And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations, where Yahweh will lead you away.
- BSB Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
- NKJV And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.
- NASB The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you.
- NLT For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.
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
The LORD will scatter Israel among the nations, leaving them few. It foretells exile as the consequence of apostasy.
Overview
Moses predicts that disobedience will lead to dispersion among the peoples, reducing Israel to a small remnant. This forecast anticipates the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles centuries later. Even in scattering, however, the preservation of a remnant leaves room for the hope of restoration.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Deut 28:62–64And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
- Lev 26:33And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
- Neh 1:3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
- Ezek 32:26There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
- Ezek 12:15And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
- Neh 1:8–9Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
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 4:27 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.