Deuteronomy 32:18
New International Version
You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

New Living Translation
You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth.

English Standard Version
You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Berean Standard Bible
You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

King James Bible
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

New King James Version
Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.

New American Standard Bible
“You forgot the Rock who fathered you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.

NASB 1995
“You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.

NASB 1977
“You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.

Legacy Standard Bible
You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who brought you forth.

Amplified Bible
“You were unmindful of the Rock who bore you, And you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Christian Standard Bible
You ignored the Rock who gave you birth; you forgot the God who gave birth to you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You ignored the Rock who gave you birth; you forgot the God who gave birth to you.

American Standard Version
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.

Contemporary English Version
You turned away from God, your Creator; you forgot the Mighty Rock, the source of your life.

English Revised Version
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
(You ignored the rock who fathered you and forgot the God who gave you life.)

Good News Translation
They forgot their God, their mighty savior, the one who had given them life.

International Standard Version
You neglected the Rock that fathered you; you abandoned God, who was awaiting your birth.

Majority Standard Bible
You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

NET Bible
You have forgotten the Rock who fathered you, and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.

New Heart English Bible
the Rock who fathered you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.

Webster's Bible Translation
Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

World English Bible
Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You forget the Rock that begot you, "" And neglect God who forms you.

Young's Literal Translation
The Rock that begat thee thou forgettest, And neglectest God who formeth thee.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou wilt forsake the Rock begetting thee, And thou wilt forget God setting thee free.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou hast forsaken the God that beget thee, and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You have forsaken the God who conceived you, and you have forgotten the Lord who created you.

New American Bible
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, you forgot the God who gave you birth.

New Revised Standard Version
You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But you forsook the Mighty One who bore you, and you forgot the God who made you glorious.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You have neglected The Mighty One who begot you, and you have forgotten God who glorified you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Of the Rock that begot thee thou wast unmindful, And didst forget God that bore thee.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou hast forsaken God that begot thee, and forgotten God who feeds thee.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Song of Moses
17They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear. 18You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth. 19When the LORD saw this, He rejected them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.…

Cross References
Isaiah 17:10
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—

Psalm 106:21
They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,

Jeremiah 2:32
Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.

Hosea 8:14
Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has multiplied its fortified cities. But I will send fire upon their cities, and it will consume their citadels.

Isaiah 51:13
But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You live in terror all day long because of the fury of the oppressor who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury of the oppressor?

Psalm 78:40-42
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! / Again and again they tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel. / They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

Jeremiah 3:21
A voice is heard on the barren heights, the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, because they have perverted their ways and forgotten the LORD their God.

Isaiah 1:2-4
Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me. / The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.” / 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.

Hosea 13:6
When they had pasture, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, their hearts became proud, and as a result they forgot Me.

Ezekiel 23:35
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’”

1 Corinthians 10:9-11
We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. / And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. / Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Romans 1:21
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.

Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.

2 Peter 1:9
But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Revelation 2:4-5
But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. / Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.


Treasury of Scripture

Of the Rock that begat you you are unmindful, and have forgotten God that formed you.

the Rock

Deuteronomy 32:4,15
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he…

Isaiah 17:10
Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

forgotten

Deuteronomy 6:12
Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Deuteronomy 8:11,14,19
Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: …

Psalm 9:17
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

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Begat Begot Birth Bore Deserted Memory Neglected Rock Thought Unmindful Wast
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Begat Begot Birth Bore Deserted Memory Neglected Rock Thought Unmindful Wast
Deuteronomy 32
1. Moses' song, which sets forth God's mercy and vengeance
46. He exhorts them to set their hearts upon it
48. God sends him up to mount Nebo to see the land, and to die














You ignored
The Hebrew root for "ignored" is "שָׁיָה" (shayah), which implies neglect or forgetfulness. In the context of Deuteronomy, this word underscores a willful neglect rather than mere oversight. The Israelites, having experienced God's mighty works, chose to turn away from Him. This serves as a cautionary reminder of the human tendency to become complacent in faith, especially when surrounded by prosperity or other distractions.

