I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants,
Parallel Translations
-
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants,
-
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
-
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (21)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 30:19 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Deuteronomy 30:15 Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil.
- Deuteronomy 11:26 Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
- Psalms 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth. I have set your ordinances before me.
- Joshua 24:15-22 If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.” The people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake Yahweh, to serve other gods; for it is Yahweh our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way in which we went, and among all the peoples through the middle of whom we passed. Yahweh drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve Yahweh; for he is our God.” Joshua said to the people, “You can’t serve Yahweh, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins. If you forsake Yahweh, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after he has done you good.” The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve Yahweh.” Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Yahweh yourselves, to serve him.” They said, “We are witnesses.”
- Proverbs 8:36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.”
- Deuteronomy 30:1 It shall happen, when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations where Yahweh your God has driven you,
- Luke 10:42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
- Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their good, and the good of their children after them.
- 1 Timothy 5:21 I command you in the sight of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.
- Deuteronomy 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from off the land which you go over the Jordan to possess it. You will not prolong your days on it, but will utterly be destroyed.
- Psalms 119:173 Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
- Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
- Deuteronomy 31:28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
- Micah 6:1-2 Listen now to what Yahweh says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for Yahweh has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
- Psalms 119:111 I have taken your testimonies as a heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
- Proverbs 1:29 because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
- Deuteronomy 32:1 Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
- Isaiah 1:2 Hear, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me.
- Jeremiah 2:12-13 “Be astonished, you heavens, at this and be horribly afraid. Be very desolate,” says Yahweh. “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut out cisterns for themselves: broken cisterns that can’t hold water.
- Jeremiah 22:29-30 O earth, earth, earth, hear Yahweh’s word! Yahweh says, “Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no more will a man of his offspring prosper, sitting on David’s throne, and ruling in Judah.”
- Isaiah 56:4 For Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, choose the things that please me, and hold fast to my covenant,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, love and obey God: which thing is…
That is, love and obey God: which thing is not in man’s power, but God’s Spirit only worketh it in his elect.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record…
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Ver. 19. Life and death, blessing and cursing.] Of God it may be more truly affirmed, than ever it was of Charles V, Emperor,
Read full note →
“ Una gerit bellum, monstrat manus altera pacem. ”
Therefore choose life.] Which yet man, of himself, can as little do as a dead carcass can fiy aloft. It was therefore an unsound and unsavoury speech of him that said, Quod vivamus, Dei munus est; quod bene vivamus, nostrum: That we live, it is of God; but that we live well, it is of ourselves. See the contrary in Isa 11:12 Hos 14:8 Joh 15:5.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Compare Deu 4:26; Jos 24:27; Psa 1:4; Isa 1:2.
Compare Deu 4:26; Jos 24:27; Psa 1:4; Isa 1:2.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I call heaven and earth to record this day…
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,.... Either, literally understood, the heavens above him, and the earth on which he stood, those inanimate bodies, which are frequently called upon as witnesses to matters of moment and importance; see Deu 4:26; or figuratively, the inhabitants of both, angels and men:
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; had plainly told them in express words what would be the consequence of obedience and disobedience to the law of God; long life, and the blessings of it in the land of Canaan, to those that obey it; death, by various means, and dreadful curses, to those that disobey it; of which see at large Deu 28:16,
Read full note →
therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may live; that is, prefer obedience to the law, and choose to perform that, the consequence of which is life; that they and their posterity might live comfortably and happily, quietly and safely, and constantly, even to the latest ages, in the land of Canaan.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Chuse life - They shall have life that chuse…
Chuse life - They shall have life that chuse it: they that chuse the favour of God, and communion with him, shall have what they chuse. They that come short of life and happiness, must thank themselves only. They had had them, if they had chosen them, when they were put to their choice: but they die, because they will die.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 19. See the note on the preceding verse.…
Verse 19. See the note on the preceding verse. See Clarke on De 30:15
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Deu 30:19. Choose life — They shall have life…
Deu 30:19. Choose life — They shall have life that choose it: they that choose the favour of God, and communion with him, shall have what they choose. They that come short of life and happiness, must thank themselves only. They would have had them, if they had chosen them, when they were put to their choice: but they die, because they will die.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain I call. He begins his canticle in the same…
I call. He begins his canticle in the same emphatical manner, (chap. xxii.) as Isaias does his prophecy. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 19. I call heaven and earth, etc.] As in…
19. I call heaven and earth, etc.] As in Deu_4:26.
set before thee life and death] See on Deu_30:15.
