Deuteronomy 25:18

how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites in the plains of Moab, just before they cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. He instructs them to recall the Amalekites' ambush during their exodus from Egypt.

The words — The Hebrew verb va-y.za.Nev (וַיְזַנֵּב) literally means "and it attacked in the rear," describing a deliberate strike against the vulnerable stragglers (ha.ne.che.sha.Lim). This term highlights the targeted nature of the assault on those lagging behind the main camp.

The thread — The warning that "they had no fear of God" appears in Psalm 36:1 and is reiterated in Romans 3:18 to characterize ungodly conduct. The immediate context in Deuteronomy 25:17–19 frames this historical event as a catalyst for future covenant obedience and judgment.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that cowardice and cruelty toward the vulnerable constitute a direct rejection of divine authority. Readers are called to apply this warning by actively opposing exploitation and upholding justice within their communities.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.Sherthat קָֽרְךָ֜ka.re./Chait met/ you בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְba./De.rekhon the/ way וַיְזַנֵּ֤בva/y.za.Nevand/ it attacked in [the] rearבְּךָ֙be./Kha<in> <the>/ youכָּל־kol-all הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣יםha./ne.che.sha.Limthe/ stragglers אַֽחַרֶ֔יךָ'a.cha.Rei./khabehind/ you וְאַתָּ֖הve./'a.Tahand/ you עָיֵ֣ף'a.Yef[were] exhausted וְיָגֵ֑עַve./ya.Ge.a'and/ weary וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not יָרֵ֖אya.Re'it feared אֱלֹהִֽים׃'E.lo.HimGod

King James Version

How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

Cross-references

Psalms 36:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. An oracle is in my heart regarding the transgression of the wicked man: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Nehemiah 5:15 The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.
Nehemiah 5:9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?
Proverbs 16:6 By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.