Deuteronomy — Chapter 1

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1These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.

3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.

4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

5On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:

6The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.

7Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.

8See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

9At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone.

10The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

11May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised.

12But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?

13Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”

14And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.

16At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.

17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

18And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.

19And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,

20I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.

21See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

22Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”

23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

24They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land.

25They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”

26But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.

27You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.

28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”

29So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them!

30The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt

31and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”

32But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,

33who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.

34When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying,

35“Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers,

36except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”

37The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.

38Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land.

39And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it.

40But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”

41“We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

42But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.”

43So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.

44Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah.

45And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.

46For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.

1These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2(There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)

3And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

4After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

5On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

6The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

7Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

8Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

9And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

10The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

11(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

12How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

13Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

14And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

15So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

16And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

17Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

18And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

19And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

20And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.

21Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

22And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

23and the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

24And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

25And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.

26Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:

27And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

28Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

29Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

31And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

32Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

33Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

34And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

35Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

36Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.

37Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

38But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

40But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

41Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

42And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

43So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

44And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

45And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

46So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

1These are the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

2It is eleven days` [journey] from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.

3And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that Jehovah had given him in commandment unto them;

4after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.

5Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

6Jehovah our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain:

7turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites, and unto all [the places] nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

8Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

9And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

10Jehovah your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

11Jehovah, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!

12How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

13Take you wise men, and understanding, and known, according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.

14And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good [for us] to do.

15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.

16And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear [the causes] between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the sojourner that is with him.

17Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God`s: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.

18And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

19And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.

20And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the hill-country of the Amorites, which Jehovah our God giveth unto us.

21Behold, Jehovah thy God hath set the land before thee: go up, take possession, as Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.

22And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.

23And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe:

24and they turned and went up into the hill-country, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

25And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which Jehovah our God giveth unto us.

26Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah your God:

27and ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because Jehovah hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

28Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying, The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.

29Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30Jehovah your God who goeth before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

31and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that Jehovah thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place.

32Yet in this thing ye did not believe Jehovah your God,

33who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day.

34And Jehovah heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

35Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

36save Caleb the son of Jephunneh: he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed Jehovah.

37Also Jehovah was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither:

38Joshua the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage thou him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

40But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

41Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against Jehovah, we will go up and fight, according to all that Jehovah our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and were forward to go up into the hill-country.

42And Jehovah said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

43So I spake unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country.

44And the Amorites, that dwelt in that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah.

45And ye returned and wept before Jehovah; but Jehovah hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you.

46So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode [there].

1This is what Moses said to all of Israel in the Transjordanian wilderness, the arid rift valley opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab.

2Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir.

3However, it was not until the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that Moses addressed the Israelites just as the Lord had instructed him to do.

4This took place after the defeat of King Sihon of the Amorites, whose capital was in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was in Ashtaroth, specifically in Edrei.

5So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words:

6The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, “You have stayed in the area of this mountain long enough.

7Head out and resume your journey. Enter the Amorite hill country, and all its neighboring areas, including the rift valley, the hill country, the foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain—all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates.

8Look! I have already given the land to you. Go, occupy the territory that I, the Lord, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.”

9I also said to you at that time, “I am no longer able to sustain you by myself.

10The Lord your God has increased your population to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky.

11Indeed, may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you just as he said he would!

12But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife?

13Select wise and practical men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.”

14You replied to me that what I had said to you was good.

15So I chose as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials.

16I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens and judge fairly, whether between one person and a native Israelite or a resident foreigner.

17They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing.

18So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do.

19Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense, forbidding wilderness that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the Lord our God had commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea.

20Then I said to you, “You have come to the Amorite hill country, which the Lord our God is about to give us.

21Look, he has placed the land in front of you! Go up, take possession of it, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”

22So all of you approached me and said, “Let’s send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there.”

23I thought this was a good idea, so I sent twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

24They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, which they scouted out.

25Then they took some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying, “The land that the Lord our God is about to give us is good.”