Read full note →
choose life] In Deut. only here; but cp. Jos_24:15, Isa_7:15 (choose the good). On that thou mayest live see Deu_30:6.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain cf. Deu_4:26.
cf. Deu_4:26.
Nature a witness.
Read full note →
See for other instances. (Deu_4:26 Deu_31:28 Deu_32:1; Isa_1:2) The invocation of heaven and earth as witnesses turns on deep principles. They are "called to record
I BECAUSE THE MIND RECOGNIZES THEIR PRESENCE AS WITNESSES OF ITS TRANSACTIONS. It projects its own consciousness on its surroundings, and feels as if earth and sky, sun, moon, rock, river, tree, mountain, were not inanimate but animate and sympathetic witnesses of its doings. It attaches its own thoughts to the outward objects. In presence of the scene of any great transaction, it feels as if the place retained its memory; still spoke to it of the past; thought, felt, rejoiced, accused, praised, according to the nature of the deed. Define as we will this feeling of a "Presence" in nature this "sense of something far more deeply interfused," which we inevitably carry with us into our relations with the outward universe it is a fact in consciousness, and furnishes a basis for such appeals as those of Moses.
II BECAUSE GOD IS PRESENT IN HEAVEN AND EARTH AS A WITNESS OF WHAT IS DONE. (cf. Mat_5:34, Mat_5:35) Heaven is his throne; earth, his footstool. He is present in them, upholding them by the word of his power, and through them is a true witness of all we say and do.
III BECAUSE HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE CREATURES THEMSELVES CONSPICUOUSLY FULFILLING THE ENDS OF THEIR CREATION. The universe as a whole is thus a standing protest against the apostasy and self-willedness of the sinner. (Isa_1:1, Isa_1:2) It bears witness against him by its very fidelity to its Creator. "They continue this clay according to thine ordinances, for all are thy servants". (Psa_119:91)
IV BECAUSE HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE SIGNAL MONUMENTS OF THE DIVINE FAITHFULNESS AND IMMUTABILITY. (Psa_119:89, Psa_119:90) They testify to the reign of law, to God"s constancy of purpose, to the uniformity and inflexibility of his rule. They dash the sinner"s hopes of his Word failing, of his threatenings not being put in force.
V BECAUSE HEAVEN AND EARTH RETAIN AN ACTUAL RECORD OF WHAT IS DONE IN THEIR PRESENCE a record which may admit of being produced. This is simple truth of science.
VI BECAUSE HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE INTERESTED SPECTATORS OF WHAT IS BEING DONE. They have shared in the consequences of man"s transgression; they will share in the glory of the manifestation of the sons of God. They wait the day of their redemption with earnest expectation. (Rom_8:19-23)
That Moses, in connection with his appeal to the people, summoned heaven and earth to witness, was an evidence:
1. Of the solemnity of this appeal. It must be a matter of momentous importance when the universe is called in to witness it.
2. Of the rationality of this appeal. Nature and nature"s God were on his side. He had the universe with him, though a foolish people might reject his counsel.
3. Of the enduringness of the issues which depended on this appeal. Neither the blessing nor the curse would work themselves out in a day. It needed lasting witnesses to take account of the fulfillment of God"s words. J.O.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so except where noted the words "you" and "your" here are singular. (See: Forms of You)
Read full note →
I call heaven and earth to witness
Possible meanings are 1) Moses is calling on all those who live in heaven and earth to be witnesses to what he says, or 2) Moses is speaking to heaven and earth as if they are people, and he is calling them to be witnesses to what he says (See: Metonymy and Personification and Apostrophe)
to witness against you
"to be willing to say that you have done evil things"
against you today
Moses speaks to the Israelites as a group. (See: Forms of You)
obey his voice
Here "voice" refers to what Yahweh says. AT: "obey what he says" (See: Metonymy)
to cling to him
"to rely on him"
For he is your life and the length of your days
These phrases have the same meaning and are metonyms for Yahweh, emphasizing that he is the one who gives life and determines the length of people's lifetimes. AT: "Yahweh is the only one who can enable you to live a long life" (See: Doublet and Metonymy)
swore to your ancestors
The ellipsis can be filled in. AT: "swore that he would give to your ancestors" (See: Ellipsis)
translationWords
heaven
earth
testimony
life
die
bless
curse
descend
love
obey
voice
oath
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 30:19 life and death . . . blessings and…
30:19 life and death . . . blessings and curses: This grammatical structure suggests an equivalence between life and blessing and between death and curses. The essence of a blessing is life, and the essence of a curse is death.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.