And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Parallel translations
- WEB I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
- BSB And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
- NKJV And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
- NASB But I will assuredly hide My face on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, for they will have turned away to other gods.
- NLT At that time I will hide my face from them on account of all the evil they commit by worshiping other gods.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God declares He will surely hide His face because of the evil of Israel turning to other gods. It matters because idolatry provokes God's just withdrawal.
Overview
This verse intensifies the previous warning, attributing the hidden face directly to Israel's idolatry. The certainty of God's response underscores that covenant unfaithfulness has real consequences. Yet the very fact that God forewarns them reveals His mercy in seeking to call them back, a mercy ultimately poured out in the gospel where God turns His face toward sinners in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Deut 31:16–17And 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.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 31:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.