| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Deuteronomy Chapter
Thirty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, Deuteronomy 31:1;
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, Deuteronomy 31:9;
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, Deuteronomy 31:14;
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, Deuteronomy 31:23;
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, Deuteronomy 31:28;
which song is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1.
Deuteronomy 31:1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
YLT
1And Moses goeth and
speaketh these words unto all Israel,
And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. The following
words, even to the whole body of the people summoned together on this occasion.
It seems that after Moses had made the covenant with them he was directed to,
he dismissed the people to their tents, and went to his own, and now returned,
having ordered them to meet him again, very probably at the tabernacle; with
which agrees the Targum of Jonathan, he"went to the tabernacle of the
house of doctrine;'though, according to Aben Ezra, he went to the each tribes
separately, as they lay encamped; his words are these,"he went to every
tribe and tribe, to acquaint them that he was about to die, and that they might
not be afraid, and to strengthen their hearts;'he adds,"in my opinion he
then blessed them, though their blessings are afterwards written;'which is not
improbable.
Deuteronomy 31:2 2 And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years
old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’
YLT
2and he saith unto them, `A
son of a hundred and twenty years [am] I to-day; I am not able any more to go
out and to come in, and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou dost not pass over this
Jordan,
And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old
this day,.... Whether the meaning is, that that day precisely was his
birthday, is a question; it may be the sense is only this, that he was now
arrived to such an age; though Jarchi takes it in the first sense, to which are
objected his words in Deuteronomy 31:14;
yet it seems by Deuteronomy 32:48
that having delivered to the children of Israel the song he was ordered this
day to write, on the selfsame day he was bid to go up to Mount Nebo and die:
and it is a commonly received tradition with the Jews, that Moses died on the
same day of the month he was born; See Gill on Deuteronomy 34:7.
I can no more go out and come in; not that he could no
longer go out of his tent and return without great trouble and difficulty,
being so decrepit; but that he could not perform his office as their ruler and
governor, or go out to battle and return as their general; and this not through
any incapacity of body or mind, both being vigorous, sound, and well, as is
clear from Deuteronomy 34:7;
but because it was the will of God that he should live no longer to exercise
such an office, power, and authority:
also the Lord hath said unto me, or "for the Lord
has said"F18ויהוה "praesertim
cum et Dominus", V. L. ו sometimes signifies
"for". See Noldius, p. 285. So Ainsworth and Patrick here. , and so
is a reason of the foregoing; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord
said:"
thou shalt not go over this Jordan: to which he and the
people of Israel were nigh, and lay between them and the land of Canaan, over
which it was necessary to pass in order to go into it; but Moses must not lead
them there, this work was reserved for Joshua, a type of Christ; not Moses and
his law, or obedience to it, is what introduces any into the heavenly Canaan
only Jesus and his righteousness; see Deuteronomy 3:27.
Deuteronomy 31:3 3 The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy
these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself
crosses over before you, just as the Lord
has said.
YLT
3`Jehovah thy God He is
passing over before thee, He doth destroy these nations from before thee, and
thou hast possessed them; Joshua -- he is passing over before thee as Jehovah
hath spoken,
The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee,.... This he
said to encourage the people of Israel; that though he should die, and not go
over with them, their ever living and true God, the great Jehovah, the Lord of
hosts, he would go before them, and fight their battles for them; so that they
had nothing to fear from their enemies:
and he will destroy those
nations from before thee; the seven nations which then inhabited the land:
and thou shalt possess them; their countries, cities,
and houses, fields, and vineyards:
and Joshua, he shall go over
before thee; as their general to fight for them, subdue their enemies, and
put them into the possession of the land, and divide it to them:
as the Lord hath said; Deuteronomy 3:28.
Deuteronomy 31:4 4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the
Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them.
YLT
4and Jehovah hath done to
them as he hath done to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorite, and to their
land, whom He destroyed.
And the Lord shall do unto them as he did unto Sihon, and to Og,
kings of the Amorites,.... Deliver them up into their hands; see the history of this in
Numbers 21:10,
and unto the land of them whom he destroyed; put them into
the possession of the land of Canaan, as they were now in possession of the
land of those two kings he destroyed by them. This instance is given to
encourage their faith, assuring them that what had been done to them would be
done to the Canaanitish kings, and their subjects, and their lands.
Deuteronomy 31:5 5 The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according
to every commandment which I have commanded you.
YLT
5And Jehovah hath given them
before your face, and ye have done to them according to all the command which I
have commanded you;
And the Lord shall give them up before your face,.... To ruin
and destruction; the Targum of Jonathan is,"the Word of the Lord shall
deliver them up:"
that ye may do unto them according to all the commandments which I
have commanded you; that is, utterly destroy them, make no covenant with them, enter
into no alliances nor contract any marriages with them; but demolish their
altars, cut down their groves, and break their images in pieces; of which last
Aben Ezra interprets the words; but they are not to be restrained to that single
instance; see Deuteronomy 7:1.
Deuteronomy 31:6 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of
them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not
leave you nor forsake you.”
YLT
6be strong and courageous,
fear not, nor be terrified because of them, for Jehovah thy God [is] He who is
going with thee; He doth not fail thee nor forsake thee.'
