Deuteronomy 30:12 (ASV)

Passage

It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 30:10 if thou shalt obey the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.

Deuteronomy 30:11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off.

Deuteronomy 30:12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?

Deuteronomy 30:13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heaven", "thou", "shouldest", "shall", "bring", "make", and "hear". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heaven" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "For this commandment which I command thee..." into verse 13's "Neither is it beyond the sea that...", so "heaven" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heaven" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.