Deuteronomy 31:27 (LSB)

Passage

For I know your rebellion and your stiff-neck; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; how much more, then, after my death?

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 31:25 that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, saying,

Deuteronomy 31:26 “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.

Deuteronomy 31:27 For I know your rebellion and your stiff-neck; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; how much more, then, after my death?

Deuteronomy 31:28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them.

Deuteronomy 31:29 For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the last days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rebellion", "stiff-neck", "behold", "still", "alive", "today", "been", and "rebellious". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rebellion" and "stiff-neck", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Take this book of the law and..." into verse 28's "Assemble to me all the elders of...", so "rebellion" and "stiff-neck" 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 "rebellion" and "stiff-neck" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.