And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

DEUTERONOMY 28:62KJV
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Deuteronomy 28:62 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 28:62 mean?

Deuteronomy 28:62 warns that the people of Israel, once as numerous as the stars in the sky, will become very few in number because they did not listen to or obey the voice of the LORD their God. The verse describes a dramatic reversal from abundance to scarcity as a direct result of disobedience.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the land of Canaan. He is explaining the consequences that will come if they turn away from God’s commands. The verse uses the image of the stars of heaven to remind them of God’s earlier promise to make them a great nation, highlighting how their numbers will shrink if they do not remain faithful.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 28:62

  • "left" (שָׁאַר, sha'ar): This word means to remain or be left over. Here, it emphasizes that only a small remnant of the people will survive.
  • "few" (מְעַט, me'at): This word means small or few in number. The contrast with the earlier promise of being as numerous as the stars makes the warning especially stark.
  • "obey" (שָׁמַע, shama'): This word often means to listen or hear, but it also carries the sense of responding or acting on what is heard. The focus is not just on hearing God’s voice, but on responding with faithful action.

Why Deuteronomy 28:62 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the reduction in Israel’s numbers is not random but directly tied to their response to God’s voice, underlining the seriousness of obedience.
  • The contrast between being as many as the stars and then becoming few highlights how blessings and consequences are both connected to the people’s relationship with God.
  • This verse fits into a larger section where Moses lists blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, showing the importance of choice and responsibility in the covenant relationship.

Where else these words appear

“number” Hebrew H4962 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • 1 Chronicles 16:19 When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.
  • Psalms 17:14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

“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.

“few” Hebrew H4592 · used in 92 verses

  • Genesis 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
  • 1 Samuel 14:43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die.
  • Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

“whereas” Hebrew H834 · used in 105 verses

  • Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
  • Genesis 31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
  • Deuteronomy 11:8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;