Deuteronomy 4:25
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
Original Language Analysis
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 18
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
תוֹלִ֤יד
When thou shalt beget
H3205
תוֹלִ֤יד
When thou shalt beget
Strong's:
H3205
Word #:
2 of 18
to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
בָנִ֔ים
and children's
H1121
בָנִ֔ים
and children's
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
3 of 18
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
בָנִ֔ים
and children's
H1121
בָנִ֔ים
and children's
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
4 of 18
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
בָנִ֔ים
and children's
H1121
בָנִ֔ים
and children's
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
5 of 18
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
וְנֽוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם
and ye shall have remained long
H3462
וְנֽוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם
and ye shall have remained long
Strong's:
H3462
Word #:
6 of 18
properly, to be slack or languid, i.e., (by implication) sleep (figuratively, to die); also to grow old, stale or inveterate
וְהִשְׁחַתֶּ֗ם
and shall corrupt
H7843
וְהִשְׁחַתֶּ֗ם
and shall corrupt
Strong's:
H7843
Word #:
8 of 18
to decay, i.e., (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)
וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם
of any thing and shall do
H6213
וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם
of any thing and shall do
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
9 of 18
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
תְּמ֣וּנַת
or the likeness
H8544
תְּמ֣וּנַת
or the likeness
Strong's:
H8544
Word #:
11 of 18
something portioned (i.e., fashioned) out, as a shape, i.e., (indefinitely) phantom, or (specifically) embodiment, or (figuratively) manifestation (of
כֹּ֔ל
H3605
כֹּ֔ל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
12 of 18
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם
of any thing and shall do
H6213
וַֽעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם
of any thing and shall do
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
13 of 18
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
בְּעֵינֵ֥י
in the sight
H5869
בְּעֵינֵ֥י
in the sight
Strong's:
H5869
Word #:
15 of 18
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
יְהוָֽה
of the LORD
H3068
יְהוָֽה
of the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
16 of 18
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
Historical Context
Moses prophetically warns about future generations becoming comfortable in Canaan and turning to idolatry. This prophecy proved accurate; during the period of the Judges and later the divided monarchy, Israel repeatedly fell into idolatry, leading eventually to Assyrian exile (722 BC) and Babylonian captivity (586 BC).
Questions for Reflection
- How does prosperity and comfort in your own life create spiritual vulnerability that hardship would not?
- What intentional practices can help ensure that faith is personally embraced rather than merely inherited by the next generation?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land...
Moses prophetically identifies the danger point: not the conquest generation but their comfortable descendants. The Hebrew venoshantem (וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּם, 'remained long' or 'grown old') suggests settled complacency—prosperity breeding spiritual amnesia. First-generation faith often weakens in subsequent generations who inherit blessings without experiencing the struggles that produced them.
The verb vehishkhatem (וְהִשְׁחַתֶּם, 'corrupt yourselves') indicates self-inflicted ruin. Israel's apostasy would not be forced upon them by external enemies but chosen from within. The sequence is telling: comfort leads to corruption, corruption to idolatry (pesel temunat kol, 'graven image, likeness of any thing'), and idolatry to provoking God's anger (lehak'iso, לְהַכְעִיסוֹ).
This pattern—blessing, complacency, apostasy, judgment—recurs throughout Scripture and church history. Each generation must personally embrace covenant faith; inherited religion without personal commitment eventually collapses into cultural nominalism. Moses sees clearly what his people cannot: their greatest spiritual danger lies not in wilderness hardship but in Canaan's prosperity.