And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,

DEUTERONOMY 11:2KJV
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Deuteronomy 11:2 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 11:2 mean?

Deuteronomy 11:2 urges the people listening—those who personally witnessed God's actions in Egypt and the wilderness—to remember and understand what they saw and experienced of God's discipline, power, and greatness. Moses is speaking directly to the adult Israelites who lived through these events, not to their children who did not see them firsthand.

Moses is reminding the generation that left Egypt about their unique responsibility, since they actually saw God's "chastisement" (discipline), His "greatness," His "mighty hand," and His "stretched out arm." This sets the stage for why they must obey God's commands: they have direct knowledge of God's power and care, unlike their children who only know these things by report.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 11:2

  • "know" (יָדַע, yada‘): This word means more than just intellectual knowledge; it often includes personal experience or recognition. Moses is calling for an active, thoughtful remembering.
  • "chastisement" (מוּסָר, musar): This word refers to discipline, correction, or instruction, not just punishment. It highlights that God's actions were meant to teach and shape the people, not simply to punish them.
  • "greatness" (גֹּדֶל, godel): This word points to God's majesty and overwhelming power. Moses wants the people to recall the awe-inspiring scale of what God did.
  • "mighty" (חָזָק, chazaq): Used here to describe God's "hand," this word emphasizes strength and force, underlining the power behind God's actions.

Why Deuteronomy 11:2 matters

  • Deuteronomy 11:2 clarifies that Moses is addressing those with firsthand experience, not the next generation, which helps explain the urgency and weight of his instructions.
  • The verse highlights that God's discipline was meant as instruction, not just punishment, showing a teaching relationship between God and His people.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme in Deuteronomy of remembering and passing on the story of God's deeds, setting up the importance of teaching future generations who did not witness these events themselves.

Where else these words appear

“greatness” Hebrew H1433 · used in 13 verses

  • Numbers 14:19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
  • Deuteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
  • Isaiah 10:12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

“chastisement” Hebrew H4148 · used in 50 verses

  • Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
  • Proverbs 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
  • Proverbs 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

“mighty” Hebrew H2389 · used in 54 verses

  • Exodus 3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
  • Deuteronomy 34:12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.
  • Isaiah 27:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

“arm” Hebrew H2220 · used in 84 verses

  • Genesis 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
  • Job 40:9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
  • Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.