Deuteronomy 32:28
New International Version
They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them.

New Living Translation
“But Israel is a senseless nation; the people are foolish, without understanding.

English Standard Version
“For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.

Berean Standard Bible
Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them.

King James Bible
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

New King James Version
“For they are a nation void of counsel, Nor is there any understanding in them.

New American Standard Bible
“For they are a nation destitute of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

NASB 1995
“For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

NASB 1977
“For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

Legacy Standard Bible
“For they are a nation where counsel perishes, And there is no discernment in them.

Amplified Bible
“For they are a nation devoid of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

Christian Standard Bible
Israel is a nation lacking sense with no understanding at all.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Israel is a nation lacking sense with no understanding at all.

American Standard Version
For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

Contemporary English Version
People of Israel, that's what the LORD has said to you. But you don't have good sense, and you never listen to advice.

English Revised Version
For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
My people have lost their good sense. They are not able to understand.

Good News Translation
"Israel is a nation without sense; they have no wisdom at all.

International Standard Version
They are a nation devoid of purpose and without insight.

Majority Standard Bible
Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them.

NET Bible
They are a nation devoid of wisdom, and there is no understanding among them.

New Heart English Bible
For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.

Webster's Bible Translation
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

World English Bible
For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For they [are] a nation lost to counsels, "" And there is no understanding in them.

Young's Literal Translation
For a nation lost to counsels are they, And there is no understanding in them.

Smith's Literal Translation
For they a nation destroying counsels, And no understanding in them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They are a nation without counsel, and without wisdom.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They are a nation without counsel and without prudence.

New American Bible
For they are a nation devoid of reason, having no understanding.

New Revised Standard Version
They are a nation void of sense; there is no understanding in them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because it is a people whose counsel is destroyed and they have no understanding in them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
It is a nation that has lost counsel, neither is there understanding in them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Song of Moses
27if I had not dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest their adversaries misunderstand and say: ‘Our own hand has prevailed; it was not the LORD who did all this.’ ” 28 Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them. 29If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.…

Cross References
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Isaiah 1:3
The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”

Jeremiah 4:22
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”

Romans 1:21-22
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. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Isaiah 5:13
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Matthew 13:14-15
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Isaiah 27:11
When its limbs are dry, they are broken off. Women come and use them for kindling; for this is a people without understanding. Therefore their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.

Jeremiah 5:21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

2 Timothy 3:7
who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Isaiah 44:18
They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

Mark 8:17-18
Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? / ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?

Psalm 82:5
They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.


Treasury of Scripture

For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

Deuteronomy 32:6
Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

Job 28:28
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Psalm 81:12
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

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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














They are a nation
The phrase "They are a nation" refers to the Israelites, God's chosen people. In the Hebrew text, the word for "nation" is "goy," which is often used to describe a group of people bound by common identity or purpose. Historically, Israel was set apart by God to be a holy nation, distinct from the surrounding pagan cultures. This designation as a "nation" underscores their collective identity and responsibility to uphold God's laws and reflect His character to the world.

without sense
The Hebrew word for "sense" here is "etzah," which can also be translated as "counsel" or "understanding." The phrase "without sense" indicates a lack of wisdom or insight. In the context of Deuteronomy, this is a lament over Israel's failure to heed God's commandments and their tendency to follow their own flawed judgment. This lack of sense is not merely intellectual but spiritual, reflecting a disconnect from divine wisdom and guidance.

there is no discernment
The term "discernment" in Hebrew is "binah," which implies understanding, insight, or the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The absence of discernment suggests a spiritual blindness or an inability to perceive God's will. Throughout the Old Testament, discernment is portrayed as a gift from God, essential for making righteous decisions. The lack of discernment in Israel is a critique of their spiritual state, highlighting their need for repentance and renewal.

in them
The phrase "in them" personalizes the critique, indicating that the deficiency of sense and discernment is internal and pervasive among the people. It suggests a deep-seated issue within the hearts and minds of the Israelites. This internalization of folly contrasts with the biblical ideal of having God's law written on their hearts, as seen in Jeremiah 31:33. The call is for an inward transformation that aligns their inner being with God's truth.

(28) Void of counsel.--Literally, perishing in counsels, or, perhaps, spoiling the plans of Jehovah. Yet they said, "Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet" (Jeremiah 18:18).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Israel
הֵ֑מָּה (hêm·māh)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

is a nation
ג֛וֹי (ḡō·w)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

devoid
אֹבַ֥ד (’ō·ḇaḏ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6: To wander away, lose oneself, to perish

of counsel
עֵצ֖וֹת (‘ê·ṣō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6098: Advice, plan, prudence

with no
וְאֵ֥ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

understanding
תְּבוּנָֽה׃ (tə·ḇū·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8394: Intelligence, an argument, caprice

among them.
בָּהֶ֖ם (bā·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 32:28 For they are a nation void (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 32:27
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