Deuteronomy 9:1

1 Hear, O Israel: Thou goest this day across Jordan to inherit nations greater and stronger than yourselves, cities great and walled up to heaven;

Deuteronomy 9:1 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:1

Hear, O Israel
A pause being made after the delivery of the preceding discourse; or perhaps what follows might be delivered at another time, at some little distance; and which being of moment and importance to the glory of God, and that Israel might have a true notion of their duty, they are called upon to listen with attention to what was now about to be said:

thou art to pass over Jordan this day;
not precisely that very day, but in a short time after this; for it was on the first day of the eleventh month that Moses began the repetition of the laws he was now going on with, ( Deuteronomy 1:3 ) , and it was not until the tenth day of the first month of the next year that the people passed over Jordan, ( Joshua 4:19 ) which was about two months after this:

to go in and possess nations greater and mightier than thyself;
the seven nations named ( Deuteronomy 7:1 ) where the same characters are given of them:

cities great and fenced up to heaven;
as they were said to be by the spies, ( Deuteronomy 1:28 ) , and were no doubt both large and strongly fortified, and not to be easily taken by the Israelites, had not the Lord been with them, ( Deuteronomy 9:3 ) .

Deuteronomy 9:1 In-Context

1 Hear, O Israel: Thou goest this day across Jordan to inherit nations greater and stronger than yourselves, cities great and walled up to heaven;

2 a people great and many and tall, the sons of Enac, whom thou knowest, and concerning whom thou hast heard , Who can stand before the children of Enac?

3 And thou shalt know to-day, that the Lord thy God he shall go before thy face: he is a consuming fire; he shall destroy them, and he shall turn them back before thee, and shall destroy them quickly, as the Lord said to thee.

4 Speak not in thine heart, when the Lord thy God has destroyed these nations before thy face, saying, For my righteousness the Lord brought me in to inherit this good land.

5 Not for thy righteousness, nor for the holiness of thy heart, dost thou go in to inherit their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord will destroy them from before thee, and that he may establish the covenant, which the Lord sware to our fathers, to Abraam, and to Isaac, and to Jacob.