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Deuteronomy 9:5-15

Listen to Deuteronomy 9:5-15
5 1Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm 2the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
6 “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are 3a stubborn people.
7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. 4From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.
8 Even 5at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you.
9 6When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain 7forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.
10 And 8the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire 9on the day of the assembly.
11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.
12 Then the Lord said to me, 10‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have 11turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image. ’

The Golden Calf

13 12“Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is 13a stubborn people.
14 14Let me alone, that I may destroy them and 15blot out their name from under heaven. And 16I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they. ’
15 17So I turned and came down from the mountain, and 18the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

Deuteronomy 9:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 9

In this chapter the Israelites are assured of the ejection of the Canaanites, though so great and mighty, to make room for them, De 9:1-3, and they are cautioned not to attribute this to their own righteousness, but to the wickedness of the nations which deserved to be so treated, and to the faithfulness of God in performing his promise made to their fathers, De 9:4-6, and that it might appear that it could not be owing to their righteousness, it is affirmed and proved that they had been a rebellious and provoking people from their coming out of Egypt to that time, as was evident from their idolatry at Horeb; a particular account of which is given, and of the displeasure of the Lord at it, De 9:7-21, and of their murmurings, with which they provoked the Lord at other places, De 9:22-24, and the chapter is closed with an account of the prayer of Moses for them at Horeb, to avert the wrath of God from them for their making and worshipping the golden calf, De 9:25-29.

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Cross References 18

  • 1. 9:5 [Titus 3:5]
  • 2. 9:5 See Gen. 50:24
  • 3. 9:6 ch. 10:16
  • 4. 9:7 ver. 24; ch. 31:27; [Ex. 14:11; 15:24; 16:2; 17:2; Num. 11:4; 14:2, 11, 41; 20:2; 21:5; 25:2]
  • 5. 9:8 Ex. 32:4; Ps. 106:19
  • 6. 9:9 Ex. 24:12, 15
  • 7. 9:9 Ex. 24:18; 34:28; [1 Kgs. 19:8; Matt. 4:2; Luke 4:1, 2]
  • 8. 9:10 Ex. 31:18
  • 9. 9:10 ch. 4:10; 10:4; 18:16; Ex. 19:17
  • 10. 9:12 Ex. 32:7, 8
  • 11. 9:12 [ch. 31:29; Judg. 2:17]
  • 12. 9:13 Ex. 32:9
  • 13. 9:13 [See ver. 6 above]
  • 14. 9:14 Ex. 32:10
  • 15. 9:14 ch. 7:24; 25:19; 29:20; Ex. 17:14
  • 16. 9:14 Num. 14:12
  • 17. 9:15 Ex. 32:15
  • 18. 9:15 ch. 4:11; 5:23; Ex. 19:18
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025

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