26You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the Lord your God.

27You complained among yourselves privately and said, “Because the Lord hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us!

28What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover, they said they saw Anakites there.”

29So I responded to you, “Do not be terrified of them!

30The Lord your God is about to go ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt

31and in the wilderness, where you saw him carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place.”

32However, through all this you did not have confidence in the Lord your God,

33who would go before you on the way to find places for you to camp, appearing in a fire at night and in a cloud by day to show you the way you ought to go.

34When the Lord heard you, he became angry and made this vow:

35“Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors!

36The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh; he will see it and I will give him and his descendants the territory on which he has walked, because he has wholeheartedly followed me.”

37As for me, the Lord was also angry with me on your account. He said, “You also will not be able to go there.

38However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land.

39Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad, will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it.

40But as for you, turn back and head for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

41Then you responded to me and admitted, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will now go up and fight as the Lord our God has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country.

42But the Lord told me: “Tell them this: ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.’”

43I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the Lord and recklessly went up to the hill country.

44The Amorite inhabitants of that area confronted you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah.

45Then you came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to you whatsoever.

46Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time—indeed, for the full time.

1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.

3In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that Yahweh had given him in commandment to them;

4after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.

5Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying,

6“Yahweh our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain.

7Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all the places near there, in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South, by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

8Behold, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’”

9I spoke to you at that time, saying, “I am not able to bear you myself alone.

10Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.

11Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you!

12How can I myself alone bear your problems, your burdens, and your strife?

13Take wise men of understanding and well known according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.”

14You answered me, and said, “The thing which you have spoken is good to do.”

15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.

16I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him.

17You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”

18I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

19We traveled from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.

20I said to you, “You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God gives to us.

21Behold, Yahweh your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.”

22You came near to me, everyone of you, and said, “Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come.”

23The thing pleased me well. I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe.

24They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.

25They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, “It is a good land which Yahweh our God gives to us.”

26Yet you wouldn’t go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God.

27You murmured in your tents, and said, “Because Yahweh hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

28Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there!’”

29Then I said to you, “Don’t dread, neither be afraid of them.

30Yahweh your God who goes before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

31and in the wilderness, where you have seen how that Yahweh your God bore you, as a man does bear his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”

32Yet in this thing you didn’t believe Yahweh your God,

33who went before you on the way, to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.

34Yahweh heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying,

35“Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land, which I swore to give to your fathers,

36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it. I will give the land that he has trodden on to him, and to his children, because he has wholly followed Yahweh.”

37Also Yahweh was angry with me for your sakes, saying, “You also shall not go in there.

38Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39Moreover your little ones, whom you said would be captured or killed, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, shall go in there. I will give it to them, and they shall possess it.

40But as for you, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

41Then you answered and said to me, “We have sinned against Yahweh, we will go up and fight, according to all that Yahweh our God commanded us.” Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed to go up into the hill country.

42Yahweh said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go up and don’t fight; for I am not among you; lest you be struck before your enemies.’”

43So I spoke to you, and you didn’t listen; but you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill country.

44The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah.

45You returned and wept before Yahweh; but Yahweh didn’t listen to your voice, nor turn his ear to you.

