Deuteronomy 4:25
New International Version
After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and arousing his anger,

New Living Translation
“In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the LORD your God and will arouse his anger.

English Standard Version
“When you father children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, so as to provoke him to anger,

Berean Standard Bible
After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger—

King James Bible
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

New King James Version
“When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger,

New American Standard Bible
“When you father children and have grandchildren, and you grow old in the land, and you act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger,

NASB 1995
“When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger,

NASB 1977
“When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger,

Legacy Standard Bible
“When you become the father of children and children’s children and remain long in the land and act corruptly and make a graven image in the form of anything and do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God so as to provoke Him to anger,

Amplified Bible
“When you become the father of children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, then if you corrupt yourselves by making a carved or sculpted image in the form of anything [for the purpose of worship], and do evil [things] in the sight of the LORD your God, provoking Him to anger,

Christian Standard Bible
“When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, angering him,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, provoking Him to anger,

American Standard Version
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image in the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, to provoke him to anger;

English Revised Version
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image in the form of any thing, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Even when you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in that land, don't become corrupt and make carved idols or statues that represent anything. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today: If you do this thing that the LORD your God considers evil, making him furious,

Good News Translation
"Even when you have been in the land a long time and have children and grandchildren, do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all. This is evil in the LORD's sight, and it will make him angry.

International Standard Version
"After you've borne children and grandchildren, have been there for a long time in the land, have become so corrupted that you make images of any form, and have done evil in the eyes of the LORD your God, you will provoke him to anger.

Majority Standard Bible
After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger—

NET Bible
After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind and do other evil things before the LORD your God that enrage him,

New Heart English Bible
When you shall father children, and children's children, and you shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make an engraved image in the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, to provoke him to anger;

Webster's Bible Translation
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

World English Bible
When you father children and children’s children, and you have been long in the land, and then corrupt yourselves, and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in Yahweh your God’s sight to provoke him to anger,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
When you beget sons and sons’ sons, and you have become old in the land, and have done corruptly, and have made a carved image, a likeness of anything, and have done evil in the eyes of YHWH to provoke Him to anger,

Young's Literal Translation
'When thou begettest sons and sons' sons, and ye have become old in the land, and have done corruptly, and have made a graven image, a similitude of anything, and have done the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger: --

Smith's Literal Translation
When thou shalt beget sons, and sons' sons, and ye rested in the land and were corrupted, and made a carved thing, the appearance of any thing, and ye did evil in the eyes of Jehovah thy God to irritate him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If you shall beget sons and grandsons, and abide in the land, and being deceived, make to yourselves any similitude, committing evil before the Lord your God, to provoke him to wrath:

Catholic Public Domain Version
When you will have conceived sons and grandsons while abiding in the land, and if, having been deceived, you make for yourselves any likeness, accomplishing evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to wrath,

New American Bible
When you have children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land, should you then act corruptly by fashioning an idol in the form of anything, and by this evil done in his sight provoke the LORD, your God,

New Revised Standard Version
When you have had children and children’s children, and become complacent in the land, if you act corruptly by making an idol in the form of anything, thus doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, and provoking him to anger,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
When you shall beget children and children's children, and you shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves and make images or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoke him to anger;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And when you beget children or children of children, and you have been long in the land and you become corrupt and you make images and the forms of anything and you do evil before LORD JEHOVAH your God and you anger him:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall deal corruptly, and make a graven image, even the form of any thing, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And when thou shalt have begotten sons, and shalt have sons' sons, and ye shall have dwelt a long time on the land, and shall have transgressed, and made a graven image of any thing, and shall have done wickedly before the Lord your God to provoke him;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warning Against Idolatry
24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 25After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form— doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger— 26I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.…

Cross References
Exodus 20:4-5
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. / You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Leviticus 26:14-18
If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, / and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, / then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. ...

Deuteronomy 31:16-18
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. / On 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?’ / And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.

2 Kings 17:15-18
They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate. / They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal. / They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. ...

Jeremiah 7:9-10
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’?

Ezekiel 20:30-31
Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations? / When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

Judges 2:11-15
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. ...

2 Chronicles 36:14-17
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. / Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. / But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy. ...

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.

Hosea 4:1-3
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. / Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

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. ...

Nehemiah 9:26-27
But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies. / So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.

Matthew 23:37-38
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! / Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Romans 1:21-23
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, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Acts 7:39-43
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. / They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ / At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. ...


