John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 29:19

"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." — Deuteronomy 29:19 (ASV)

And it comes to pass when he hears the words... He shows that it is not without reason that he has used so solemn and severe an adjuration, since nothing is more common than for people to flatter themselves and, through frivolity, evade God's decision. He therefore repeats that they are standing before God, who neither deceives nor is deceived, nor even allows Himself to be regarded lightly, so that they may tremble at His threats.

Let the majesty of God, he says, be dreaded by you, so that no one who despises Him and indulges in his own lusts should promise himself impunity. To bless himself in his heart is to hope in his secret imaginations that all will go well, as hypocrites do, who, in their foolish self-adulation, applaud themselves deceitfully, lest they hear God thundering.²⁶⁹

From this passage, therefore, let us learn that nothing is worse than to hope for peace while we wage war with God, and to promise ourselves that He will leave us alone when we provoke Him by the impetuosity of our lusts.

The conclusion of the verse, to add the drunken to the thirsty, is variously explained on account of its ambiguity.²⁷⁰ I am ashamed to repeat the silly triflings of the Hebrew interpreters. To me, it seems unquestionable that Moses, by a proverbial figure of speech, forbids us to excite the appetites of the flesh, already sufficiently heated, by new stimulants.

As, therefore, those who add more flames to a fire already lighted are said to add oil to the grate,²⁷¹ so those who seek incitements to their audacity, in order to sin more freely, are said to add the drunken to the thirsty. For lust in a person is like an insatiable dropsy; and if anyone indulges in such intemperance, he adds the drunken to the thirsty—that is, the madness of his own folly to unrestrained desire.

The Hebrew word רויה (ravah), however, is, in my opinion, used actively, as elsewhere. In Psalm 23:5, it is said, My cup רויה (revayah) runneth over; and, similarly, in Psalm 66:12, a well-watered land²⁷² is expressed by the same word, because it abundantly moistens the grain and grass.

It is very appropriate that the desires of the flesh, that we burn with, should be compared to thirst; and the licentious impetuosity, which carries us away without reflection, to drunkenness; because the sinner stupefies himself into forgetfulness of the distinction between good and evil. And hence Paul calls those who are plunged in brutal forgetfulness of God and themselves ἀπηλγηκότες (past feeling.) (Ephesians 4:19).

²⁶⁹ Addition in Fr., “par maniere de dire.”., “par maniere de dire.”

²⁷⁰ Lat., “Ut addat ebriam sitienti.” ., “Ut addat ebriam sitienti.” A..V., “To add drunkenness to thirst;” ., “To add drunkenness to thirst;” Margin, “The drunken to the thirsty.” So Ainsworth, “To add the drunken, , “The drunken to the thirsty.” So Ainsworth, “To add the drunken, to wit, the drunken , the drunken soul to the thirsty, or the moist to the dry, meaning to add sin unto sin in abundance, as in to the thirsty, or the moist to the dry, meaning to add sin unto sin in abundance, as in Isaiah 30:1.” Dathe follows Le Clerc, and explains it, “to add water to a thirsty soul;” and compares it to .” Dathe follows Le Clerc, and explains it, “to add water to a thirsty soul;” and compares it to Isaiah 44:3, where, he says, the same metaphor is used, though in a good sense., where, he says, the same metaphor is used, though in a good sense.

²⁷¹ “Que ceux, qui augmentent le mal, mettent l’huile en la cheminee;” that those who augment an evil put oil into the chimney. — Fr..

²⁷² A..V., “a wealthy (., “a wealthy (margin, moist) , moist) place.” See Cal. Soc. Comment. on Psalms, .” See Cal. Soc. Comment. on Psalms, vol. 2, p. 473..