Deuteronomy – Chapter 30

Old Testament20 Verses

Chapter Summary

Deuteronomy 30 opens with the words: "Now when all these things shall be come upon thee, the blessing or the curse, which I have set forth before thee, and thou shalt be touched…" The chapter centers on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Across its 20 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and love and charity. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1Now when all these things shall be come upon thee, the blessing or the curse, which I have set forth before thee, and thou shalt be touched with repentance of thy heart among all the nations, into which the Lord thy God shall have scattered thee,

2And shalt return to him, and obey his commandments, as I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul:

3The Lord thy God will bring back again thy captivity, and will have mercy on thee, and gather thee again out of all the nations, into which he scattered thee before.

4If thou be driven as far as the poles of heaven, the Lord thy God will fetch thee back from hence,

5And will take thee to himself, and bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it: and blessing thee, he will make thee more numerous than were thy fathers.

6The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed: that thou mayst love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayst live.

7And he will turn all these curses upon thy enemies, and upon them that hate and persecute thee.

8But thou shalt return, and hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and shalt do all the commandments which I command thee this day:

9And the Lord thy God will make thee abound in all the works of thy hands, in the fruit of thy womb, and in the fruit of thy cattle, in the fruitfulness of thy land, and in the plenty of all things. For the Lord will return to rejoice over thee in all good things, as he rejoiced in thy fathers:

10Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep his precepts and ceremonies, which are written in this law: and return to the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.

11This commandment, that I command thee this day is not above thee, nor far off from thee:

12Nor is it in heaven, that thou shouldst say: Which of us can go up to heaven to bring it unto us, and we may hear and fulfil it in work?

13Nor is it beyond the sea: that thou mayst excuse thyself, and say: Which of us can cross the sea, and bring it unto us: that we may hear, and do that which is commanded?

14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayst do it.

15Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the other hand death and evil:

16That thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and keep his commandments and ceremonies and judgments, and bless thee in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.

17But if thy heart be turned away, so that thou wilt not hear, and being deceived with error thou adore strange gods, and serve them:

18I foretell thee this day that thou shalt perish, and shalt remain but a short time in the land, to which thou shalt pass over the Jordan, and shalt go in to possess it.

19I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

20And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy days,) that thou mayst dwell in the land, for which the Lord swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give it them.

Important Verses in Deuteronomy 30

The Lord thy God will bring back again thy captivity, and will have mercy on thee, and gather thee again out of all the nations, into which he scattered thee before.

Deuteronomy 30:3

The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed: that thou mayst love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayst live.

Deuteronomy 30:6

Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep his precepts and ceremonies, which are written in this law: and return to the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.

Deuteronomy 30:10

And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy days,) that thou mayst dwell in the land, for which the Lord swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give it them.

Deuteronomy 30:20

Historical Context

As a Old Testament book, Deuteronomy was written with the new generation of Israel about to cross the Jordan into Canaan in view. Chapter 30 of 34 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a legal and cultic instruction given to Israel regarding worship, holiness, and daily life with 20 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The chapter focuses on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose actions and words drive the passage forward. It opens with the line: "Now when all these things shall be come upon thee, the blessing or the curse, which I have set forth before thee, and…" It concludes: "And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of…" The wider setting of Deuteronomy is this: Deuteronomy means 'second law': Moses' final sermons on the plains of Moab, renewing the Sinai covenant for the generation about to enter Canaan. Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Deuteronomy around Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC.

Who Wrote It

Presented as Moses' farewell discourses; compiled and edited by inspired scribes, likely in the 7th century BC

When It Was Written

Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC

Catholic Commentary

At the literal level, Deuteronomy 30 delivers commandments and ritual instructions given under the old covenant. A pivotal line is verse 3: "The Lord thy God will bring back again thy captivity, and will have mercy on thee, and gather thee again out of all the nations, into which he scattered thee…" The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

Catholic exegesis reads Deuteronomy 30 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. Jesus cited Deuteronomy's command to love God as the greatest commandment (CIC 2083). St. Augustine and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 1700).

For Christians today, the chapter's lesson is clear: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. The Church invites us to receive this word not as antiquarian information but as living Scripture proclaimed at Mass and prayed in lectio divina.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Love of God and love of neighbor sum up the whole law and reveal the very nature of God.
  • True conversion means turning away from sin and returning to God with our whole heart.

People in This Chapter

Abraham1 mentionIsaac1 mentionJacob1 mention

Reflection for Today

Deuteronomy Chapter 30 belongs to the Old Testament and forms part of the Catholic canon proclaimed in the liturgy of the Word.

Through typology, the Church often reads Old Testament passages as preparing for Christ, while New Testament passages reveal Him explicitly. Jesus cited Deuteronomy's command to love God as the greatest commandment (CIC 2083). Here the believer is invited to ponder perseverance through trial.

Consider praying with this chapter again at day's end, offering God gratitude for one insight received. The Church encourages daily contact with Scripture (CIC 1988) so that Christ's mind may be formed in us.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Deuteronomy Chapter 30 about?

Deuteronomy 30 contains 20 verses. It opens with "Now when all these things shall be come upon thee, the blessing or the curse, which I have set forth before thee, and…" and closes with "And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of…". The book as a whole is covenant discourses and law.

What is a key verse in Deuteronomy 30?

One of the most significant verses is verse 3: "The Lord thy God will bring back again thy captivity, and will have mercy on thee, and gather thee again out of all the nations, into which he scattered thee before." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Deuteronomy Chapter 30?

This chapter mentions Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.

Who wrote Deuteronomy and when?

Presented as Moses' farewell discourses; compiled and edited by inspired scribes, likely in the 7th century BC. Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC.

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