Chapter Text
The Altar on Mount Ebal
Curses from Mount Ebal
Summary
Moses introduces the covenant renewal in the land of Moab, distinct from the covenant at Horeb. He recounts the forty years of wandering and God's provision. He warns that if Israel turns to idolatry, the land will be overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah. Future generations and foreigners will ask why God punished the land, and the answer will be that Israel forsook the covenant. The secret things belong to God, but the revealed things belong to Israel and their children forever.
Meaning
The distinction between the Horeb and Moab covenants reveals that God renews His relationship with each generation. The covenant is not merely historical but presently binding upon those who hear it. Every generation stands before God with the same choice.
The closing declaration that 'the secret things belong unto the Lord our God' draws a vital boundary between divine mystery and human responsibility. We are not accountable for what God has not revealed, but we are fully accountable for what He has made known.
Background
This Moab covenant is sometimes called the Palestinian Covenant and is considered by some theologians as distinct from the Sinaitic Covenant. The reference to Sodom and Gomorrah would have been vivid for Israel, encamped near the Dead Sea region where those cities once stood. The ruins served as a visible warning of divine judgment on the wicked.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-4Command to erect stones on Mount Ebal
- vv. 5-8Instructions for the altar and inscribed law
- vv. 9-10Israel declared the people of God
- vv. 11-13Tribes assigned to Gerizim and Ebal
- vv. 14-26The twelve curses pronounced by the Levites
Key Verses
“And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God.”— 27:9
This verse marks a pivotal covenantal declaration — Israel's formal identity as God's people is publicly affirmed, linking obedience to national identity.
“Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.”— 27:15
The first of twelve curses, striking at secret idolatry. It establishes the principle that hidden sin is still accountable before God, a theme echoed throughout Scripture.
“Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”— 27:26
The final, sweeping curse encompasses the entire law. Paul quotes this verse in Galatians 3:10 to demonstrate that no one achieves righteousness by law-keeping, making it doctrinally foundational.
People & Places
People
- Moses — Leader of Israel who, together with the elders and Levitical priests, delivers these covenant instructions before his death.
- The Levites — The priestly tribe charged with pronouncing the twelve curses aloud before the assembled nation.
- Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, Benjamin — The six tribes assigned to stand on Mount Gerizim to pronounce blessing.
- Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali — The six tribes assigned to stand on Mount Ebal for the pronouncement of curses.
Places
- Jordan — The river Israel must cross to enter the Promised Land, marking the boundary between wilderness wandering and covenant inheritance.
- Mount Ebal — A mountain in central Canaan where the plastered stones and altar were to be erected, and where six tribes would stand for the curses.
- Mount Gerizim — The mountain opposite Ebal where six tribes would stand to pronounce blessing over the people.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
The sweeping curse of verse 26 — 'Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them' — is directly cited by Paul in Galatians 3:10 to demonstrate humanity's inability to achieve righteousness through law. Paul then declares in Galatians 3:13 that 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,' revealing that this passage foreshadows the necessity of a Redeemer who would bear the covenant curse on behalf of His people.
Devotional
Deuteronomy 27 reminds us that faith is not a private matter. Israel was called to publicly affirm their commitment to God — with stones, altars, and their own voices saying "Amen" to His standards. The twelve curses address sins often committed in secret: hidden idolatry, quiet exploitation of the vulnerable, private immorality.
God sees what others cannot. This chapter invites honest self-examination rather than mere outward conformity. Yet the very severity of the curse points us toward grace — toward the One who bore the curse so that blessing might come to all who believe.
Literary Style
This chapter blends instructional narrative (vv. 1–13) with liturgical proclamation (vv. 14–26). The twelve curses form a highly structured litany, each following an identical formula — 'Cursed be he that…' answered by the congregation's 'Amen' — creating a responsive, ceremonial rhythm designed for public covenant renewal.