46So you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Moses opens his farewell address on the plains of Moab, reviewing how the LORD had commanded Israel at Horeb to appoint capable leaders as judges over the tribes to share the burden of leadership (vv. 9-18). He recounts sending twelve spies into Canaan from Kadesh-barnea; despite their report of a good land, the people refused to go up and rebelled against the LORD's command (vv. 22-33). As judgment, that entire generation except Caleb and Joshua was barred from entering the land (vv. 34-38), and a later attempt to enter anyway ended in defeat by the Amorites (vv. 41-44). The chapter frames Israel's forty years of wandering as the consequence of that unbelief.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses. Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch, written at the end of the 40 years of wilderness wandering (approximately 1406 BC). Hebrew title: "Devarim" — "Words/Things." Greek title: "Deuteronomion" — "Second Law" (a repetition/expansion of the Law for the new generation). The book consists of Moses' farewell speeches to Israel on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. Moses will not enter with them — these are his final words to the nation he has led for 40 years.
Historical Context: Chapter 1 opens Moses' first address to the new generation of Israel. The date is precise: the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year after the Exodus (v.3). Israel stands on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan, having already defeated Sihon and Og (v.4). The generation that left Egypt has perished in the wilderness — this is their children, who must now hear the story from Moses' own lips. Moses begins not with new law but with history: he recounts the journey from Horeb (Sinai) to Kadesh-barnea, the appointment of judges, the sending of the spies, and the catastrophic failure of faith that condemned their fathers to die in the wilderness. The parenthetical note in verse 2 is devastating: "eleven days' journey from Horeb... unto Kadesh-barnea." What should have taken eleven days took forty years. Moses tells this story so the new generation will not repeat their fathers' sin. Deuteronomy is a sermon — a preacher's final appeal to a people he loves but will never accompany into the land.
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: an eleven-day journey remembered as a forty-year one before the address even properly begins, a whole land already described in its fullness, hill country, coast, Lebanon, before a single step toward it is described, judges appointed the same way Jethro once counseled but retold now as Moses' own decision, a rebellion at Kadesh-barnea blamed on brothers who melted the people's hearts with reports of giants, and a presumptuous attack the morning after repentance that fails precisely because God says I am not among you
The Setting and Introduction (vv.1-5): Moses speaks "on this side Jordan" (KJV) / "beyond the Jordan" (ESV) — east of the Jordan in the land of Moab (vv.1,5). The geographical markers locate Israel in the Arabah wilderness. Verse 2 inserts the painful parenthetical: eleven days' journey became forty years. The date: fortieth year, eleventh month, first day (v.3) — Moses has approximately two months left to live. He "began to declare this law" (KJV) / "undertook to explain this law" (ESV) (v.5) — the Hebrew "be'er" means to make clear, to expound. This is not merely repetition but explanation for a new audience.
The Command to Leave Horeb (vv.6-8): God said: "Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount" (v.6). Time to move. The land is described in its fullness: the hill country, the Arabah, the lowland, the Negeb, the seacoast, Lebanon, all the way to the Euphrates (v.7). God has "set the land before you" (v.8) — it is a gift, already given by oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They need only go in and possess it.
The Appointment of Judges (vv.9-18): Moses recounts his inability to bear the people alone (vv.9,12) — they have become "as the stars of heaven for multitude" (v.10), fulfilling God's promise to Abraham. He appointed wise and experienced men as leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (vv.13-15). The charge to judges: hear righteously, show no partiality, fear no man — "for the judgment is God's" (v.17). This parallels Exodus 18 (Jethro's counsel) and shows God's provision of delegated authority.
The Journey to Kadesh-barnea (vv.19-25): They departed Horeb and crossed "that great and terrible wilderness" (v.19) to Kadesh-barnea. Moses told them: the land is before you — "go up and possess it... fear not, neither be discouraged" (v.21). The people requested spies (v.22). Moses agreed (v.23). Twelve men went up, reached the Valley of Eshcol, brought back fruit, and confirmed: "It is a good land" (v.25).
The Rebellion at Kadesh-barnea (vv.26-33): Despite the good report, the people "would not go up, but rebelled" (v.26). They murmured in their tents, accusing God of hatred: "Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us" (v.27). Their brothers had "discouraged" (KJV) / "made our hearts melt" (ESV) their hearts with reports of giants and fortified cities (v.28). Moses pleaded: God goes before you, He will fight for you, He carried you "as a man doth bear his son" (v.31). Yet they "did not believe the LORD" (v.32) — the God who led them by fire and cloud (v.33).
God's Judgment (vv.34-40): God heard and was wroth. He swore: not one of "this evil generation" shall see the good land (v.35). Two exceptions: Caleb, "because he hath wholly followed the LORD" (v.36), and Joshua, who "shall cause Israel to inherit it" (v.38). Even Moses is barred: "the LORD was angry with me for your sakes" (v.37). The children — those they said would become prey — will inherit instead (v.39). The adults are turned back toward the wilderness and the Red Sea (v.40).
Presumptuous Disobedience (vv.41-46): Too late, the people repent and decide to fight. But God says: "Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you" (v.42). They go anyway — "presumptuously" (v.43). The Amorites chase them "as bees do" and destroy them from Seir to Hormah (v.44). They return weeping, "but the LORD would not hearken" (v.45). Tears without obedience are worthless. They remained at Kadesh "many days" (v.46).

