Deuteronomy 29:17

Summary

The verse recalls that the addressees have seen the "detestable things" and "idols" of other nations — objects made of wood, stone, silver, and gold — which were among those peoples. It functions as a reminder within Moses' address, referring back to firsthand observation.

Key words

• tir'u ("you saw", H7200G) — qal verb, second person masculine plural, continuing the narrative chain begun by the vav; grammatically it reports a completed collective observation by the audience.
• shiqqutzeihem ("their detestable things", H8251) — masculine plural noun in construct form with the third person masculine plural suffix hem (H9028), literally "detestable-things-of-them."
• gilulei ("idols", H1544) — masculine plural noun, also in construct form, paired with hem (H9028) again to give "idols of them."
• 'asher ("which", H0834A) — relative particle introducing a clause that further qualifies the list of materials (wood, stone, silver, gold).
• 'immahem ("with them", H5973A + H9038) — preposition with pronominal suffix, indicating that these objects were physically present/located among the peoples referenced.

What the text says

The sentence is built as a single continuous clause introduced by the narrative va (H9001) attached to tir'u ("and you saw"), which places the action in sequence with the preceding verses. The direct object marker 'et (H0853) appears twice, once before shiqqutzeihem and once before gilulei...hem, marking both nouns as objects of the verb "to see." Both nouns are in construct form with the third person masculine plural suffix hem (H9028), producing parallel possessive phrases: "their detestable things" and "their idols" — the possessor being the foreign nations discussed earlier in the passage (not explicitly named within this verse's word list).

After naming these two categories, the text lists the materials composing them: 'etz ("wood", H6086G), 'even ("stone", H0068G), kesef ("silver", H3701G), and zahav ("gold", H2091), joined by simple conjunctions (va, ve, H9002). This is an appositional list specifying what the "detestable things" and "idols" are made of, rather than a separate clause. The relative particle 'asher (H0834A) then introduces a final qualifying clause, "which were with them," using the preposition 'im (H5973A) with the suffix hem (H9038) — grammatically distinct from the earlier possessive suffix hem (H9028) attached directly to the nouns. This clause locates the objects as being in the possession or vicinity of the referenced group.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders shiqqutzeihem simply as "τὰ αὐτῶν" ("their things"), without a term corresponding to "detestable" as explicit as the Hebrew shiqqutzei (H8251), while the Vulgate uses "abominationes et sordes" ("abominations and filth"), effectively doubling the sense where the Hebrew has one term. The BSB and RV1909 render the final relative clause "among them" or "que tienen consigo" ("that they have with them"), while the Vulgate reads "quae colebant" ("which they worshipped"), introducing an interpretive verb of worship not present in the Hebrew relative clause 'asher 'immahem ("which were with them").