Deuteronomy 4:26
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
Study Note
Study Note
Moses invokes 'heaven and earth as witnesses' against Israel (a covenant-treaty formula), providing a formula of solemn legal testimony that draws on the ancient Near Eastern tradition of deities as treaty witnesses. The ironic twist in Israelite usage is that YHWH, who is normally the guarantor of treaties, here witnesses against his own people — the creation itself (heaven and earth) serves as the impartial court record of covenant stipulations. The Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1) opens with the same formula ('Give ear, O heavens; hearken, O earth'), and Isaiah 1:2 begins similarly — establishing a canonical tradition of prophetic lawsuit (rib) using cosmic witnesses. The motif is important for understanding how covenant documents were legally formulated in the ancient world and how biblical prophecy appropriates that legal structure.
Other Translations
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
I have caused to testify against you this day the heavens and the earth, that ye do perish utterly hastily from off the land whither ye are passing over the Jordan to possess it; ye do not prolong days upon it, but are utterly destroyed;
May heaven and earth be my witnesses against you today, that destruction will quickly overtake you, cutting you off from that land which you are going over Jordan to take; your days will not be long in that land, but you will come to a complete end.
Cross References
The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the …
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without …
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, …
So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations …
O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.
Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have …
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.
When ye have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served …
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and …