Deuteronomy 32:28 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 32:28 Commentary: Who Lacks Counsel? A Study of Divine Folly
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore why a nation is called 'void of counsel' in Deuteronomy 32:28. Who does 'they' refer to? Discover the verse's meaning and its call for wisdom.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A nation is described as lacking counsel and understanding, explaining why God nearly destroyed them (or why the enemy misjudged Him).
- Key words: “Void” (אֹבַד, perishing, lost); “counsel” (עֵצָה, advice, purpose); “understanding” (תְּבוּנָה, insight, intelligence).
- Main debate: Whether “they” refers to Israel or to the enemy nations, affecting whether the verse rebukes God’s people or pagan pride.
- Theological theme: Human inability to perceive God’s work without divine wisdom; God’s sovereignty in preserving His name.
- Best use: A warning against spiritual stubbornness and an invitation to seek the wisdom that comes from fearing God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For they are a nation void of counsel. There is no understanding in them.
KJV King James Version 1769
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For a nation lost to counsels are they, And there is no understanding in them.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For they are a nation void of counsel, And understanding is not in them.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
They are a nation without counsel, and without wisdom.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque son gente de perdidos consejos, y no hay en ellos entendimiento.
Porque são gente de perdidos conselhos, E não há neles entendimento.
C’ est une nation qui a perdu le bon sens,
Denn es ist ein Volk, darin kein Rat ist, und ist kein Verstand in ihnen.
Want zij zijn een volk, dat door raadslagen verloren gaat, en er is geen verstand in hen.
Poiché è una nazione che ha perduto il senno, e non v’è in essi alcuna intelligenza.
Albowiem ten naród ginie przez rady swe, i nie ma rozumu.
Ибо они народ, потерявший рассудок, и нет в них смысла.
因為 以色列民 毫無 計謀， 心中 沒有 聰明。
For they are a nation without wisdom; there is no sense in them.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 32:28
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Deuteronomy 32:28 describes a nation lacking spiritual and practical discernment, but they disagree on which nation. Calvin, Matthew Henry, and Wesley identify the nation as Israel, the people God was about to scatter for their rebellion (vv. 26, 27). Gill, however, argues that the verse points to Israel's enemies, the Gentiles who boasted that their own hand had won the victory (v. 27). The Cambridge Bible follows the majority view, taking the nation as Israel. The lexical data shows the nation is “perishing of counsels” (אֹבַ֥ד עֵצ֖וֹת), meaning they have lost the ability to think rightly. Both readings highlight a people who cannot see God’s hand in their circumstances, making the verse a powerful warning against spiritual blindness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Israel referent: The surrounding context (vv. 6, 20) directly addresses Israel as foolish; v. 28 continues the indictment, and v. 29 laments Israel’s lack of wisdom.
- Enemy referent: Verse 27 mentions the enemy’s boast; v. 28 then explains the enemy’s own lack of understanding, showing they too are blind. Gill and some Jewish commentators hold this view.
What is clear: The verse describes a nation that lacks counsel and understanding, and this lack leads to disastrous spiritual consequences.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Referent of 'they' in verse 28 | The verse describes a nation that lacks counsel and understanding. | Is this Israel (Calvin, Matthew Henry) or the pagan enemies (Gill)? The majority of commentators take it as Israel, but some Jewish and Christian interpreters read it as the Gentiles who boasted against God. |
| Nature of the lack of understanding | It is a catastrophic failure of spiritual perception, not mere ignorance but a willful or incurable blindness. | Some see it as God’s judicial hardening (the nation cannot understand because God has given them over), while others see it as their own culpable stubbornness. |
| Purpose of verse 28 in the song | It provides the reason why God’s judgment (or restraint) is just: the nation deserves it because of its folly. | If the nation is Israel, the verse justifies God’s punishment; if the nation is the enemies, it explains why they misinterpret God’s actions. |
| Implication for application | The verse warns against pride and the illusion of self-sufficiency. | Some traditions apply it primarily to the church’s need for dependence on God’s Word; others apply it to unbelievers who reject God, showing their condition as hopeless without grace. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 32 is the Song of Moses, given just before his death. It is a prophetic indictment of Israel’s future unfaithfulness and the judgments that would follow. In the opening chapters of the song, Moses rehearses God’s faithfulness and Israel’s ingratitude (vv. 1, 18). By verse 19, God declares He will hide His face from them and provoke them with a foolish nation. The section from verses 26, 28 forms a turning point: God says He would have obliterated Israel entirely, but He held back because He feared the enemy would misinterpret the destruction and claim their own power caused it (v. 27). Then verse 28 gives the reason for God’s restraint: the nation in view, whether Israel or the enemies, lacks the counsel and understanding to recognize God’s sovereignty.
The surrounding cultural context includes the ancient Near Eastern belief that military victory proved a god’s superiority. God’s concern in verse 27 is that the enemy nations would say, “Our hand is exalted; Yahweh has not done all this.” This reflects the danger of idolatrous pride. The song, then, uses the language of covenantal lawsuit: Israel has broken the covenant, and the nations are witnesses. Yet even those witnesses are blind without divine wisdom. The phrase “void of counsel” (literally “perishing of counsels”) pictures a people whose thinking has collapsed; they can no longer connect God’s actions with His character. It is not merely ignorance but a catastrophic failure of discernment.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Deuteronomy 32:28. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Gill and others read “nation perishing of counsels” which agrees with the Masoretic Text.
