Deuteronomy 31:16

Verse

And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

American Standard Version (1901)

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Bible in Basic English

And the Lord said to Moses, Now you are going to rest with your fathers; and this people will be false to me, uniting themselves to the strange gods of the land where they are going; they will be turned away from me and will not keep the agreement I have made with them.

Douay-Rheims 1899

And the Lord said to Moses: Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people rising up will go a fornicating after strange gods in the land, to which it goeth in to dwell: there will they forsake me, and will make void the covenant, which I have made with them,

Free Bible Version

The Lord told Moses, “You will join your ancestors in death, and these people are going to prostitute themselves by worshiping the foreign gods of the country they are entering. They will abandon me and break the agreement I've made with them.

Geneva Bible 1599

And the Lord said vnto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers, and this people will rise vp, and goe a whoring after the gods of a strange land (whither they goe to dwell therein) and will forsake me, and breake my couenant which I haue made with them.

King James (Authorized) Version

¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

One Unity Resource Bible

Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange deities of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant ·binding contract between two or more parties· which I have made with them.

Translation for Translators

Yahweh said to Moses/me, “You will soon die [EUP]. Then these people will become unfaithful [MET] to me. They will abandon me and ◄break/stop obeying► the agreement that I made with them. They will begin to worship the foreign/pagan gods that are worshiped by the people of the land that they will enter.

Unlocked Literal Bible

Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, you will sleep with your fathers; this people will rise up and act like a prostitute going after the strange gods that are among them in the land where they are going. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.

Noah Webster Bible

And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people will rise up, and commit idolatry with the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

World English Bible

Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Young's Literal Translation

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Lo, thou art lying down with thy fathers, and this people hath risen, and gone a-whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land into the midst of which it hath entered, and forsaken Me, and broken My covenant which I made with it;

Context

God Commissions Joshua

¹⁵Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.¹⁶And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

Summary

This verse reveals God's foreknowledge of the Israelites turning away from Him and worshipping idols after Moses' death. It foreshadows the consequences of their disobedience and the anger of God towards their unfaithfulness. Despite this, it also demonstrates God's patience and mercy as He warns them in advance through Moses. The verse serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining faithful to God and the consequences of straying from His commandments.

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

the Lord said unto Moses, . . . this people will rise up--In this remarkable interview, Moses was distinctly apprised of the infidelity of Israel, their corruptions of the true religion through intercourse with the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan (Amo 5:26), and their chastisements in consequence of those national defections.