John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 4:25

"When thou shalt beget children, and children`s children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image in the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, to provoke him to anger;" — Deuteronomy 4:25 (ASV)

When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children. Although at the outset he only refers to idolatry, yet, because he from there takes occasion to speak out generally against the transgressors of the Law, and denounces punishment against them, I have thought it advisable to introduce this passage among the Sanctions of the Law.

He had already strictly forbidden them to turn aside to idols; he now requires this instruction to be handed down to their grandchildren and their whole lineage, as if he had said that they must continue faithfully in the pure worship of God, not only so that they would not deprive themselves of entering the land of Canaan, but also so that, after having long enjoyed quiet possession of it, they would not be expelled from it.

For long possession might have hardened their minds in security and arrogance, as if they had no change to fear. Therefore, so that as time passed they would not trust that they were firmly established and proceed to greater license, he now reminds them that the punishment he had already taught them to expect for themselves would also be extended to their descendants. For it was no less easy for God to drive their²⁵⁷ distant posterity from their quiet nest than it would have been for Him to prevent them from taking possession of it.

But although he is treating of idols, he still addresses them on the subject of the curse, which overhangs all despisers of God. And, so that the threat may affect them more deeply, he calls on “heaven and earth to witness,” as if he had said that even inanimate things without reason were somehow conscious of God’s vengeance.

The opinion of those²⁵⁸ who think that angels and men are designated this way by metonymy is a poor one, for we shall see a little later that the same form of expression is repeated. And when he says in his song, Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth (Deuteronomy 32:1), it is to signify by hyperbole that his address is worthy of being listened to by all creatures. Thus Isaiah, to shame the Jews more, who had become stupefied in their folly, addresses his words to the heavens and earth (Isaiah 1:2).

When he calls heaven and earth to witness God’s vengeance, it means that God's vengeance will appear as clearly as the heaven and earth appear before our eyes. After he has said that they shall perish, he also declares in what manner: namely, that God would scatter them here and there and reduce them to a small number.

What follows might seem absurd, because it should not be counted among their punishments that they would serve idols among strangers, when in fact they had already worshipped them voluntarily in their own land.

But this difficulty is easily solved in two ways. First, banishment was a just reward for them, so that there they might fully indulge these impure dispositions. Thus, there would be an antithesis between the Gentile nations and the Holy Land, as if God had said that He would not suffer them to profane the latter with their superstitions. Second, when the veil was, so to speak, removed, they would be ashamed when compelled to serve dead idols. Nor can it be doubted that they were then wounded in spirit by the same disgusting practices in which they had previously taken pleasure; and I (see ante on Deuteronomy 28:36, p. 254) have stated elsewhere that I prefer this latter sense.

Meanwhile, he reproaches them for their stupidity in adoring²⁵⁹ dead images, formed of corruptible things and the work of men’s hands.

²⁵⁷ “Abnepotes,” — Lat.; .; i..e., their grandchild’s grandchildren.., their grandchild’s grandchildren.

²⁵⁸ “When he calls heaven and earth to witness, he calls all things which are in heaven and in earth, by metonomy; and especially angels and men, who are properly called witnesses. Thus Theodoret. So the Poet says: “When he calls heaven and earth to witness, he calls all things which are in heaven and in earth, by metonomy; and especially angels and men, who are properly called witnesses. Thus Theodoret. So the Poet says:

²⁵⁹ “Des marmousets sans sens;” senseless puppets. — Fr..