Map & Geography

  • "Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab" (v.5): Moses speaks from the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.
  • "Eleven days' journey from Horeb... unto Kadesh-barnea" (v.2): The tragic parenthetical — an 11-day trip took 40 years.
  • Moses reviews the route: Horeb (Sinai) → "the great and terrible wilderness" → Kadesh-barnea (southern border of Canaan).

Places on this map

  • Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
  • Moabwest-central JordanThe plateau east of the Dead Sea, cut off from Israel by the rift valley and from Ammon by the Arnon gorge. High enough to farm grain, which is why Naomi's family went there in a famine. Wikipedia
  • JerichoJericho, West BankAn oasis at a perennial spring in the Jordan valley, 850 feet below sea level and among the oldest continuously settled sites anywhere. It guarded the ford and the climb up to the central hills, so anyone entering Canaan from the east had to deal with it first. Wikipedia
  • Mount SinaiJebel Musa, Sinai Peninsula, EgyptTraditionally Jebel Musa in the granite mountains of the southern Sinai peninsula, about 7,500 feet high. The identification dates from Christian monastic tradition rather than from the text, and other candidates have been proposed, but this has been the pilgrimage site since the fourth century. Wikipedia
  • CanaanIsrael, West Bank, LebanonThe land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia, which is why armies crossed it for three thousand years. Within about 60 miles it goes from coastal plain to hill country to rift valley to desert plateau, so control of it was always local and piecemeal. Wikipedia
  • Kadesh-barneaAin el-Qudeirat, Egypt/Israel borderThe largest spring in the northern Sinai, about 50 miles south of Beersheba. Israel camped here, sent the spies north from here, and was turned back here to spend a generation in the wilderness. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that Deuteronomy is Moses' sermon to the next generation — a preacher's final appeal. He notes the tragedy of verse 2: eleven days became forty years. The chapter is a warning against unbelief and a reminder that God's promises require faith to receive.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Deuteronomy 1-3 | Remember and Obey | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

A Summary of the Book of Deuteronomy | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Book of Deuteronomy Summary: A Complete Animated Overview
BibleProject

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Deuteronomy -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Unbelief's High Cost (v.2) — An eleven-day journey turned into forty years of wandering because Israel would not trust God's word. What is unbelief costing you today that faith could resolve much sooner?
  • Judging Without Partiality (v.17) — Moses charged the newly appointed judges that the judgment belongs to God, meaning fairness could never bend toward the powerful or the popular. Where are you tempted to treat people differently based on status rather than truth?
  • Slandering God's Character (v.27) — Israel accused the Lord of hating them the moment obedience got hard, twisting His deliverance into an accusation. When circumstances turn difficult, do you default to doubting God's love instead of trusting what He has already proven?
  • Carried Like a Son (v.31) — Even while rebuking their unbelief, Moses reminds Israel that God had carried them through the wilderness the way a father carries his child. Can you look back at a hard season and see God's care underneath the difficulty?
  • Presumption Is Not Faith (vv.41-43) — Israel decided too late to fight, marching up the hill in disobedience after God had already withdrawn His presence, and was defeated as a result. Where might you be pushing ahead in your own strength rather than waiting on God's timing?