Deuteronomy 29:19

Literal Standard Version

and it has been, in his hearing the words of this oath, that he has blessed himself in his heart, saying, I have peace, though I go on in the stubbornness of my heart—in order to sweep away the watered with the thirsty.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.

Hebrew Names Version
and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have shalom, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.

King James Version
And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

Lexham English Bible
And then when he hears the words of this oath, then he will assure himself in his heart, saying, ‘Safety shall be mine even though I go in the stubbornness of my heart,' thereby destroying the well-watered land along with the parched.

English Standard Version
one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.

New Century Version
These are the kind of people who hear these curses but bless themselves, thinking, "We will be safe even though we continue doing what we want to do." Those people may destroy all of your land, both wet and dry.

New English Translation
When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself and says, "I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit." This will destroy the watered ground with the parched.

Amplified Bible
"It will happen that when he (a renegade) hears the words of this oath, and he imagines himself as blessed, saying, 'I will have peace and safety even though I walk within the stubbornness of my heart [rejecting God and His law], in order that the watered land dwindles away along with the dry [destroying everything],'

New American Standard Bible
"And it shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will consider himself fortunate in his heart, saying, 'I will do well though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land along with the dry.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
So that when he heareth the words of this curse, he blesse him selfe in his heart, saying, I shall haue peace, although I walke according to the stubburnes of mine owne heart, thus adding drunkennesse to thirst.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to sweep away the watered land with the dry.'

Contemporary English Version
You may be an Israelite and know all about the Lord 's agreement with us, but he won't bless you if you rebel against him. You may think you can get away with it, but you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.

Complete Jewish Bible
But Adonai will not forgive him. Rather, the anger and jealousy of Adonai will blaze up against that person. Every curse written in this book will be upon him. Adonai will blot out his name from under heaven.

Darby Translation
and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to sweep away the drunken with the thirsty.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Some people might hear these curses and comfort themselves by saying, ‘I will continue doing what I want. Nothing bad will happen to me.' But that attitude will bring total disaster.

George Lamsa Translation
And when he hears the words of this oath, he shall reason in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst;

Good News Translation
Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.

Literal Translation
and it happens when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to snatch away the drunken with the thirsty.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
so that though he heare the wordes of this curse, he blesse him selfe yet in his hert, and saye: Tush, it shal not be so euell. I wil walke after the meanynge of myne awne hert, that the dronken maye perishe with the thyrstie.

American Standard Version
and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.

Bible in Basic English
If such a man, hearing the words of this oath, takes comfort in the thought that he will have peace even if he goes on in the pride of his heart, taking whatever chance may give him:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
So that when he heareth the wordes of this othe, he blesse hym selfe in his heart, saying: I shall haue peace, I wyll walke in the meanyng of myne owne heart: to put the drunken to the thirstie.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
the LORD will not be willing to pardon him, but then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy shall be kindled against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven;

King James Version (1611)
And it come to passe when he heareth the wordes of this curse, that hee blesse himselfe in his heart, saying, I shall haue peace, though I walke in the imagination of mine heart, to adde drunkennesse to thirst:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall be if one shall hear the words of this curse, and shall flatter himself in his heart, saying, Let good happen to me, for I will walk in the error of my heart, lest the sinner destroy the guiltless with him:

English Revised Version
and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of mine heart, to destroy the moist with the dry:

Berean Standard Bible
because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, 'I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.' This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and whanne he hath herd the wordis of this ooth, he blesse hym silf in his herte, and seie, Pees schal be to me, and Y schal go in the schrewidnesse of myn herte; and lest the drunkun take the thirsti,

Young's Literal Translation
`And it hath been, in his hearing the words of this oath, and he hath blessed himself in his heart, saying, I have peace, though in the stubbornness of my heart I go on, in order to end the fulness with the thirst.

Update Bible Version
and it comes to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it should come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he should bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

World English Bible
and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.

New King James Version
and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates [fn] of my heart'--as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.

New Living Translation
"Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.' This would lead to utter ruin!

New Life Bible
When one hears the words of this curse, he will say in his pride, ‘I have peace even though I am strong-willed in my heart.' This will destroy the land that is watered along with the dry land.

New Revised Standard
All who hear the words of this oath and bless themselves, thinking in their hearts, "We are safe even though we go our own stubborn ways" (thus bringing disaster on moist and dry alike)—

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and so it come to pass while he is hearing the words of this oath, that he will bless himself in his heart - saying, Prosperity, shall I have, although in the stubbornness of my heart, I go on, - so that the drunkenness addeth to the thirst:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he shall hear the words of this oath, he should bless himself in his heart saying: I shall have peace, and will walk on in the naughtiness of my heart: and the drunken may consume the thirsty,

Revised Standard Version
one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This would lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, 'I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry.'

