God as "which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage" is a potent instance of **Repetition** (a leitmotif throughout Deuteronomy), reinforcing the foundational act of deliverance as the constant, non-negotiable basis for Israel's identity and their covenant relationship with God. The cumulative effect of these devices is to impress upon the listeners the gravity of the warning and the profound, destructive consequences of spiritual forgetfulness.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Deuteronomy 8:14 resonates deeply with broader biblical theology concerning human nature, God's covenant faithfulness, and the perils of prosperity. It reveals the inherent human tendency towards self-sufficiency and pride, especially when blessed, a theme echoed from the fall in [Genesis 3](/genesis/3 "The Fall of Humanity"). God's consistent desire is for His people to remain humble and dependent, recognizing Him as the ultimate source of all good. The warning against forgetting God is a call to covenant fidelity, emphasizing that true blessedness lies not in material abundance itself, but in the unbroken relationship with the Giver of all good things. This passage prophetically foreshadows the recurring cycle of Israel's apostasy throughout their history, where periods of prosperity often led to spiritual decline and idolatry, demonstrating the enduring relevance of Moses' prophetic insight into the human heart.

* [Proverbs 16:18](/proverbs/16-18 "Proverbs 16:18 - Pride Goes Before Destruction")
* [Psalm 106:21](/psalms/106-21 "Psalm 106:21 - They Forgot God Their Savior")
* [Hosea 13:6](/hosea/13-6 "Hosea 13:6 - Forgetting God in Abundance")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Deuteronomy 8:14 serves as a timeless mirror for individuals and nations today. In an age of unprecedented material comfort, technological advancement, and self-actualization narratives, the temptation to become self-reliant and forget the Lord our God is ever-present and insidious. Whether in personal success, financial stability, professional achievement, or even perceived spiritual maturity, there is a subtle but potent danger that our hearts might be "lifted up," leading us to attribute blessings to our own efforts, intelligence, or merit rather than to God's sovereign grace and generous provision. This verse calls us to cultivate a radical humility and a conscious, deliberate practice of remembrance. It challenges us to intentionally recall God's past faithfulness in our lives—His deliverance from spiritual bondage, His miraculous provision in times of desperate need, and His constant, sustaining presence. Such intentional remembrance fosters profound gratitude, guards vigilantly against the corrosive effects of pride, and deepens our dependence on Him, ensuring that prosperity becomes a platform for worship and faithful stewardship rather than a pathway to spiritual amnesia and ultimate ruin.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what specific areas of your life are you most prone to pride or self-reliance when things are going well, and how might this manifest?**
* **How can you intentionally practice remembering God's past faithfulness and provision in your daily life, beyond mere intellectual assent?**
* **What practical and spiritual disciplines can you implement to guard your heart against spiritual forgetfulness and arrogance in times of comfort or abundance?**

### FAQ
**Is prosperity always a spiritual danger?**

Answer: No, prosperity itself is not inherently evil or a spiritual danger. The Bible often portrays wealth and abundance as blessings from God, as seen in the lives of figures like Abraham, Job, and Solomon. However, Deuteronomy 8:14 highlights the profound *temptation* that prosperity brings—the inclination for the human heart to become proud and to forget the true source of its blessings. The danger lies not in the abundance itself, but in the heart's response to it: whether it leads to self-sufficiency, arrogance, and disregard for God, or to deeper gratitude, humility, and faithful stewardship. The warning is against the *attitude* prosperity can foster, not against the blessing itself. As [Proverbs 30:8-9](/proverbs/30-8-9 "Proverbs 30:8-9 - Agur's Prayer for Balance") wisely prays, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God."

**What does it mean to "forget the LORD your God"?**

Answer: In biblical terms, "forgetting" God is far more profound than a simple lapse of memory. It signifies a deliberate and active disregard for God's covenant, His commands, and His very person. It implies a failure to acknowledge Him as the ultimate source of life, blessing, and deliverance. This kind of forgetfulness manifests as disobedience, idolatry, and a reliance on self or other things rather than on God. It is a profound spiritual rebellion, a breaking of the covenant relationship, as tragically exemplified throughout Israel's history in passages like [Jeremiah 2:32](/jeremiah/2-32 "Jeremiah 2:32 - My People Have Forgotten Me") where God laments, "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." This forgetfulness is a deliberate turning away from the relationship that defines one's very existence.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Deuteronomy 8:14 finds its ultimate fulfillment and its profound antidote in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The Israelites were warned against forgetting their physical deliverance from the "house of bondage" in Egypt; believers in Christ are called to remember their spiritual deliverance from the ultimate "house of bondage"—the enslaving power of sin and the dominion of death—achieved through [His atoning sacrifice on the cross](/romans/6-23 "Romans 6:23 - The Wages of Sin and God's Gift"). The "lifted up heart" of human pride, which Moses so urgently warns against, stands in stark and glorious contrast to the profound humility of Christ, who, though [He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant](/philippians/2-6-8 "Philippians 2:6-8 - Christ's Humility and Obedience"). Where Israel was prone to forget the miraculous manna in the wilderness, the true Bread of Life, Jesus, declares, "[I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst](/john/6-35 "John 6:35 - Jesus, the Bread of Life")". Our ultimate dependence is no longer on the transient produce of a physical land, but on Christ Himself, who sustains us spiritually and eternally. The New Covenant, established through [His body broken and blood shed](/1_corinthians/11-24-25 "1 Corinthians 11:24-25 - The Lord's Supper"), provides a new, enduring means of remembrance, centering our gratitude, humility, and unwavering dependence on Him alone. Thus, the ancient warning of Deuteronomy 8:14 compels us to embrace the Christ-centered life, where true prosperity is found not in earthly abundance, but in a humble, dependent, and remembering heart fixed on our Savior and Lord.

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

Psalms 106:21

They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;

1 Corinthians 4:7

¶ For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?

1 Corinthians 4:8

Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

2 Chronicles 26:16

¶ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to [his] destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

Deuteronomy 8:11

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:

2 Chronicles 32:25

But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit [done] unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Deuteronomy 17:20

That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.