Deuteronomy 4:19

“And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, etc.] The starry heaven, which to do in itself is not sinful; and may be lawfully and commendably done, to raise admiration at the wonderful works of God in them, and lead to adore the author of them: but if not guarded against may be ensnaring: and when thou seest the sun and the moon, and the stars, [even] all the host of heaven; those bright luminaries, so glorious to behold, and so useful and beneficial to the earth, and the inhabitants of it: shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them; should have an impulse on their minds and their hearts, be inclined and drawn to the worship of them, partly by considering their splendour, glory,…”

“Divided - i. e., “whose light God has distributed to the nations for their use and benefit, and which therefore being creatures ministering to man’s convenience must not be worshipped as man’s lords.” return to 'Top of Page'”

“Driven - Strongly inclined. Which the Lord hath divided unto all nations - Which are not Gods, but creatures, made not for the worship, but for the use of men; yea, of the meanest and most barbarous people under heaven, and therefore cannot without great absurdity be worshipped, especially by you who are so much advanced above other nations in wisdom and knowledge, and in this, that you are my peculiar people. Deuteronomy 4:24”

“4:19 forces of heaven: This phrase refers to the stars and other heavenly bodies, which, like earthly creations, were thought to embody or represent deities. Instead, they are servants of God, named by him to carry out their duties of marking the times and seasons (Gen 1:14-19; Isa 40:26). • The Lord your God gave them: Rather than worshiping these heavenly bodies, the people of Israel were to recognize that God’s creation was made, among other reasons, to serve humankind (Gen 1:28).”

“when thou: Deu 17:3; Kg2 23:4, Kg2 23:5, Kg2 23:11; Job 31:26, Job 31:27; Jer 8:2; Eze 8:16; Amo 5:25, Amo 5:26 the host: Gen 2:1; Kg2 17:16, Kg2 21:3; Jer 19:13; Zep 1:5; Act 7:42; Rom 1:25 which the Lord: Gen 1:16-18; Jos 10:12, Jos 10:13; Neh 9:6; Psa 74:16, Psa 74:17, Psa 136:7-9, Psa 148:3-5; Jer 31:35, Jer 33:25; Mat 5:45 divided: or, imparted Deuteronomy 4:20”

“They were not to allow themselves to be torn away (נדּח) to worship the stars of heaven, namely, by the seductive influence exerted upon the senses by the sight of the heavenly bodies as they shone in their glorious splendour. The reason for this prohibition is given in the relative clause, "which Jehovah thy God hath allotted to all nations under the whole heaven." The thought is not, "God has given the heathen the sun, moon, and stars for service, i.e., to serve them with their light," as Onkelos, the Rabbins, Jerome, and others, suppose, but He has allotted them to them for worship, i.e., permitted them to choose them as the objects of their worship, which is the view adopted by Justin…”