Deuteronomy 29:20

"For the Lord will not forgive him (who thinks or speaks in this way); but then will His anger smoke (break forth in fire; vid., (Psa 74:1), and His jealousy against that man, and the whole curse of the law will lie upon him, that his name may be blotted out under heaven (vid., Deu 25:19; Exo 17:14). "The Lord will separate him unto evil from all the tribes, - so that he will be shut out from the covenant nation, and from its salvation, and be exposed to destruction - according to all the curses of the covenant." Although the pronominal suffix refers primarily to the man, it also applies, according to Deu 29:18, to the woman, the family, and the tribe. "That is written," etc., as in Deu 28:58, Deu 28:61.

The first words of this chapter are the contents of it, "These are the words of the covenant" (Deu 29:1), that is, these that follow. Here is, I. A recital of God's dealings with them, in order to the bringing of them into this covenant (Deu 29:2-8). II. A solemn charge to them to keep the covenant (Deu 29:9). III. An abstract of the covenant itself (Deu 29:12, Deu 29:13). IV. A specification of the persons taken into the covenant (Deu 29:10, Deu 29:11, Deu 29:14, Deu 29:15). V. An intimation of the great design of this covenant against idolatry, in a parenthesis (Deu 29:16, Deu 29:17). VI. A most solemn and dreadful denunciation of the wrath of God against such persons as promise themselves peace in a sinful way (Deu 29:18-28). VII. The conclusion of this treaty, with a distinction between things secret and things revealed (Deu 29:29).

29:20 erase their names: To forget the name of a people resulted in eventually forgetting their very existence. The most unspeakable tragedy would be for God to treat the people of Israel as though they had never existed (see 7:24; Exod 32:32-33; 2 Kgs 14:27).