They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
They have made me jealous by worshipping things that are not God; they have made me angry with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by using people who are not even a nation; I will make them angry by using a nation they think is foolish.
God is saying that since His people chose to worship fake gods instead of Him, He will use other nations (who don't even know Him) to accomplish His purposes and make His people realize what they've lost.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from Moses' final song to Israel before his death, warning them about their future unfaithfulness. Moses prophesied that Israel would abandon God for idol worship after entering the Promised Land. The 'foolish nation' likely refers to the various pagan nations God would use to discipline Israel throughout their history.
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