The Meaning of Deuteronomy 31:20 Explained

Deuteronomy 31:20

KJV: For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.

YLT: and I bring them in unto the ground which I have sworn to their fathers -- flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten, and been satisfied, and been fat, and have turned unto other gods, and they have served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant.

Darby: For I shall bring them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, which floweth with milk and honey; and they will eat and fill themselves, and wax fat, and will turn unto other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

ASV: For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxed fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For when I shall have brought  them into the land  which I sware  unto their fathers,  that floweth  with milk  and honey;  and they shall have eaten  and filled  themselves, and waxen fat;  then will they turn  unto other  gods,  and serve  them, and provoke  me, and break  my covenant. 

What does Deuteronomy 31:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 31:14-29 - The Charge To His Successor
Moses had already announced that Joshua would succeed him; but in view of the great difficulties which confronted the new leader, it was expedient that the guiding pillar should give him the symbol and pledge of God's endorsement.
Two other sources of their allegiance were proposed. First, a song. National songs lay hold on memory and have a powerful effect in stirring the deepest emotions. This song, composed under the divine impulse, embodied the substance of the preceding pleadings and exhortations, and was suitable to be taught to the generations that followed. Be sure that nothing more efficiently preserves religion than noble hymns! Learn and teach them! Secondly, the book. See Deuteronomy 31:24, etc. We have already heard of this. See Exodus 17:14; Exodus 24:4-7. No doubt it was to this necessity of recording the Law and chronicling the story of the Exodus that we owe the origin of the sacred books which bear the name of Moses. See John 5:46. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 31:20 mean?

When I have brought them to the land of which I swore to their fathers flowing with milk and honey and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat then they will turn to gods other and serve them and they will spurn Me and break - My covenant
כִּֽי־ אֲבִיאֶ֜נּוּ אֶֽל־ הָאֲדָמָ֣ה ׀ אֲשֶׁר־ נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי לַאֲבֹתָ֗יו זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ וְאָכַ֥ל וְשָׂבַ֖ע וְדָשֵׁ֑ן וּפָנָ֞ה אֶל־ אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ וַעֲבָד֔וּם וְנִ֣אֲצ֔וּנִי וְהֵפֵ֖ר אֶת־ בְּרִיתִֽי

אֲבִיאֶ֜נּוּ  I  have  brought  them 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הָאֲדָמָ֣ה ׀  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
אֲשֶׁר־  of  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי  I  swore 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
לַאֲבֹתָ֗יו  to  their  fathers 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
זָבַ֤ת  flowing  with 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular construct
Root: זוּב  
Sense: to flow, gush, issue, discharge.
חָלָב֙  milk 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָלָב  
Sense: milk, sour milk, cheese.
וּדְבַ֔שׁ  and  honey 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּבַשׁ  
Sense: honey.
וְאָכַ֥ל  and  they  have  eaten 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְשָׂבַ֖ע  and  filled  themselves 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׂבַע  
Sense: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.
וְדָשֵׁ֑ן  and  grown  fat 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּשֵׁן  
Sense: to be fat, grow fat, become fat, become prosperous, anoint.
וּפָנָ֞ה  then  they  will  turn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פֹּונֶה 
Sense: to turn.
אֱלֹהִ֤ים  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִים֙  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
וַעֲבָד֔וּם  and  serve  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, third person masculine plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
וְנִ֣אֲצ֔וּנִי  and  they  will  spurn  Me 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: נָאַץ  
Sense: to spurn, contemn, despise, abhor.
וְהֵפֵ֖ר  and  break 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּרַר 
Sense: to break, frustrate.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בְּרִיתִֽי  My  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.