Deuteronomy 4:28

And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, warning them that covenant unfaithfulness will trigger exile among foreign nations. The passage frames this outcome as a direct consequence of their impending departure from the Promised Land.

The words — עֲבַדְתֶּם ('avadtem) means "you will serve," and מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם (ma'aseh yedei adam) literally translates to "work of human hands." These terms highlight the manufactured, inert quality of the idols that will replace the living God in the exiles' worship.

The thread — This motif of forced idolatry in exile recurs in Deuteronomy 28:64, Jeremiah 16:13, and Isaiah 46:7. Each reference reinforces the pattern of scattering, foreign worship, and the contrast between lifeless crafted objects and the sovereign Lord.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that substituting divine authority with human craftsmanship yields spiritual blindness. It calls the reader to examine whether their current dependencies function as silent, unresponsive replacements for active obedience.

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

וַעֲבַדְתֶּם־va./'a.vad.tem-and/ you will serve שָׁ֣םshamthere אֱלֹהִ֔ים'E.lo.Himgods מַעֲשֵׂ֖הma.'a.Seh[the] work of יְדֵ֣יye.Dei[the] hands of אָדָ֑ם'a.Dama human עֵ֣ץ'etzwood וָאֶ֔בֶןva./'E.venand/ stone אֲשֶׁ֤ר'a.Sherwhich לֹֽא־lo'-not יִרְאוּן֙yir.'U/nthey see/ !וְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not יִשְׁמְע֔וּןyish.me.'U/nthey hear/ !וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not יֹֽאכְל֖וּןyokh.Lu/nthey eat/ !וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not יְרִיחֻֽן׃ye.ri.Chu/nthey smell/ !

King James Version

And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
Jeremiah 16:13 So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
Isaiah 46:7 They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.
Deuteronomy 28:36 The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone.
1 Samuel 26:19 Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
Psalms 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
Psalms 135:15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
Isaiah 44:9 All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.
Ezekiel 20:39 And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.
Isaiah 45:20 Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.