Deuteronomy 4:28

Praise and worship

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.

²⁷ And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

²⁹ But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

³⁰ When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
KJV: And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
WEB: There you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
ASV: And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men`s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
DARBY: And ye shall there serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
BLB: And you⁺ will serve gods there—the work of the hands of man—wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

ÅB: Og der skal dere dyrke guder som er gjort av menneskehender, stokk og stein, som ikke ser og ikke hører og ikke spiser og ikke lukter.
OTB: Der vil dere tjene guder laget av menneskehender, av tre og stein, som ikke kan se eller høre eller spise eller lukte.
B1930: Og der skal I dyrke guder som er gjort av menneskehender, stokk og sten, som ikke ser og ikke hører og ikke eter og ikke lukter.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Deuteronomy 28:64
And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Read in context
Jeremiah 16:13
Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.
Read in context
Isaiah 46:7
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 28:36
The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
Read in context
1 Samuel 26:19
Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.
Read in context
Psalms 135:15–18
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
Read in context
Isaiah 44:9
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
Read in context
Ezekiel 20:39
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
Read in context