You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth.
- KJV Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
- NKJV Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.
- NASB “You forgot the Rock who fathered you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.
- NLT You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth.
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
Israel was unmindful of the Rock who fathered them, forgetting the God who gave them birth. It matters because it names the root of their sin as forgetting their Maker and Redeemer.
Overview
The tender images of God as Rock and birth-giving father heighten the offense of Israel's forgetfulness. To forget God is to lose sight of one's very origin and security. This warning against spiritual amnesia calls believers to remember and treasure their Maker, who has now revealed Himself most fully in Christ, the Rock of salvation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Isa 17:10For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge. Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out cuttings from exotic vines—
- Jer 2:32Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.
- Deut 32:4He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
- Ps 106:21They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
- Deut 8:11Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes, which I am giving you this day.
- Deut 8:14then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Isa 22:10–11You counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore them down to strengthen the wall.
- Hos 8:14Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has multiplied its fortified cities. But I will send fire upon their cities, and it will consume their citadels.
- Ps 44:20–22If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
- Ps 9:17The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations who forget God.
- Deut 32:15But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
- Deut 8:19If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.
- Deut 6:12be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Jer 3:21A voice is heard on the barren heights, the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, because they have perverted their ways and forgotten the LORD their God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 32:18 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.