The Meaning of Deuteronomy 4:25 Explained

Deuteronomy 4:25

KJV: 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:

YLT: 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: --

Darby: When thou begettest sons, and sons' sons, and ye have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, to provoke him to anger,

ASV: 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;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Deuteronomy 4:25 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 4:15-31 - Jehovah "a Jealous God"
How often Moses repeats, "take heed." We must watch as well as pray and keep our souls diligently. We must specially beware of idols-that is, any visible thing which takes the place of the unseen and eternal, veiling it from our view. The soul must learn to lean on the everlasting arm.
How true that description of the iron furnace! The metaphor is derived from the process of smelting metal. We have had our Egypts, where by trials the real ore of character was disintegrated from its rocky matrix. But though God may remove us from outward affliction, He is Himself the furnace of purification, by His Spirit and Word, and in the secrets of our hearts, Deuteronomy 4:24. But His fire burns our bonds, while our heads are unsinged, Daniel 3:25.
If these words meet the eyes of any who are among the scattered and vanished ones, let them seek God again, and they shall certainly find Him; for He is merciful, He will not fail nor destroy, nor forget the olden Covenant, Deuteronomy 4:30-31. [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 4

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

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 4:25 mean?

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 Yahweh your God to provoke Him to anger
כִּֽי־ תוֹלִ֤יד בָּנִים֙ וּבְנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְהִשְׁחַתֶּ֗ם וַעֲשִׂ֤יתֶם פֶּ֙סֶל֙ תְּמ֣וּנַת כֹּ֔ל וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה־ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לְהַכְעִיסֽוֹ

תוֹלִ֤יד  you  beget 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
בָּנִים֙  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בָנִ֔ים  grandchildren 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּ֖ם  and  have  grown  old 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָשֵׁן 
Sense: to sleep, be asleep.
בָּאָ֑רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְהִשְׁחַתֶּ֗ם  and  act  corruptly 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
וַעֲשִׂ֤יתֶם  and  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
פֶּ֙סֶל֙  a  carved  image 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּסֶל  
Sense: idol, image.
תְּמ֣וּנַת  in  the  form 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תְּמוּנָה  
Sense: form, image, likeness, representation, semblance.
כֹּ֔ל  of  anything 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם  and  do 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
הָרַ֛ע  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
בְּעֵינֵ֥י  in  the  sight 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
יְהוָֽה־  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
לְהַכְעִיסֽוֹ  to  provoke  Him  to  anger 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּעַס  
Sense: to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath.