And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

DEUTERONOMY 4:27KJV
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Deuteronomy 4:27 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 4:27 mean?

Deuteronomy 4:27 means that God warns the Israelites they will be scattered among many nations and become few in number if they turn away from Him. This verse tells them that, as a consequence of disobedience, they will live among foreign peoples where God leads them, instead of remaining together in their own land.

In this passage, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the land promised to them. He is reminding them of the importance of faithfulness to God and warning them about the consequences of abandoning their covenant. The verse highlights the seriousness of turning away from God, showing that exile and being outnumbered among other nations would be a direct result of their choices.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 4:27

  • The word for "scatter" (פָּזַר, pazar) means to disperse or spread out. This emphasizes the idea that the Israelites would not just move but be forcefully separated and spread thin among many different peoples.
  • The word for "nations" and "heathen" (גּוֹי, goy; עַם, am) both refer to non-Israelite peoples. The repetition underlines that the Israelites would be living among those who do not share their faith or customs.
  • The word for "few" (מְתֵי, metei) and "number" (מִסְפָּר, mispar) together stress that only a small remnant of Israelites would remain, highlighting the severity of the scattering.

Why Deuteronomy 4:27 matters

  • This verse clarifies that exile was not just a random event but a direct result of Israel's actions, reinforcing the connection between covenant faithfulness and life in the land.
  • The warning about being "few in number" among the nations is a sobering reminder of how disobedience could lead to vulnerability and loss of identity.
  • Deuteronomy 4:27 sets up the larger theme of exile and return found throughout the Bible, showing that even in warning, God remains involved in the fate of His people.

Where else these words appear

“few” 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.

“lead” Hebrew H5090 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 31:18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
  • 2 Samuel 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
  • Psalms 80:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

“scatter” Hebrew H6327 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  • Job 37:11 Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:
  • Ezekiel 12:15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

“left” Hebrew H7604 · used in 123 verses

  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Joshua 13:2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
  • Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.