Deuteronomy Chapter 30 — Choose Life
Moses promises that God will restore Israel if they return to Him and urges the people to choose life through obedience and love for God.
1It shall happen, when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,
2and return to the LORD your God and obey his voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul,
3that then the LORD your God will release you from captivity, have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.
4If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will bring you back.
5The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you will possess it. He will do you good, and increase your numbers more than your fathers.
6The LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your offspring, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
7The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.
8You shall return and obey the LORD’s voice, and do all his commandments which I command you today.
9The LORD your God will make you prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, for good; for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers,
10if you will obey the LORD your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11For this commandment which I command you today is not too hard for you or too distant.
12It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to heaven, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?”
13Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will go over the sea for us, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?”
14But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil.
16For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it.
17But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away and worship other gods, and serve them,
18I declare to you today that you will surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you pass over the Jordan to go in to possess it.
19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants,
20to love the LORD your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Deuteronomy 30:6
“The LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your offspring, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”
This verse introduces the concept of internal spiritual transformation as the foundation for loving God.
Deuteronomy 30:11
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too hard for you or too distant.”
Moses reassures the people that God's expectations are accessible and within their ability to follow.
Deuteronomy 30:19
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants,”
This is a pivotal moment in the book where the weight of individual and national choice is made explicit.
Chapter Summary
In Deuteronomy Chapter 30, Moses describes a future restoration for the Israelites. He explains that even if they are scattered among the nations due to their disobedience, God will show compassion and gather them back if they return to Him with all their heart and soul. Moses highlights that God will transform their hearts—referred to as circumcising the heart—to enable them to love Him fully. He emphasizes that the commandments given are not impossible to follow or located in distant realms like heaven or across the sea; rather, the word is very near to them. Moses concludes with a profound appeal, setting before the people the choice between life and prosperity or death and evil. He calls heaven and earth to witness this covenant, urging the people to choose life so that they and their descendants may live long in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing life involves loving the Lord, obeying His voice, and clinging to Him. Moses presents this choice as the way to receive God's blessings and remain in the promised land.
Moses promises that if the people return to God and obey Him while in exile, God will have compassion and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth to bring them back to their land.
No, the text explicitly states that the commandment is not too hard or too far away. It says the word is very near to the people, in their mouths and in their hearts.
Study Note
The accessibility of the 'word' described in verses 11-14 emphasizes that God's will is revealed and practical, rather than an esoteric or hidden mystery.
Related Chapters
Romans 10
The Apostle Paul quotes this chapter to discuss the accessibility of faith and the word of God.
Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah references the promises of restoration found in this chapter when praying for the exiles.
Jeremiah 31
The theme of heart transformation parallels the promise of the New Covenant where God writes His law on the heart.
Continue in the App
Get the full experience — immersive audio, instant explanations, highlights, notes, and reading plans.