Deuteronomy 29:26

26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them.

Deuteronomy 29:26 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
English Standard Version (ESV)
26 and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them.
New Living Translation (NLT)
26 Instead, they turned away to serve and worship gods they had not known before, gods that were not from the LORD .
The Message Bible (MSG)
26 they went off and worshiped other gods, submitted to gods they'd never heard of before, gods they had no business dealing with.
American Standard Version (ASV)
26 and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them:
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
26 They worshiped other gods and bowed down to them. These were gods they never heard of, gods the LORD didn't permit them to have.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
26 They began to worship other gods, bowing down to gods they had not known-gods that the Lord had not permitted them [to worship].
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
26 They went off and worshiped other gods. They bowed down to them. They hadn't known anything about those gods before. The LORD hadn't given those gods to them.

Deuteronomy 29:26 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 29:26

For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them
As did all Israel, in the times of Solomon, and the ten tribes under Jeroboam, and other succeeding kings of Israel; and the two tribes in the times of Ahaz, and especially of Manasseh, when they worshipped all the host of heaven; see ( 1 Kings 11:33 ) ( 12:28 ) ( 2 Kings 16:4 ) ( 21:3 ) ;

gods whom they knew not;
to whom they, as well as their fathers before them, were strangers and approved not of them; and of whose power and goodness they had no experience, and of which there never were any instances; yet such was their stupidity, as to leave their God, the only true God, of whom they had many proofs in both respects, and worship these idols, which had never been profitable and serviceable to them on any account:

and [whom] he hath not given unto them;
which version seems not to afford a good sense; for to what people soever has God, the true God, given other gods to worship, which this seems to imply, though he had not given or allowed any to them? Onkelos paraphrases it, "did not do them good"; which Jarchi explains, the gods they chose them did not impart to them any inheritance, or any portion; for the word used signifies to divide, or part a portion or inheritance; now the Lord God did divide to Israel the land of Canaan for an inheritance, but these idols had never divided anything to them, and had been in no instance profitable or advantageous to them; and therefore it was madness and folly in them to worship them, as well as great ingratitude to the Lord their God, who had done such great and good things for them; for so the words may be rendered, "and did not impart" or "divide to them" F7 anything; that is, not anyone of them did; for the verb is singular.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 (Mhl qlx alw) "qui nihil impertitus est eis", Pagninus; "et quorum nullus impertitus fuerat eis quidquem", Piscator; "neque partitus est ipsis", Cocceius.

Deuteronomy 29:26 In-Context

24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”
25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.
26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them.
27 Therefore the LORD’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.
28 In furious anger and in great wrath the LORD uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”
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