Contextual Overview

¹⁰You are standing today, all of you, before your God YHWH: your heads, your tribes, your elderly, and your authorities, every man of Israel, ¹¹your infants, your wives, and your sojourner who [is] in the midst of your camps, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water, ¹²for your passing over into the covenant of your God YHWH, and into His oath which your God YHWH is making with you today, ¹³in order to establish you to Himself for a people today, and He Himself is your God, as He has spoken to you, and as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. ¹⁴And I am not making this covenant and this oath with you alone, ¹⁵but with him who is here with us, standing before our God YHWH today, and with him who is not here with us today, ¹⁶for you have known how you dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we passed by through the midst of the nations which you have passed by; ¹⁷and you see their abominations, and their idols of wood and stone, silver and gold, which [are] with them, ¹⁸lest there be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart is turning from our God YHWH today, to go to serve the gods of those nations, lest there be in you a root bearing the fruit of gall and wormwood; ¹⁹and it has been, in his hearing the words of this oath, that he has blessed himself in his heart, saying, I have peace, though I go on in the stubbornness of my heart—in order to sweep away the watered with the thirsty.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

this curse: Deuteronomy 29:12, Genesis 2:17

that he bless: Deuteronomy 17:2, Numbers 15:30, Numbers 15:39, Psalms 10:4-6, Psalms 10:11, Psalms 49:18, Psalms 94:6, Psalms 94:7, Proverbs 29:1, Jeremiah 5:12, Jeremiah 5:13, Jeremiah 7:3-11, Jeremiah 28:15-17, Jeremiah 44:16, Jeremiah 44:17, Jeremiah 44:27, Ezekiel 13:16, Ezekiel 13:22, Ephesians 5:6

though I walk: Numbers 15:30, Ecclesiastes 11:9, Romans 1:21, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Ephesians 4:17

imagination: or, stubborness, Jeremiah 3:17, Jeremiah 7:24, *marg.

to add: A very forcible metaphor, denoting the natural progress and increasing avidity of sinful passions and depraved inclinations; which lead men to drink down iniquity as the drunkard does his liquor, without regard to the consequences. Some render, "to add thirst to drunkenness;" and then it implies the insatiableness of men's sinful passions, which hanker for more and more indulgence after the greatest excesses.

drunkenness to thirst: Heb. the drunken to the thirsty

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:4 - Ye Genesis 4:11 - General Genesis 6:5 - every imagination Numbers 25:6 - in the sight of Moses Deuteronomy 11:28 - General Judges 2:14 - the anger 2 Chronicles 18:26 - until I return Job 34:7 - General Psalms 10:3 - and blesseth Psalms 36:2 - For he Proverbs 3:33 - curse Proverbs 23:35 - I will Isaiah 30:1 - the rebellious Isaiah 65:2 - after Jeremiah 2:25 - after Jeremiah 11:3 - General Jeremiah 16:12 - imagination Jeremiah 18:12 - we will walk Jeremiah 23:17 - imagination Jeremiah 35:17 - Behold Jeremiah 36:23 - he cut Jeremiah 36:29 - Thou hast Jeremiah 42:14 - we will go Jeremiah 42:21 - but Zechariah 5:3 - the curse Zechariah 11:5 - Blessed Malachi 4:6 - and smite Luke 1:51 - the imagination Luke 21:22 - all Luke 21:34 - surfeiting 1 Thessalonians 5:3 - Peace

Cross-References

Psalms 12:2
They each speak vanity with his neighbor, || Lip of flattery! With heart and heart they speak.

Isaiah 6:5
And I say, "Woe to me, for I have been silent, || For I [am] a man of unclean lips, || And I am dwelling in [the] midst of a people of unclean lips, || Because the King, YHWH of Hosts, my eyes have seen."

Isaiah 6:11
And I say, "Until when, O Lord?" And He says, "Surely until cities have been ruined without inhabitant, || And houses without man, || And the ground is ruined—a desolation,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it cometh to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse,.... That is, the man before compared to a root bearing bitter herbs, when he should hear the curses pronounced by the law against such persons as himself:

that he bless himself in his heart; inwardly pronounce himself blessed, thinking himself secure from the curse of the law, and flattering himself it will never reach him nor come upon him:

saying, I shall have peace; all happiness and prosperity, in soul, body, and estate; inward peace of mind now, and eternal peace hereafter:

though I walk in the imagination of my heart; in worshipping idols which he vainly and wickedly imagined to be gods; to the worship of which his wicked heart prompted him, and he was resolutely and stubbornly bent upon, and in which he continued:

to add drunkenness to thirst; as a thirsty man to quench his thirst drinks, and adds to that, or drinks yet more and more until he is drunken; so a man inclined to idolatry, that has a secret desire after it, thirsts after such stolen or forbidden waters, and drinks of them, adds thereunto, drinks again and again until he is drunk with the wine of fornication, or idolatry, as it is called Revelation 17:2; so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan understand the words of adding sin to sin, particularly of adding sins of ignorance to pride, or to presumptuous ones. Wicked men, deceivers and deceived, always grow worse and worse, increasing to more ungodliness, and yet promise themselves peace and impunity, 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare on the thought Jeremiah 23:17. The secret and presumptuous sinner is meant who flatters himself that all is well and will be well with him, since he follows his own devices and prospers. Compare Psalms 73:11 ff.

To add drunkenness to thirst - The sense is probably: “Himself, drinking iniquity like water, Job 15:16, he corrupts and destroys others who are thirsting for it or prone to it.”

The sense of the whole passage from Deuteronomy 29:16 onward to Deuteronomy 29:20 may be exhibited thus: “Ye have seen the abominations of idolatry among the pagan. Do you therefore look diligently that there be no secret idolater among you; a root of bitterness to all about him. Let there be no one, I say, who when he hears the curses of the Law against this sin, flatters himself, saying within himself, ‘All will be well, for I walk unmolested in my own self-chosen path; ‘ and thus acting, not only takes his own fill of sin, but destroys likewise every tempted brother within his reach, for the Lord will not spare him,” etc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 29:19. To add drunkenness to thirst — A proverbial expression denoting the utmost indulgence in all sensual gratifications.