The Meaning of Deuteronomy 4:34 Explained

Deuteronomy 4:34

KJV: Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

YLT: Or hath God tried to go in to take to Himself, a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a strong hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors -- according to all that Jehovah your God hath done to you, in Egypt, before your eyes?

Darby: Or hath God essayed to come to take him a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a powerful hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

ASV: Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Or hath God  assayed  to go  [and] take  him a nation  from the midst  of [another] nation,  by temptations,  by signs,  and by wonders,  and by war,  and by a mighty  hand,  and by a stretched out  arm,  and by great  terrors,  according to all that the LORD  your God  did  for you in Egypt  before your eyes? 

What does Deuteronomy 4:34 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 4:32-49 - Israel's Peculiar Privileges
Every argument that love and wisdom, the great past and the miracles of the Exodus could suggest, was brought to bear on the hearts of the chosen people, fortifying them against the temptations to backsliding. They were bidden to ask from ancient history and from one end of heaven to another, if any such wonders had ever been known in the history of the nations. But it must be sorrowfully confessed that memory and wonder are not enough to permanently fortify the heart against the insidious entrance of evil. Only the Holy Spirit can do that, Romans 8:1-4; Galatians 5:16.
So eager is the divine heart that none should perish but that all should come to repentance, that guide-posts to refuge are carefully multiplied. Here again their names and locations are specified, lest any should not have met with former notifications, Numbers 35:6; Numbers 35:14; 2 Peter 3:9. [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 4:34 mean?

Or did [ever] try God to go [and] take for Himself a nation from the midst of [another] nation by trials by signs and by wonders and by war and by a hand mighty and an arm outstretched and by terrors great according to all that did for you Yahweh your God in Egypt before your eyes
א֣וֹ ׀ הֲנִסָּ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֗ים לָ֠בוֹא לָקַ֨חַת ל֣וֹ גוֹי֮ מִקֶּ֣רֶב גּוֹי֒ בְּמַסֹּת֩ בְּאֹתֹ֨ת וּבְמוֹפְתִ֜ים וּבְמִלְחָמָ֗ה וּבְיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבְמוֹרָאִ֖ים גְּדֹלִ֑ים כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁר־ עָשָׂ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם ؟ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ

הֲנִסָּ֣ה  did  [ever]  try 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָסָה  
Sense: to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test.
אֱלֹהִ֗ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
לָ֠בוֹא  to  go 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לָקַ֨חַת  [and]  take 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
ל֣וֹ  for  Himself 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
גוֹי֮  a  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
מִקֶּ֣רֶב  from  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
גּוֹי֒  of  [another]  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
בְּמַסֹּת֩  by  trials 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַסָּה 
Sense: despair, test.
בְּאֹתֹ֨ת  by  signs 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common plural
Root: אֹות  
Sense: sign, signal.
וּבְמוֹפְתִ֜ים  and  by  wonders 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֹופֵת  
Sense: wonder, sign, miracle, portent.
וּבְמִלְחָמָ֗ה  and  by  war 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וּבְיָ֤ד  and  by  a  hand 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
חֲזָקָה֙  mighty 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: חָזָק  
Sense: strong, stout, mighty.
וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ  and  an  arm 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
נְטוּיָ֔ה  outstretched 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
וּבְמוֹרָאִ֖ים  and  by  terrors 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֹורָא 
Sense: fear, reverence, terror.
גְּדֹלִ֑ים  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
כְּ֠כֹל  according  to  all 
Parse: Preposition, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לָכֶ֜ם  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
יְהוָ֧ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם  in  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
؟ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ  before  your  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.