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Deuteronomy 8:17

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You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.”

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 17

Moses had charged parents in teaching their children to whet the word of God upon them (Deu 6:7) by frequent repetition of the same things over and over again; and here he himself takes the same method of instructing the Israelites as his children, frequently inculcating the same precepts and cautions, with the same motives or arguments to enforce them, that what they heard so often might abide with them. In this chapter Moses gives them, I. General exhortations to obedience (Deu 8:1, Deu 8:6). II. A review of the great things God had done for them in the wilderness, as a good argument for obedience (Deu 8:2-5, Deu 8:15, Deu 8:16). III. A prospect of the good land into which God would now bring them (Deu 8:7-9). IV. A necessary caution against the temptations of a prosperous condition (Deu 8:10-14, and Deu 8:17, Deu 8:18). V. A fair warning of the fatal consequences of apostasy from God (Deu 8:19, Deu 8:20).

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 17

אָמַר (ʼâmar, H559) — to say (used with great latitude) לֵבָב (lêbâb, H3824) — the heart (as the most interior organ); כֹּחַ (kôach, H3581) — vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means,… עֹצֶם (ʻôtsem, H6108) — power; hence, body יָד (yâd, H3027) — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.), עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh, H6213) — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application חַיִל (chayil, H2428) — probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue,…

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Cross-references

Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.

Deuteronomy 9:4rank 12

When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness.

I Corinthians 4:7rank 8

For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Daniel 4:30rank 7

the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

Deuteronomy 7:17rank 5

You may say in your heart, “These nations are greater than we are; how can we drive them out?”

Hosea 12:8rank 5

And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.”

Habakkuk 1:16rank 3

Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet and burns incense to his fishing net, for by these things his portion is sumptuous and his food is rich.

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