the Rock
The term "Rock" is translated from the Hebrew word "צוּר" (tsur), symbolizing strength, stability, and reliability. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a rock was a common metaphor for a deity's enduring nature. Here, it emphasizes God's unchanging and protective nature. The imagery of God as a rock is prevalent throughout the Old Testament, highlighting His role as a steadfast protector and foundation for His people.

who brought you forth
This phrase is derived from the Hebrew "יָלַד" (yalad), meaning to give birth or bring forth. It evokes the imagery of God as a parent, intimately involved in the creation and nurturing of His people. This parental metaphor underscores the deep relationship between God and Israel, reminding them of their origins and the divine care that has sustained them.

you forgot
The Hebrew word "שָׁכַח" (shakach) means to forget or to cease to care. This forgetting is not merely a lapse in memory but a deliberate turning away from God. It reflects a spiritual amnesia that leads to idolatry and disobedience. The warning here is clear: forgetting God leads to a loss of identity and purpose.

the God
The term "God" here is "אֱלֹהִים" (Elohim), a plural form often used to denote the majesty and power of the one true God. This name for God emphasizes His supreme authority and the covenant relationship He established with Israel. It serves as a reminder of His sovereignty and the reverence due to Him.

who gave you birth
This phrase is a continuation of the parental imagery, with "gave you birth" translating from the Hebrew "חוּל" (chul), which can mean to bring forth or to labor. It conveys the idea of God as the life-giver, actively involved in the creation and sustenance of His people. This metaphor of birth highlights the intimate and life-giving relationship between God and Israel, calling them to remember their divine origin and purpose.

(18) Of the Rock that begat thee.--"The Rock hath begotten thee forgetful, and thou hast forgotten God that travailed with thee" is another possible translation of this verse. The expression in the second clause is found also in Psalm 90:2 (a prayer of Moses), "Before the mountains were brought forth, while Thou wast yet in travail with earth and world, and from eternity unto eternity Thou art God!" The word which I have rendered "forgetful" is usually taken as a verb. But the verb is not found elsewhere (i.e., it is invented for the sake of this passage), and the word may not impossibly be an adjective.

Verse 18. - Moses here returns to the thought of ver. 15, for the purpose of expressing it with greater force, and also of leading on to the description he is about to give of the Lord's acts towards the nation who had so revolted from him. Thou art unmindful; LXX., ἐγκατέλιπες: Vulgate, dereliquisti. The Hebrew word שָׁיָה occurs only here, and the meaning is doubtful. From the rendering of the versions, it would seem to be allied to the Arabic , saha, oblitus est. That formed thee; literally, that brought thee forth or caused thee to be born; "qui te eduxit ex utero materno" (Jarchi. Cf. for the use of the verb, Psalm 29:9). In the Samaritan Codex, מהלל, "who hath glorified or praised thee," is the reading, instead of מחלל; and this the Syriac also expresses. The other versions, however, support the Masoretic reading.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You ignored
תֶּ֑שִׁי (te·šî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7876: To keep in memory

the Rock
צ֥וּר (ṣūr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6697: A cliff, a rock, boulder, a refuge, an edge

who brought you forth;
יְלָדְךָ֖ (yə·lā·ḏə·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

you forgot
וַתִּשְׁכַּ֖ח (wat·tiš·kaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7911: To mislay, to be oblivious of, from want of memory, attention

the God
אֵ֥ל (’êl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 410: Strength -- as adjective, mighty, the Almighty

who gave you birth.
מְחֹלְלֶֽךָ׃ (mə·ḥō·lə·le·ḵā)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2342: To twist, whirl, to dance, to writhe in pain, fear, to wait, to pervert


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 32:18 Of the Rock who became your father (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 32:17
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