And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
Parallel translations
- WEB and lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.”
- BSB You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.”
- NKJV then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’
- NASB Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’
- NLT He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’
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 is warned against thinking their own power and strength produced their wealth. Self-reliance robs God of glory.
Overview
Moses exposes the prideful heart that credits its own ability for prosperity. This temptation denies that every good gift comes from God. The warning confronts the universal human pride that takes credit for grace, calling instead for humble acknowledgment of God as the giver of all.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Deut 9:4Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
- 1 Cor 4:7For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
- Dan 4:30The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
- Isa 10:8–14For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
- Hos 12:8And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
- Deut 7:17If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
- Hab 1:16Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:17 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.