Deuteronomy 27

Moses tells Israel what to do when they cross the Jordan: write the law on plastered stones, build an altar on Mount Ebal, and hold a ceremony of blessing and cursing between Gerizim and Ebal. The Levites read out twelve curses, many aimed at secret sins, and the whole people answer ‘Amen.’ Israel is reminded that life in the land depends on keeping God’s covenant.

Deuteronomy 27:1

Moses, with the elders beside him, speaks for the whole leadership of Israel. The command is simple and broad: keep all of God’s commandments. Everything in this chapter flows from that. The law is meant to be lived out, not merely admired.

BSA: Keep (“to protect, attend to, guard”): Keeping God’s commands means guarding them like a treasure, not just obeying when convenient.

Deuteronomy 27:2-3

On the day they cross the Jordan, Israel is to set up large stones, coat them with plaster, and write the whole law on them. Their first act in the land is to put God’s word in public view. The land is a gift, promised to their fathers.

BSA: plaster (“lime, a type of material used for building”): A smooth white surface made the writing clear and readable to all who passed.

See also: Joshua 8:30-32.

Deuteronomy 27:4

The stones are to stand on Mount Ebal, repeating the earlier command. Ebal is the mountain of cursing, yet here it holds the law and, next, an altar. Even the place of warning is a place where sacrifice and God’s word meet.

BSA: Ebal (“the mountain of cursing”): The name points ahead to the curses read there, while sacrifice on the same mountain shows God’s mercy alongside His warning.

Deuteronomy 27:5-6

The altar is to be made of natural, uncut stones, with no iron tool touching them. God’s worship is not to be shaped by human craft or show. It is received as He appoints, and burnt offerings are to be given wholly to Him.

BSA: uncut (“whole, unhewn”): Stones left whole picture worship that is simple and untouched by human improvement.

See also: Exodus 20:25.

Deuteronomy 27:7

The peace offerings were shared meals. The worshipers ate before the LORD and rejoiced. Obedience and sacrifice were not meant to be only solemn. They led to fellowship and gladness in God’s presence.

BSA: rejoicing (“being glad, celebrating”): Joy is part of true worship, not an extra to it.

Deuteronomy 27:8

The law is to be written distinctly on the stones. God’s word is meant to be clear, readable and open to all, not hidden or known only to experts. Anyone who passed by could see what God required.

Hebrew: באר (be’er, H874) — “to make plain, to engrave clearly.” The Hebrew word, used with ‘well’ in other places, carries the sense of making something clear and plain. God wants His word understood.

Deuteronomy 27:9-10

Moses and the priests call Israel to silence and attention. They remind them that they have now become God’s own people. Belonging to Him is the reason for obedience. Listening to His voice and living by His commands is how that belonging shows.

BSA: listen (“hear and obey”): Hearing God’s word is not complete until it becomes obedience.

Hebrew: הַסְכֵּת (haskēt, H5535) — “be silent, pay attention.” This rare word is a call to hush and give full attention, like a hush before something solemn.

See also: Exodus 19:5-6.

Deuteronomy 27:11-13

The tribes are divided between two mountains. Six stand on Gerizim for blessing and six on Ebal for the curse. The valley between them holds the whole people, who hear both promises. Sons of Leah’s and Rachel’s line are on the blessing side. Sons of the maidservants and the eldest and youngest of Leah’s are on the other side.

BSA: bless (“to praise, honor, or kneel in worship”): Blessing here is God’s favor spoken over His people, answered by their worship.

See also: Joshua 8:33-35.

Deuteronomy 27:14

The Levites speak in a loud voice to all Israel. Every person is to hear the words clearly. The curses are not secret rules for a few but a public statement of what the covenant forbids.

BSA: loud (“exalted, raised”): The voice is raised so that all Israel can hear the words.

Deuteronomy 27:15

The first curse is on idolatry, especially the kind set up in secret. A hidden idol shows a heart that has turned away from God while looking faithful in public. The whole people say ‘Amen,’ agreeing that this is just.

BSA: abomination (“detestable thing, disgusting to God”): God does not treat idols as harmless; He finds them deeply offensive. secret (“a hidden place, secretly”): God sees what no one else does.

Hebrew: אָמֵן (amen, H543) — “so be it, truly.” The word comes from a root meaning firm or faithful. To say it is to take the words as your own and agree to be held to them.

See also: Exodus 20:4.

Deuteronomy 27:16

Dishonoring father or mother brings a curse. Home is where respect for authority is first learned. A people who despise their parents will soon despise God and each other.

BSA: dishonors (“treats with contempt, sets light by”): To dishonor is to treat as weightless someone who deserves weight.

See also: Exodus 20:12.

Deuteronomy 27:17

Moving a boundary stone means quietly stealing a neighbor’s land. In Israel each family’s land was a gift from God, so this sin was both theft and a crime against God’s gift. It is greed done by stealth.

See also: Proverbs 22:28.

Deuteronomy 27:18

To mislead a blind man is cruel, because he cannot defend himself. The curse protects the helpless from those who would use their weakness for sport or gain. God watches over those who cannot see.

BSA: wander (“to stray, make a moral mistake”): Leading someone astray in any way, physical or moral, stands under the curse.

See also: Leviticus 19:14.

Deuteronomy 27:19

Foreigners, orphans and widows had no strong family or power to defend them. God takes their side. Bending justice against them draws a curse because He is their defender.

BSA: withholds (“perverts, turns aside”): Justice can be twisted, not just refused, and God counts that as sin.

See also: Exodus 22:21-22; Psalm 68:5.

Deuteronomy 27:20

Sleeping with one’s father’s wife violates the father’s marriage and the family. The phrase ‘uncovering his father’s skirt’ pictures an offense against the father himself. God guards the marriage bond and the family built on it.

BSA: violated (“dishonored, uncovered”): The act exposes what belongs to the father and is meant to be covered and honored.

See also: Leviticus 18:8.

Deuteronomy 27:21

Sexual relations with an animal confuse the order God made, where humans are made in His image and animals are not. It is treated as a grave offense under the covenant.

See also: Leviticus 18:23.

Deuteronomy 27:22

Relations with a half-sister are forbidden. God sets protective limits around family so that it remains a place of safety and trust. Here the curse covers a sister through either parent.

See also: Leviticus 18:9.

Deuteronomy 27:23

Relations with a mother-in-law are also cursed. Marriage joins two families, and these bonds are to be kept pure. The list of sexual sins shows that God cares about faithfulness inside the household, where it is easiest to hide wrongs.

See also: Leviticus 18:17.

Deuteronomy 27:24

Striking down a neighbor in secret is murder by stealth, hoping no one will find out. The curse reminds Israel that God sees what human judges cannot. No hiding place protects the guilty from Him.

BSA: secret (“in hiding, secretly”): Several curses here deal with hidden sins, showing that God knows what is done in the dark.

See also: Exodus 20:13.

Deuteronomy 27:25

Taking a bribe to kill an innocent person joins murder with greed, and often corrupts the courts too. Innocent blood is precious to God, and no payment can make it right.

BSA: innocent (“morally clean, guiltless”): The victim has done nothing to deserve harm, which makes the sin worse.

See also: Exodus 23:7-8.

Deuteronomy 27:26

The last curse covers everything. Anyone who does not uphold the words of the law falls under it. The whole people say ‘Amen,’ admitting that they cannot escape by keeping part. Later Scripture uses this verse to show our need for a Savior.

BSA: put the words of this law into practice (“establish, confirm”): The law is meant to be upheld and made firm in daily life, not just agreed with.

See also: Galatians 3:10-13; James 2:10.