Treasury of Scripture

When you shall beget children, and children's children, and you shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD your God, to provoke him to anger:

beget

Deuteronomy 31:16-18
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…

Judges 2:8-15
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old…

corrupt

Deuteronomy 4:16
Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

Deuteronomy 31:29
For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

Exodus 32:7
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

do evil

2 Kings 17:17-19
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger…

2 Kings 21:2,14-16
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel…

2 Chronicles 36:12-16
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD…

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Deuteronomy 4
1. An exhortation to obedience
41. Moses appoints the three cities of refuge on that side of Jordan
44. Recapitulation














After you have children and grandchildren
This phrase emphasizes the passage of time and the establishment of generational continuity. In the Hebrew context, family lineage was crucial, and the mention of "children and grandchildren" signifies a settled and enduring presence in the land. The Hebrew word for "children" is "בָּנִים" (banim), which not only refers to direct offspring but also to descendants who carry on the legacy and covenantal promises of God. This highlights the importance of teaching and preserving faith across generations, a theme deeply rooted in the Torah.

and have been in the land a long time
The phrase underscores the idea of dwelling and becoming comfortable in the Promised Land. The Hebrew word for "land" is "אֶרֶץ" (eretz), which often signifies not just physical territory but also a place of divine promise and blessing. The warning here is against complacency and the spiritual dangers that can arise from prolonged prosperity and security. Historically, Israel's time in the land was marked by cycles of faithfulness and apostasy, reflecting the challenges of maintaining covenant fidelity over time.

if you then act corruptly
The Hebrew root for "act corruptly" is "שָׁחַת" (shachat), which conveys a sense of moral decay and destruction. This term is often used in the context of covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry. The warning is clear: moral and spiritual corruption leads to a breakdown in the relationship with God. The historical context of Israel's repeated lapses into idolatry serves as a sobering reminder of the human tendency to stray from divine commandments.

and make an idol in the form of anything
Idolatry is a central concern in the Old Testament, and the Hebrew word for "idol" is "פֶּסֶל" (pesel), meaning a carved or graven image. The prohibition against idolatry is rooted in the Ten Commandments and reflects the unique monotheism of Israel. Creating an idol "in the form of anything" underscores the futility and offense of worshipping created things rather than the Creator. Archaeological findings have revealed the prevalence of idol worship in ancient Near Eastern cultures, highlighting the countercultural call of Israel to worship Yahweh alone.

doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God
The phrase "doing evil" in Hebrew is "עָשָׂה הָרַע" (asah hara), which implies deliberate actions that are contrary to God's will. The "sight of the LORD" emphasizes God's omniscience and the personal nature of sin against Him. This phrase serves as a reminder that all actions are visible to God and that sin is not just a violation of law but a personal affront to the divine relationship.

and provoking Him to anger
The Hebrew root for "provoking to anger" is "כָּעַס" (ka'as), which conveys the idea of inciting or stirring up wrath. This anthropomorphic expression reflects the seriousness with which God views idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. In the biblical narrative, God's anger is not capricious but is a response to persistent disobedience and betrayal. It serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from the covenant and the need for repentance and restoration.

(25) Shall have remained long.--Literally, shall slumber--a very suggestive expression. Prosperity often sends true religion to sleep, and brings conventional, or fashionable, religion in its stead.

Verses 25-31. - Moses enforces the warning against idolatry, by predicting the evil that should come upon the nation through the apostasy of those who should in after times turn from Jehovah to strange gods. When they should have begotten children and children's children, and had been long in the land, i.e. when in after years a generation should arise that had not known the things they had seen, or had forgotten them (ver. 9), and the nation should then become wanton and corrupt, and fall into idolatry (cf. Deuteronomy 6:10, etc.; Deuteronomy 8:7, etc.; Deuteronomy 31:20, 21; 32:15, etc.; Hosea 13:6); then should they utterly perish from off the land of which they were now about to take possession. Verse 25. - Have remained long in the land; literally, have become old, an ancient nation, etc. To provoke him to anger; i.e. so as that he should be displeased and grieved, and roused to punish.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
After
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you have
תוֹלִ֤יד (ṯō·w·lîḏ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

children
בָּנִים֙ (bā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

and grandchildren
וּבְנֵ֣י (ū·ḇə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

and you have been in the land
בָּאָ֑רֶץ (bā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

a long time,
וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם (wə·nō·wō·šan·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3462: To be slack, languid, sleep, to grow old, stale, inveterate

if you then act corruptly
וְהִשְׁחַתֶּ֗ם (wə·hiš·ḥat·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin

and make
וַעֲשִׂ֤יתֶם (wa·‘ă·śî·ṯem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

an idol
פֶּ֙סֶל֙ (pe·sel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6459: An idol, image

in the form
תְּמ֣וּנַת (tə·mū·naṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8544: Something portioned, out, as a, shape, phantom, embodiment, manifestation

of anything,
כֹּ֔ל (kōl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

doing
וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם (wa·‘ă·śî·ṯem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

evil
הָרַ֛ע (hā·ra‘)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

in the sight
בְּעֵינֵ֥י (bə·‘ê·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

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

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

[and] provoking Him to anger,
לְהַכְעִיסֽוֹ׃ (lə·haḵ·‘î·sōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3707: To trouble, to grieve, rage, be indignant


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 4:25 When you shall father children and children's (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 4:24
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