The Meaning of Deuteronomy 31:17 Explained

Deuteronomy 31:17

KJV: Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

YLT: and Mine anger hath burned against it in that day, and I have forsaken them, and hidden My face from them, and it hath been for consumption, and many evils and distresses have found it, and it hath said in that day, Is it not because that my God is not in my midst -- these evils have found me?

Darby: And my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them, and they will say in that day, Have not these evils befallen me because my God is not in my midst?

ASV: Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then my anger  shall be kindled  against them in that day,  and I will forsake  them, and I will hide  my face  from them, and they shall be devoured,  and many  evils  and troubles  shall befall  them; so that they will say  in that day,  Are not these evils  come  upon us, because our God  [is] not among  us? 

What does Deuteronomy 31:17 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 31:17 mean?

And shall be aroused My anger against them in day that and I will forsake them and I will hide My face from them and they shall be devoured and shall befall them evils many and troubles so that they will say in day that have not because that not our God [is] among us come upon evils these
וְחָרָ֣ה אַפִּ֣י ב֣וֹ בַיּוֹם־ הַ֠הוּא וַעֲזַבְתִּ֞ים וְהִסְתַּרְתִּ֨י פָנַ֤י מֵהֶם֙ וְהָיָ֣ה לֶֽאֱכֹ֔ל וּמְצָאֻ֛הוּ רָע֥וֹת רַבּ֖וֹת וְצָר֑וֹת וְאָמַר֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא הֲלֹ֗א עַ֣ל כִּֽי־ אֵ֤ין אֱלֹהַי֙ בְּקִרְבִּ֔י מְצָא֖וּנִי הָרָע֥וֹת הָאֵֽלֶּה

וְחָרָ֣ה  And  shall  be  aroused 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרָה  
Sense: to be hot, furious, burn, become angry, be kindled.
אַפִּ֣י  My  anger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
ב֣וֹ  against  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
בַיּוֹם־  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַ֠הוּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
וַעֲזַבְתִּ֞ים  and  I  will  forsake  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
וְהִסְתַּרְתִּ֨י  and  I  will  hide 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: סָתַר  
Sense: to hide, conceal.
פָנַ֤י  My  face 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
מֵהֶם֙  from  them 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
וְהָיָ֣ה  and  they  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לֶֽאֱכֹ֔ל  devoured 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וּמְצָאֻ֛הוּ  and  shall  befall  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
רָע֥וֹת  evils 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
רַבּ֖וֹת  many 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
וְצָר֑וֹת  and  troubles 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural
Root: צָרָה 
Sense: straits, distress, trouble.
וְאָמַר֙  so  that  they  will  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בַּיּ֣וֹם  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַה֔וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
הֲלֹ֗א  have  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
עַ֣ל  because 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֱלֹהַי֙  our  God  [is] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בְּקִרְבִּ֔י  among  us 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
מְצָא֖וּנִי  come  upon 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
הָרָע֥וֹת  evils 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
הָאֵֽלֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.