Deuteronomy 31:16
New International Version
And the LORD said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.

New Living Translation
The LORD said to Moses, “You are about to die and join your ancestors. After you are gone, these people will begin to worship foreign gods, the gods of the land where they are going. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them.

English Standard Version
And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.

Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

King James Bible
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

New King James Version
And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.

New American Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the prostitute with the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they are going, and they will abandon Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.

NASB 1995
The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.

NASB 1977
And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have cut with them.

Amplified Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down [in death] with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the prostitute (commit apostasy) with the foreign gods [of the people] of the land, where they go to be among them. They will abandon (turn away from) Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon me and break the covenant I have made with them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon commit adultery with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD said: Moses, you will soon die. But Israel is going into a land where other gods are worshiped, and Israel will reject me and start worshiping these gods. The people will break the agreement I made with them,

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD said to Moses, "Soon you are going to lie down in death with your ancestors. When these people enter the land and are living among the foreigners there, they will chase after foreign gods as though they were prostitutes. They will abandon me and reject the promise I made to them.

Good News Translation
The LORD said to Moses, "You will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that I made with them. They will abandon me and worship the pagan gods of the land they are about to enter.

International Standard Version
Then the LORD told Moses, "Look! You are about to join your ancestors. Afterwards, this people will rebel and commit prostitution with the foreign gods of the land that they are about to enter to possess. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I made with them.

Majority Standard Bible
And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

NET Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, "You are about to die, and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they are going. They will reject me and break my covenant that I have made with them.

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said to Moses, "Look, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people will rise up, and commit idolatry with the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

World English Bible
Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to Moses, “Behold, you are lying down with your fathers, and this people has risen and gone whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land, into the midst of which it has entered, and it has forsaken Me and broken My covenant which I made with it;

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Lo, thou art lying down with thy fathers, and this people hath risen, and gone a-whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land into the midst of which it hath entered, and forsaken Me, and broken My covenant which I made with it;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Behold thee lying down with thy fathers, and this people rising up and committing fornication after the gods of the foreigner of the land where he going there in the midst of him, and he forsook me and brake my covenant which I made with him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to Moses: Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people rising up will go a fornicating after strange gods in the land, to which it goeth in to dwell: there will they forsake me, and will make void the covenant, which I have made with them,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers, and this people will rise up and will fornicate after foreign gods, in the land which they will enter so that they may live in it. In that place, they will forsake me, and they will make void the covenant that I have formed with them.

New American Bible
The LORD said to Moses, Soon you will be at rest with your ancestors, and then this people will prostitute themselves by following the foreign gods among whom they will live in the land they are about to enter. They will forsake me and break the covenant which I have made with them.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to Moses, “Soon you will lie down with your ancestors. Then this people will begin to prostitute themselves to the foreign gods in their midst, the gods of the land into which they are going; they will forsake me, breaking my covenant that I have made with them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up and go astray after strange gods of the land where they go to dwell among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to Moshe: “Behold, you are falling asleep with your fathers, and this people rises and goes astray after foreign gods of the land that it enters there among them, and forsakes me and nullifies my covenant that I covenanted with it.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thou art about to sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people will arise and go a whoring after the strange gods of the land, into which they are entering: and they will forsake me, and break my covenant, which I made with them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Commissions Joshua
15Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them. 17On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’…

Cross References
Judges 2:11-13
And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. / Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, / for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

Joshua 23:16
If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He has given you.”

Exodus 32:1
Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”

Judges 2:17
Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.

2 Kings 17:7-18
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel. / The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities. ...

Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Hosea 4:12
My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.

Jeremiah 11:10
They have returned to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey My words. They have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers.

1 Kings 9:6-9
But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, / then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples. / And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ...

Ezekiel 20:27-28
Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by their unfaithfulness against Me. / When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings.

2 Chronicles 7:19-22
But if you turn away and forsake the statutes and commandments I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, / then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. / And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ...

Psalm 106:35-39
but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. / They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. / They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. ...

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Matthew 24:10-12
At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, / and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. / Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. / So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

thou shalt

Genesis 25:8
Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

2 Samuel 7:12
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

Isaiah 57:2
He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

Job 20:11
His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.

and go a

Exodus 32:6
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

Exodus 34:15
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

Leviticus 20:3-6
And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name…

forsake me

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Judges 2:12
And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

Judges 10:6,13
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him…

break me

Leviticus 26:15
And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:

Judges 2:20
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

Jeremiah 31:32
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

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Deuteronomy 31
1. Moses encourages the people
7. He encourages Joshua
9. He delivers the law unto the priests to be read in the seventh year
14. God gives a charge to Joshua
19. and a song to testify against the people
24. Moses delivers the book of the law to the Levites to keep
28. He makes a protestation














And the LORD said to Moses
This phrase signifies a direct communication from God to Moses, highlighting the unique relationship Moses had with God as a prophet and leader. The Hebrew word for "LORD" is "YHWH," the sacred name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This divine communication underscores the authority and authenticity of the message being delivered.

