The Meaning of Deuteronomy 8:19 Explained

Deuteronomy 8:19

KJV: And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

YLT: And it hath been -- if thou really forget Jehovah thy God, and hast gone after other gods, and served them, and bowed thyself to them, I have testified against you to-day that ye do utterly perish;

Darby: And it shall be, if thou do at all forget Jehovah thy God, and go after other gods, and serve them, and bow down to them, I testify against you this day that ye shall utterly perish.

ASV: And it shall be, if thou shalt forget Jehovah thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall be, if thou do at all  forget  the LORD  thy God,  and walk  after  other  gods,  and serve  them, and worship  them, I testify  against you this day  that ye shall surely  perish. 

What does Deuteronomy 8:19 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 - Beware Of Forgetting God
"Thou shalt remember," Deuteronomy 8:2; "thou shalt consider," Deuteronomy 8:5; "thou shalt bless," Deuteronomy 8:10.
The lessons of hunger, Deuteronomy 8:1-9 : "Suffered to hunger." "Blessed are they that hunger." "Man doth not live by bread only;" he hungers for knowledge, opportunity, society, love. How many wan faces around us bear witness to the gnawing within. But the Father suffered His Son to fast; and so he deals with us, to prove us. It is only through the discipline of the soul, in learning to go without, that it can be trusted with spiritual opulence and power. See Deuteronomy 8:7-9.
The perils of prosperity, Deuteronomy 8:10-20 : It is harder to walk with God in the sunshine of success than in the nipping frosts of failure. When Paul said, "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound," he put the hardest last. The one secret is to give all the glory to God, and to look always to the Cross, where we were crucified to the pride of the flesh, Philippians 2:7-11; Philippians 4:12. "I lay in dust life's glory dead!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 8

1  An exhortation to obedience in regard to God's mercy and goodness to Israel

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 8:19 mean?

And it shall be if by any means you forget - Yahweh your God and follow after gods other and serve them and worship them I testify against you this day that surely you shall perish
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־ שָׁכֹ֤חַ תִּשְׁכַּח֙ אֶת־ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֗ אַחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַעֲבַדְתָּ֖ם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִ֣יתָ לָהֶ֑ם הַעִדֹ֤תִי בָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵדֽוּן

וְהָיָ֗ה  And  it  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.
שָׁכֹ֤חַ  by  any  means 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: כָּשַׁח 
Sense: to forget, ignore, wither.
תִּשְׁכַּח֙  you  forget 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: כָּשַׁח 
Sense: to forget, ignore, wither.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֗  and  follow 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אַחֲרֵי֙  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
אֱלֹהִ֣ים  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִ֔ים  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
וַעֲבַדְתָּ֖ם  and  serve  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִ֣יתָ  and  worship 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.
הַעִדֹ֤תִי  I  testify 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עוּד 
Sense: to return, repeat, go about, do again.
בָכֶם֙  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
הַיּ֔וֹם  this  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
כִּ֥י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אָבֹ֖ד  surely 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
תֹּאבֵדֽוּן  you  shall  perish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.