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Deuteronomy 31:1-29

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Joshua to Succeed Moses

1 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel.
2 And he said to them, "I am 1 120 years old today. I am no longer able to 2go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, 3'You shall not go over this Jordan.'
3 The LORD your God 4himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, 5as the LORD has spoken.
4 And the LORD will do to them 6as he did to Sihon 7and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
5 And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them 8according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you.
6 9Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, 10for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. 11He will not leave you or forsake you."
7 Then 12Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 13"Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.
8 It is the LORD 14 who goes before you. He will be with you; 15he will not leave you or forsake you. 16Do not fear or be dismayed."

The Reading of the Law

9 Then Moses 17wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, 18who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
10 And Moses commanded them, 19"At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at 20the Feast of Booths,
11 when all Israel comes 21to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, 22you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12 23Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
13 and that their children, 24who have not known it, 25may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, 26as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

Joshua Commissioned to Lead Israel

14 And the LORD said to Moses, 27"Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that 28I may commission him." And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
15 And 29the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
16 And the LORD said to Moses, 30"Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and 31whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will 32forsake me and 33break my covenant that I have made with them.
17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and 34I will forsake them and 35hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, 36'Have not these evils come upon us because 37our God is not among us?'
18 And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because 38they have turned to other gods.
19 "Now therefore write 39this song and 40teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be 41a witness for me against the people of Israel.
20 For when I have brought them into the land 42flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and 43grown fat, 44they will turn to other gods and serve them, and 45despise me and 46break my covenant.
21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as 47a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For 48I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give."
22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 49And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, 50"Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. 51I will be with you."
24 When Moses had finished 52writing the words of this law in a book to the very end,
25 Moses commanded 53the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
26 "Take this Book of the Law 54and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for 55a witness against you.
27 For I know how rebellious and 56stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, 57you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death!
28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak 58these words in their ears and 59call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29 For I know that after my death 60you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And 61in the days to come 62evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, 63provoking him to anger through the work of your hands."
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Your Daily Verse - Deuteronomy 31:8
Do Not Be Discouraged
He is Always Faithful

Deuteronomy 31:1-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 31

Moses being old, and knowing he should quickly die, and must not go over Jordan with the people of Israel, acquaints them with it, and encourages them and Joshua to go over notwithstanding, and not be afraid of their enemies, since the Lord would go with them, and deliver them into their hands, De 31:1-8; and having written the law, he delivered it to the priests, and ordered that it should be read at the end of every seven years before all the people, that they and theirs might learn it, and fear the Lord, De 31:9-13; and whereas the death of Moses was very near, and the Lord foreseeing the people would quickly fall into idolatry, which would bring great calamities upon them, he directed Moses to write a song, which should be a witness for him, and against them, in ages to come; which Moses accordingly did, De 31:14-22; and Moses having given a charge to Joshua, and finished the writing of the law in a book, gave it to the Levites to put it in the side of the ark, De 31:23-27; and then ordered the chief of the tribes to be gathered together, that he might deliver the song, which by the direction and under the inspiration of God he had written, De 31:28-30; which song is recorded in De 32:1-43.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 63

  • 1. Deuteronomy 34:7; [Exodus 7:7]
  • 2. See Numbers 27:17
  • 3. Deuteronomy 3:27; See Deuteronomy 1:37
  • 4. Deuteronomy 9:3
  • 5. Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 3:28; Numbers 27:18, 21
  • 6. See Deuteronomy 2:31-35; Numbers 21:21-25
  • 7. See Deuteronomy 3:1-7; Numbers 21:33-35
  • 8. See Deuteronomy 7:2
  • 9. ver. 23; Joshua 1:6, 7; Joshua 10:25; 1 Chronicles 22:13; 1 Chronicles 28:20
  • 10. See Deuteronomy 20:4
  • 11. Joshua 1:5
  • 12. [Deuteronomy 3:28]
  • 13. [See ver. 6 above]
  • 14. See Exodus 13:21
  • 15. [See ver. 6 above]
  • 16. Deuteronomy 1:21; Deuteronomy 7:18; Joshua 1:9; Joshua 8:1; Joshua 10:25
  • 17. [Deuteronomy 17:18]
  • 18. Numbers 4:15; Joshua 3:3; Joshua 8:33; 1 Chronicles 15:15
  • 19. See Deuteronomy 15:1
  • 20. See Leviticus 23:34
  • 21. Deuteronomy 16:16; Exodus 23:14, 17; Exodus 34:23
  • 22. Joshua 8:34, 35; 2 Kings 23:2; See Nehemiah 8:1-3
  • 23. Deuteronomy 4:10
  • 24. Deuteronomy 11:2
  • 25. Psalms 78:5, 6
  • 26. See Deuteronomy 4:10
  • 27. [Deuteronomy 34:5; Numbers 27:13]
  • 28. [ver. 23; Numbers 27:19]
  • 29. Exodus 33:9; Numbers 12:5
  • 30. [See ver. 14 above]
  • 31. Exodus 34:15, 16; Leviticus 20:5; Numbers 15:39
  • 32. Deuteronomy 32:15; Judges 2:12; Judges 10:6, 13
  • 33. Judges 2:20
  • 34. 2 Chronicles 12:5; 2 Chronicles 15:2; 2 Chronicles 24:20
  • 35. Deuteronomy 32:20; Psalms 30:7; Psalms 104:29; Isaiah 8:17; Isaiah 64:7; [Isaiah 59:2]
  • 36. Judges 6:13
  • 37. Numbers 14:42
  • 38. ver. 20
  • 39. See Deuteronomy 32:1-43
  • 40. [2 Samuel 1:18]
  • 41. ver. 21, 26
  • 42. See Exodus 3:8
  • 43. Deuteronomy 32:15; Nehemiah 9:25, 26; Jeremiah 5:28; Hosea 13:6
  • 44. ver. 18
  • 45. Numbers 14:11, 23; Numbers 16:30
  • 46. [See ver. 16 above]
  • 47. ver. 19, 26
  • 48. [Hosea 5:3; Hosea 13:5]
  • 49. [ver. 14]
  • 50. See ver. 6
  • 51. ver. 8; Joshua 1:5; Joshua 3:7
  • 52. ver. 9
  • 53. See ver. 9
  • 54. [2 Kings 22:8]
  • 55. ver. 19, 21
  • 56. See Deuteronomy 9:6
  • 57. See Deuteronomy 9:7
  • 58. See Deuteronomy 32:1-43
  • 59. See Deuteronomy 4:26
  • 60. Judges 2:19; Hosea 9:9
  • 61. See Genesis 49:1
  • 62. [Jeremiah 44:23]
  • 63. Deuteronomy 4:25; Deuteronomy 9:18; Deuteronomy 32:16, 21; 1 Kings 16:7; 2 Kings 22:17
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.