Deuteronomy 29:2

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 29:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
Deuteronomy 29:2 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 29

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Moses called unto all Israel, etc.] He had been speaking before to the heads of them, and delivered at different times what is before recorded; but now he summoned the whole body of the people together, a solemn covenant being to be made between God and them; or such things being to be made known unto them as were of universal concernment: and said unto them; what is in this chapter; which is only a preparation or introduction to what he had to declare unto them in the following: ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt; the Targum of Jonathan is, “what the Word of the Lord did;” for all the wonderful things there done in Egypt were done by the essential Word…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Moses called unto all Israel, . . . Ye have seen all that the Lord did, &c.--This appeal to the experience of the people, though made generally, was applicable only to that portion of them who had been very young at the period of the Exodus, and who remembered the marvellous transactions that preceded and followed that era. Yet, alas! those wonderful events made no good impression upon them (Deu 29:4). They were strangers to that grace of wisdom which is liberally given to all who ask it; and their insensibility was all the more inexcusable that so many miracles had been performed which might have led to a certain conviction of the presence and the power of God with them. The preservation of…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“29:2–30:20 Anticipating his death, Moses composed a farewell address, briefly reviewing Israel’s history since the Exodus. He charged the nation to pledge their fidelity to the Lord. This section of Deuteronomy makes it clear that grace is not just a New Testament doctrine: It undergirds every aspect of the Lord’s relationship with Israel.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Ye have seen all: Exo 8:12, Exo 19:4; Jos 24:5, Jos 24:6; Psa 78:43-51, Psa 105:27-36 Deuteronomy 29:3”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“The introduction in Deu 29:2 resembles that in Deu 5:1. "All Israel" is the nation in all its members (see Deu 29:10, Deu 29:11). \- Israel had no doubt seen the mighty acts of the Lord in Egypt ( Deu 29:2 and Deu 29:3; cf. Deu 4:34; Deu 7:19), but Jehovah had not given them a heart, i.e., understanding, to perceive, eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day. With this complaint, Moses does not intend to excuse the previous want of susceptibility on the part of the nation to the manifestations of grace on the part of the Lord, but simply to explain the necessity for the repeated allusion to the gracious acts of God, and to urge the people to lay them truly to heart. "By reproving the…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification