The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
DEUTERONOMY 28:36KJVWhat does Deuteronomy 28:36 mean?
Deuteronomy 28:36 warns that the LORD will take both the people of Israel and their chosen king into exile, sending them to a foreign nation unknown to them or their ancestors. In that foreign land, they will be forced to serve other gods made of wood and stone, which are powerless idols.
Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, explaining the consequences of disobeying God's covenant. This verse is part of a larger section listing the curses that will come if the people turn away from the LORD. The mention of being taken with their king highlights a future time when Israel would have a monarchy, and the threat is that both leaders and people will suffer together in exile.
The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 28:36
- LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, emphasizing that these events are not random but come directly from their covenant God.
- bring (יָלַךְ, yalak): This word means "to cause to go" or "to lead away," stressing that the exile is something God actively brings about, not just something that happens by chance.
- serve (עָבַד, avad): This verb means "to serve" or "to worship," and here it refers to being forced to worship foreign gods, showing a reversal of Israel’s calling to serve only the LORD.
- gods (אֱלֹהִים, elohim): This is the general word for "gods," but the context makes clear these are false gods, described as being made of wood (עֵץ, etz) and stone (אֶבֶן, even), highlighting their lifelessness and inability to help.
Why Deuteronomy 28:36 matters
- Deuteronomy 28:36 clarifies that the consequences of breaking the covenant are not just personal but national, affecting both ordinary people and their leaders.
- The verse emphasizes the seriousness of idolatry by describing the humiliating outcome: serving powerless idols in a foreign land, a complete reversal of Israel's intended relationship with the LORD.
- This verse connects to later events in Israel’s history, such as the Babylonian exile, showing that these warnings were not just theoretical but actually came to pass.