Secret things, &c. As much as to say, secret things belong to, and are known to God alone: our business must be to observe what he has revealed and manifested to us, and to direct our lives accordingly. (Challoner)

The nations full of surprise, at the miseries, which were inflicted upon the Jews, and upon their country, could not comprehend what might have brought on so severe a chastisement, as they little suspected that it was their worshipping those gods, which they themselves adored, ver. 2. But those who had been converted, and had been able to penetrate the secrets of God, by means of his gracious revelation, answered, (ver. 25, &c.,) that idolatry had been the chief cause of such inconceivable distress, and a crime of no less enormity, the refusing to acknowledge the true God, in the person of the Messias, and the putting him even to a disgraceful death, when he came unto his own, (John i.,) had served to complete their misery. (Haydock)

Moses resumes his discourse, and says that these chastisements had been reserved in the treasury of God’s wrath, and he had not denounced them to their father; but now, since he had told them so plainly, what they had to expect, they would be inexcusable if they ran into the danger. Hebrew may signify, “The secrets of the Lord....are manifest to us.” He has shewn us this favour, in preference to other nations, Psalm cxlvi. 20. (Vatable)

Secret things are known to God, while those only which are manifest can be discerned by men. (Theodoret, q. 38.) (Worthington)

Amama wonders at the negligence of B. Luther’s version; and observes, that his commentators illustrate “the word of Luther, not of God,” in this place, p. 378. (Haydock)