Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

DEUTERONOMY 10:22KJV
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Deuteronomy 10:22 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 10:22 mean?

Deuteronomy 10:22 recalls how the ancestors of the Israelites went down to Egypt as a small group of seventy people, but now God has made their descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. The verse highlights the dramatic growth of the people of Israel, emphasizing God’s faithfulness to them.

Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the land promised to them. He reminds them of their humble beginnings and how God (using the name יְהוָה, Yahweh) has multiplied them greatly, fulfilling earlier promises made to their forefathers. The verse is meant to encourage gratitude and trust in God’s ongoing care.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 10:22

  • יְהוָה (YHWH, Yahweh): This is the personal name for the LORD, used here to stress God’s covenant relationship with Israel, not just a generic deity.
  • שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, heaven): The comparison to “the stars of heaven” is a poetic way to express a vast, uncountable number, echoing earlier promises to Abraham.
  • רָב (rav, multitude): The word for “multitude” emphasizes not just a large number, but a sense of overflowing abundance, reinforcing the idea of God’s generous blessing.

Why Deuteronomy 10:22 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that Israel’s growth was accidental or self-made; it directly credits God’s action for their increase.
  • By referencing the “seventy persons,” Moses connects the current generation to their ancestors, underlining a sense of shared story and identity.
  • The verse ties back to God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, showing that what God pledged generations earlier has come true, which is a key theme in Deuteronomy’s call to remember and trust.

Where else these words appear

“stars” Hebrew H3556 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
  • Nehemiah 4:21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
  • Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

“ten” Hebrew H7657 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
  • Numbers 7:73 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
  • 2 Chronicles 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

“multitude” Hebrew H7230 · used in 149 verses

  • Genesis 16:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
  • 2 Chronicles 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.
  • Proverbs 13:23 Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.