Deuteronomy 11:16

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived,.... By observing the influence of the heavens upon the fruitfulness of the earth, and so be drawn to the worship of the host of them, the

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; No JFB commentary on these verses.

That your heart be not deceived by the specious pretenses of idolaters, who will plead the general consent of all nations, except yours, in the worship of creatures, and that they worship the creatures only for God’ s sake, and as they are glorious works of God, whom they worship in and by them; which, and the like arguments, being commonly alleged by heathens for their idolatries, as their own writers declare, might possibly seduce an unwary Israelite; and therefore they are here cautioned against such deceit, and withal it is implied, that if a man’ s mind be corrupted and deceived, so as he believes idolatry to be lawful, this will not excuse him in the sight of God.

Deuteronomy 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;Ver. 16. That your heart be not deceived.] Having first deceived itself; for "the heart is deceitful above all things," and may say to many, as the heart of Apollonius the tyrant seemed to say to him, who dreamed one night, that he was flayed by the Scythians, and boiled in a caldron, and that his heart spake to him out of the kettle and said, Eγωσοιτουτωναιτια, It is I that have drawn thee to all this. Those in hell cry so. Plut.

(16) Take heed to yourselves—i.e., when you are satisfied. (Comp. Deuteronomy 8:10-11.)

16, 17. The enjoyment of so much blessing in the land suggests, as usual (cp. Deuteronomy 6:14 f., Deuteronomy 8:19 f.), a warning against being deceived into attributing it to other gods, i.e. the Baalim, already regarded in the land as the authors of its fertility, and worshipping them. Whether this warning is from the same hand as the preceding vv. is difficult to determine. The fact that it is in the Pl. while they are in the Sg., and that it is not so necessary to their argument as it is to the context in Deuteronomy 6:14 f. and Deuteronomy 8:19 f., suggests here another hand. At the same time it is relevant to what precedes, and in Deuteronomy 11:17 directly attaches itself to that. Nor is it all compiled of formulas. 16. Take heed to yourselves] See on Deuteronomy 4:9; only here and Deuteronomy 4:23 with Pl. lest your heart be deceived] So Job 31:27. and ye turn aside] With both Sg. and Pl., see on Deuteronomy 13:5. 17. the anger of the Lord, etc.] See Deuteronomy 6:14 f., Deuteronomy 7:4. and he shut up the heaven … fruit] These clauses found in D only here (but cp. Deuteronomy 28:23 f. and the deuteronomic 1 Kings 8:35). Fruit, rather produce, yebûl, found, save for Judges 6:4, only in the later O.T. writings from Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:27) and D onwards, cp. Deuteronomy 32:22. Thus not only in the climate of Palestine, blessed directly from heaven, but in its interruptions also Israel are to see the personal Providence of their God. and ye perish quickly, etc.] So, with slight variations, Deuteronomy 4:26. the good land] Deuteronomy 1:35.