Deuteronomy 1:19-46

Israel's Refusal to Enter the Land

19 "Then we set out from Horeb and 1went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us. And 2we came to Kadesh-barnea.
20 And I said to you, 'You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
21 See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. 3Do not fear or be dismayed.'
22 Then all of you came near me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.'
23 The thing seemed good to me, and 4I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe.
24 And 5they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
25 And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, 'It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.'
26 "Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.
27 And 6you murmured in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD 7hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, 8to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28 Where are we going up? 9Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, 10"The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen 11the sons of the Anakim there."'
29 Then I said to you, 'Do not be in dread or afraid of them.
30 The LORD your God who goes before you 12will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God 13carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.'
32 Yet in spite of this word 14you did not believe the LORD your God,
33 15who went before you in the way 16to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

The Penalty for Israel's Rebellion

34 "And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore,
35 17'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers,
36 18except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!'
37 Even with me 19the LORD was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there.
38 20Joshua the son of Nun, 21who stands before you, he shall enter. 22Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 And as for 23your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today 24have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
40 But as for you, 25turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.'
41 "Then you answered me, 26'We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.' And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country.
42 And the LORD said to me, 27'Say to them, Do not go up or fight, 28for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.'
43 So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and 29presumptuously went up into the hill country.
44 30Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you 31as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as 32Hormah.
45 And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
46 So 33you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.

Deuteronomy 1:19-46 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY

This book is sometimes called "Elleh hadebarim", from the words with which it begins; and sometimes by the Jews "Mishneh Torah", the repetition of the law; and so in the Syriac version, with which agrees the Arabic title of it; and when the Greeks, and we after them, call it "Deuteronomy", it is not to be understood of a second, a new, or another law, but of the law formerly delivered, but now repeated, and also more largely explained; to which are likewise added several particular laws, instructions, and directions; all which were necessary, on account of the people of Israel, who were now a new generation, that either were not born, or not at an age to hear and understand the law when given on Mount Sinai; the men that heard it there being all dead, excepting a very few; and these people were also now about to enter into the land of Canaan, which they were to enjoy as long as they kept the law of God, and no longer, and therefore it was proper they should be reminded of it; and besides, Moses was now about to leave them, and having an hearty desire after their welfare, spends the little time he had to be with them, by inculcating into them and impressing on them the laws of God, and in opening and explaining them to them, and enforcing them on them, which were to be the rule of their obedience, and on which their civil happiness depended. And sometimes the Jews call this book "the book of reproofs", because there are in it several sharp reproofs of the people of Israel for their rebellion and disobedience; and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem begin it by calling it the words of reproof which Moses spake That this book was written by Moses there can be no doubt, from De 1:1, 31:4,9,24, only the eight last verses, which give an account of his death, and of his character, were wrote by another hand, equally inspired by God, as either Eleazar the priest, as some, or Samuel the prophet, as others; or, as it is the more commonly received opinion of the Jews, Ezra; though it is highly probable they were wrote by Joshua his successor. This book was written and delivered by Moses, at certain times in the last month of his life, and towards the close of the fortieth year of the children of Israel's coming out of Egypt. And that it is of divine authority need not be questioned, when the several quotations out of it are observed, as made by the apostles of Christ, in Ac 3:22, Ro 12:19 Heb 10:30, Ga 3:10 out of \De 18:15 32:35,36 27:26\ and by our Lord himself, Mt 18:16 from De 19:15. Yea, it is remarkable, that all the passages of Scripture produced by Christ, to repel the temptations of Satan, are all taken out of this book, Mt 4:7,10 compared with De 8:3, 6:10,13, and the voice from heaven, directing the apostles to hearken to him, refers to a prophecy of him in De 18:15.

\\INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 1\\

The time and place when the subject matter of this book was delivered to the Israelites are observed by way of preface, De 1:1-5, and it begins with reminding them of an order to them to depart from Mount Horeb, and pass on to the land of Canaan, which the Lord had given them, De 1:6-8, and with observing the very great increase of their number, which made it necessary for Moses to appoint persons under him to be rulers over them, whom he instructed in the duty of their office, De 1:9-18, and he goes on to observe, that when they were come to the mountain of the Amorites, they were bid to go up and possess the land; but, instead of that, they desired men might be sent to search the land first, which was granted, De 1:19-23, and though these men upon their return brought of the fruits of the land, and a good report of it, particularly two of them; yet being discouraged by the report of the rest, they murmured, distrusted, and were afraid to enter, though encouraged by Moses, De 1:24-33, which caused the Lord to be angry with them, and upon it threatened them that they should die in the wilderness, and only two of them should ever see and enjoy the land, and therefore were bid to turn and take their journey in the wilderness, De 1:34-40, but being convinced of their evil, they proposed to go up the hill, and enter the land, which they attempted against the commandment of the Lord, but being repulsed by the Amorites, they fled with great loss, to their great grief, and abode in Kadesh many days, De 1:41-46.

Cross References 33

  • 1. Deuteronomy 8:15; Deuteronomy 32:10; Jeremiah 2:6; [Numbers 10:12]
  • 2. See ver. 2
  • 3. Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:9
  • 4. Numbers 13:3
  • 5. See Numbers 13:22-27
  • 6. Psalms 106:25; See Numbers 14:1-4
  • 7. Deuteronomy 9:28
  • 8. [Joshua 7:7]
  • 9. Joshua 14:8
  • 10. Deuteronomy 9:1, 2; See Numbers 13:28-33
  • 11. See Numbers 13:22
  • 12. Deuteronomy 3:22; Exodus 14:14, 25; Joshua 10:14, 42; Joshua 23:3, 10; [Nehemiah 4:20]
  • 13. Deuteronomy 32:11, 12; Exodus 19:4; Isaiah 46:3, 4; Isaiah 63:9; Hosea 11:3
  • 14. Psalms 106:24; Jude 5
  • 15. See Exodus 13:21
  • 16. Numbers 10:33
  • 17. See Deuteronomy 2:15; Numbers 14:20-30
  • 18. Numbers 14:30; Joshua 14:9
  • 19. Deuteronomy 4:21; Deuteronomy 32:51; Deuteronomy 34:4; Numbers 20:12; Numbers 27:13, 14; [Psalms 106:32]
  • 20. Deuteronomy 31:3, 7; Exodus 24:13; [1 Samuel 16:22]
  • 21. Deuteronomy 31:3, 7; Exodus 24:13; [1 Samuel 16:22]
  • 22. Deuteronomy 31:7, 23; Numbers 27:18-20
  • 23. Numbers 14:3, 31
  • 24. Isaiah 7:15, 16
  • 25. Deuteronomy 2:1; Numbers 14:25
  • 26. Numbers 14:40
  • 27. Numbers 14:42
  • 28. [Deuteronomy 31:17]
  • 29. Numbers 14:44
  • 30. Numbers 14:45
  • 31. [Psalms 118:12; Isaiah 7:18]
  • 32. See Numbers 21:3
  • 33. Numbers 20:1, 22; Judges 11:17
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.