Deuteronomy 31:10-20

10 and commaunded them sayenge: At the ende of .vij. yere, in the tyme of the fre yere, in the fest of the tabernacles,

11 when all Israel is come to appere before the Lorde thi God, in the place which he hath chosen: se that thou reade this lawe before all Israel in their eares

12 Gather the people together: both men, wemen and childern and the straungers that are in thi cities, that they maye heare, lerne and feare the Lorde youre God, and be diligent to kepe all the wordes of this lawe,

13 and that theyr childern which knowe nothinge maye heare and lerne to feare the Lorde youre God, as longe as ye lyue in the londe whother ye goo ouer Iordayne to possesse it.

14 And the Lorde sayed vnto Moses: Beholde thy dayes are come, that thou must dye. Call Iosua and come and stonde in the tabernacle of witnesse, that I maye geue him a charge. And Moses and Iosua went and stode in the tabernacle off witnesse.

15 And the Lorde apeared in the tabernacle: euen in the pyler off the cloude. And the piler of the cloude stode ouer the dore of the tabernacle.

16 And the Lorde sayed vnto Moses: beholde, thou must slepe with thi fathers, and this people will goo a whorynge after straunge goddes off the londe whother they goo and will forsake me and breake the appoyntement which I haue made with them.

17 And then my wrath will waxe whote agenst them, and I will forsake them and will hyde my face from them, and they shalbe consumed. And when moch aduersyte and tribulacion is come vppon them, then they will saye: because oure God is not amonge us,

18 these tribulacions are come vppon us. But I wil hyde my face that same tyme for all the euels sake which they shall haue wrought, in that they are turned vnto straunge goddes.

19 Now therfore write ye this songe, and teach it the childern of Israel and put it in their mouthes that this songe maye be my witnesse vnto the childern of Israel.

20 For when I haue brought them in to the londe whiche I sware vnto their fathers that runneth with mylke ad honye, then they will eate and fyll them selues and waxe fatt and turne vnto straunge goddes and serue them and rayle on me and breake my testament.

Deuteronomy 31:10-20 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.