Reception History
This verse has been used in Christian tradition to illustrate the blindness of those who reject God’s revelation. Early church fathers like Augustine referenced it when discussing the inability of human reason apart from grace. In the Reformation, Calvin and Luther both applied the verse to Israel as a warning against relying on outward religion without inward wisdom. The phrase “void of counsel” appears in Protestant confessions as a description of natural humanity’s spiritual incapacity. Jewish commentators like Rashi interpreted the verse as referring to the nations, emphasizing God’s justice in allowing Israel’s enemies to act as instruments of judgment. In more recent evangelical preaching, the verse is often cited in sermons on Proverbs to underscore the difference between worldly and godly wisdom.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Blindness of the Nation: Whether Israel or her enemies, both are described as lacking counsel and understanding. This is not a temporary slip but a state of being “perishing” in their thinking (אֹבַד).
- God’s Restraint for His Glory: Verse 27 shows God withholds final judgment not because Israel deserves mercy, but because the enemy would misread the outcome. He acts to preserve the truth of His sovereignty.
- The Cry for Wisdom: Verse 29 follows with a lament: “Oh that they were wise, that they understood this.” The song does not leave readers in despair but points to the value of true wisdom, fearing God and considering one’s latter end.
Five-point outline
- The Context of Judgment: The song sets up a courtroom scene where God prosecutes Israel’s apostasy.
- The Unexecuted Sentence: God says He would scatter Israel, but He stops short (vv. 26, 27).
- The Reason Given: The nation lacks counsel and understanding (v. 28).
- The Enemy’s Pride: If God destroyed Israel completely, the pagans would take credit (v. 27).
- The Lament for Wisdom: God Himself wishes they would grasp their condition (v. 29), opening the door for repentance.
Illustration hooks
- A student who fails a test not because she didn’t study, but because she refused to read the instructions. The knowledge was there, but she rejected it.
- Two drivers blame each other after a fender bender. Neither sees his own mistake, until a dashcam reveals the truth. The nation in verse 28 cannot see the truth that is already on display.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I know if I am being stubborn about something important?
- Is it possible to have knowledge but still lack understanding?
- What does it mean that God “fears” the enemy’s boasting? Does He feel threatened?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at a key moment in the Song of Moses, where God explains why He does not completely destroy His people. The question of who “they” refers to forces us to consider how easily any person, or nation, can become blind to God’s work. As you study together, stay open to the possibility that this passage may expose our own tendency toward spiritual dullness.
Discussion questions
- Read Deuteronomy 32:26, 29. Who do you think the “they” in verse 28 refers to? What reasons does the passage give for your view?
- What does it mean to be “void of counsel” or to have “no understanding”? How does the Hebrew word “perishing” (אֹבַד) deepen the description?
- Why does God say He held back from destroying Israel? What does this teach about His character?
- Verse 27 mentions the enemy’s pride: “Our hand is exalted.” How does pride blind people to God’s actions today?
- Compare Deuteronomy 32:28 with Jeremiah 4:22. What patterns of foolishness do you see in both passages?
- The opposite of being “void of counsel” is the wisdom described in Proverbs 1:7 and Job 28:28. How does the fear of the Lord restore understanding?
- In what areas of your life might you be lacking spiritual discernment without realizing it? How can the group pray for one another in this area?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 32:6 | Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. |
| Job 28:28 | To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’” |
| Psalms 81:12 | So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels. |
| Proverbs 1:7 | The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. |
| Isaiah 27:11 | When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding. Therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them, and he who formed them will show them no favor. |
| Isaiah 29:14 | therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their prudent men will be hidden.” |
| Jeremiah 4:22 | “For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but they don’t know how to do good.” |
| Jeremiah 8:9 | The wise men are disappointed. They are dismayed and trapped. Behold, they have rejected Yahweh’s word. What kind of wisdom is in them? |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin reads the phrase "a nation void of counsel" as describing a people beyond any remedy, not merely foolish but incurable. He notes that the word for "would that" actually expresses pity rather than wish, and the reference to "the latter end" condemns their stupidity: even after many years of punishment they remained senseless, when time itself should have taught them.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible School interpreter argues that the verses describing a senseless, demoralized people refer not to Israel but to their arrogant enemies. This reading gives the warning about God abandoning them a different meaning: it explains how the foes could be scattered despite their strength.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note emphasizes that this nation is utterly destitute of spiritual insight and wise direction. They have no capacity for godly counsel or true understanding, leaving them blind to what God requires.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets the “nation void of counsel” not as Israel but as their Gentile enemies, including both pagans and false Christians like Arians and Pelagians. He argues their lack of understanding shows itself in denying Christ’s deity, trusting self-righteousness, and overstating human nature’s purity and free will.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats the song as a prophetic self-revelation of Jehovah, framed as a dialogue between God and Moses. He sees it as the prototype of all prophecy, a theodicy that moves from Israel's apostasy to final judgment on all enemies, ending with mercy for the true Israel and the nations.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the surprising turn from judgment to mercy as driven by God's concern for His own honor. God withholds full destruction not because Israel deserves it, but to keep the enemy from boasting that their own power, not the Lord, defeated His people. This restraint reveals that God takes no pleasure in punishing sinners.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that the enemies' foolishness lies in their lack of sound judgment. Because they are void of counsel, they consistently make false and foolish assessments about matters, revealing their own folly rather than any real insight.