You are about to rest with your fathers
The phrase "rest with your fathers" is a euphemism for death, indicating that Moses' life is coming to an end. In Hebrew culture, this expression reflects the belief in joining one's ancestors in Sheol, the abode of the dead. It conveys a sense of continuity and peace, suggesting that Moses' mission is complete and he will be gathered to his people.

and these people will rise up
The phrase "rise up" indicates a future action of rebellion or apostasy. In the Hebrew context, it suggests a deliberate and conscious decision to act against God's commandments. This forewarning serves as a prophetic insight into the future behavior of the Israelites, highlighting the challenges they will face in maintaining their covenant with God.

and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods
The term "prostitute" is a metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness, drawing from the Hebrew word "zanah," which means to commit fornication or idolatry. This vivid imagery illustrates the severity of Israel's impending idolatry, equating it to marital infidelity. The "foreign gods" refer to the deities of the Canaanites, whose worship practices were abominable to the Israelites' covenantal relationship with YHWH.

of the land they are entering
This phrase refers to the Promised Land, Canaan, which the Israelites are about to enter. The land is not just a geographical location but a place filled with spiritual and cultural challenges. The Canaanite influence poses a significant threat to the Israelites' faithfulness to God, as they are called to be a distinct and holy people.

They will forsake Me
To "forsake" means to abandon or leave behind, derived from the Hebrew word "azab." This indicates a willful departure from God, highlighting the gravity of Israel's future disobedience. It serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from the divine relationship established through the covenant.

and break the covenant I made with them
The "covenant" refers to the solemn agreement between God and Israel, established at Sinai. The Hebrew word "berith" signifies a binding contract, emphasizing the seriousness of Israel's commitment to God. Breaking this covenant is not merely a legal infraction but a profound spiritual betrayal, with significant repercussions for the nation.

(16, 19) Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers . . . now therefore write ye this song.--This prophecy that the children of Israel would forsake Jehovah and break His covenant is not a little remarkable, when we consider His dealings with them as a nation. It is one of the many proofs in Holy Scripture that our Creator is not like the man in our Lord's parable, who "intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it." When He chose Israel to be His people, He knew the risk of doing so, and He provided for it beforehand. Not less when He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," did He provide the means of forming in us the Divine character by all that Christ has done. The fall is recorded in the third chapter of Genesis. Redemption and restoration are exhibited in type and symbol in the second chapter. God brought Israel into Canaan in full foreknowledge of what the people would become when there.

(16) And break my covenant.--With this, contrast Judges 2:1 : "I said, I will never break my covenant with you." The phrases are identical in Hebrew. Comp. 2Timothy 2:13 : "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself."

Verse 16. - Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 13:3; Psalm 76:5; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 27:52; John 11:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). "The death of men, both good and bad, is often called a sleep, because they shall certainly awake out of it by resurrection" (Peele). Go a whoring (cf. Exodus 34:15; Judges 2:17) after the gods of the strangers of the land; literally, after gods of strangeness of the land; i.e. after gods foreign to the land, as opposed to Jehovah, the alone proper God of the land he had given to them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Moses,
מֹשֶׁ֔ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

“You will soon
הִנְּךָ֥ (hin·nə·ḵā)
Interjection | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

rest
שֹׁכֵ֖ב (šō·ḵêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

with
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

your fathers,
אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ (’ă·ḇō·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

and these
הַזֶּ֜ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

people
הָעָ֨ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

will rise up
וְקָם֩ (wə·qām)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

and prostitute themselves
וְזָנָ֣ה ׀ (wə·zā·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

with
אַחֲרֵ֣י ׀ (’a·ḥă·rê)
Preposition
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

the foreign
נֵֽכַר־ (nê·ḵar-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5236: That which is foreign, foreignness

gods
אֱלֹהֵ֣י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of the land
הָאָ֗רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

they
ה֤וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

are entering.
בָא־ (ḇā-)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

They will forsake
וַעֲזָבַ֕נִי (wa·‘ă·zā·ḇa·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

Me and break
וְהֵפֵר֙ (wə·hê·p̄êr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6565: To break up, to violate, frustrate

the covenant
בְּרִיתִ֔י (bə·rî·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant

I have made
כָּרַ֖תִּי (kā·rat·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

with them.
אִתּֽוֹ׃ (’it·tōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 31:16 Yahweh said to Moses Behold you shall (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 31:15
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