Be strong and of a good courage,.... The Septuagint
version is,"play the men, and be strong;'be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might, trusting and relying on him that goes before you; and so
take heart, and be of good courage, and act the manly part; the apostle seems
to refer to this passage, 1 Corinthians 16:13,
fear not, nor be afraid of them; their enemies, though so
numerous, so mighty, and some of them of a gigantic stature, and their cities
strong and well fenced:
for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee: in comparison
of whom, numbers of men, their strength of body, and fortified places, signify
nothing:
he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee; not fail to
fulfil his promises to them, not leave them till he had given them complete
victory over their enemies, put them into the possession of their land, and
settled them in it. This promise, though made to literal Israel, belongs to the
spiritual Israel of God, and is made good to every true believer in the Lord;
see Hebrews 13:5.
Deuteronomy 31:7 7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight
of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people
to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to
give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.
YLT
7And Moses calleth for
Joshua, and saith unto him before the eyes of all Israel, `Be strong and
courageous, for thou -- thou dost go in with this people unto the land which
Jehovah hath sworn to their fathers to give to them, and thou -- thou dost
cause them to inherit it;
And Moses called unto Joshua,.... Who might be at some
distance from him, with the tribe to which he belonged. The Targum of Jonathan
adds,"out of the midst of the people:"
and said unto him, in the sight of all Israel; now assembled
together, and what follows was said in their hearing, to make him the more
respectable to them:
be strong and of a good courage; the same that is said to
the people in Deuteronomy 31:6,
and which was still more necessary in him, who was to be their general, and to
go at the head of them, and lead them on to battle; and though Joshua was a man
of courage and valour, as well as had military skill, as appears by his fight
with Amalek, Exodus 17:9; yet
such an exhortation was not needless, seeing he had so much work to do, and so
many enemies to contend with:
for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord
hath sworn unto their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to
inherit it; the Targum of Jonathan is,"which the Word of the Lord hath
sworn to give;'the land of Canaan, thither he must go with them; this was the
will and determination of God, and he must go alone without him, Moses, which
would be a trial of his courage.
Deuteronomy 31:8 8 And the Lord, He is
the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor
forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
YLT
8and Jehovah [is] He who is
going before thee, He himself is with thee; He doth not fail thee nor forsake
thee; fear not, nor be affrighted.'
And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee,.... The Word
of the Lord, his Shechinah, according to the above Targum, and so in the next
clause; the same that brought Israel out of Egypt, had gone before them in the
wilderness, and now would go before Joshua and them into the land of Canaan:
he will be with thee; to guide and direct, to
assist and strengthen, to protect and defend, to give success to his arms, and
victory over his enemies:
he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; not fail to
give him counsel and direction, to afford him strength, and to fill him with
courage, and to deliver his enemies into his hands; nor forsake him till he had
finished the work he was to do, had made a complete conquest of the Canaanites,
and settled the people of Israel in their land:
fear not, neither be dismayed; at the number and
strength of the enemy, nor at any difficulties that might lie in the way of
finishing so great an undertaking, since the Lord would be with him; see Romans 8:31.
Deuteronomy 31:9 9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the
priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.
YLT
9And Moses writeth this law,
and giveth it unto the priests (sons of Levi, those bearing the ark of the
covenant of Jehovah), and unto all the elders of Israel,
And Moses wrote this law,.... The book of
Deuteronomy, or the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, which he had now
finished, and which all of them together are sometimes called the law, Galatians 4:21,
and delivered it unto the priests, the sons of Levi; who were the
teachers of the law, as Aben Ezra observes; see Malachi 2:7; and
therefore it was proper to put it into their hands, to instruct the people in
it, and that the people might apply to them in any matter of difficulty, or
when they wanted to have any particular law explained to them:
which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord; for though
they were the Levites, and particularly the Kohathites, who in journeying
carried the ark; see Numbers 4:5; yet
sometimes it was borne by the priests; see Joshua 3:13,
and unto all the elders of Israel; the judges and civil
magistrates in the respective tribes; for as there were in the book of the law
several things which belonged to the priests to perform, and all of them they
were to instruct in, so there were others which were to be the rule of judgment
to judges, and all civil magistrates, and which they were to take care were put
in execution; and therefore it was proper that they should have a copy of this
law, and which must be here understood; for it cannot be thought that one and
the same copy should be given both to the priests and to all the elders. The
Jews say Moses wrote thirteen copies of the law, twelve for the twelve tribes,
and one to be put into the ark, to convict of fraud or corruption, should any
be madeF19Debarim Rabba, sect. 9. fol. 244. 2. .
Deuteronomy 31:10 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every
seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles,
YLT
10and Moses commandeth them,
saying, `At the end of seven years, in the appointed time, the year of release,
in the feast of booths,
And Moses commanded them,.... The priests and the
elders, to whom the law was delivered:
saying; as follows:
at the end of every seven years; every seventh
year was a year of rest to the land, and of remission of debts to poor debtors:
at the close of this year or going out of it, according to the MisnahF20Sotah,
c. 7. sect. 8. , even on the eighth year coming in, the following was to be
done, namely, the reading of the law; and so Jarchi interprets it of the first
year of release, the eighth, that is, the first year after the year of release;
but Aben Ezra better interprets it of the beginning of the seventh year; for as
he elsewhere observes on Deuteronomy 15:1;
the word signifies the extremity of the year, and there are two extremities of
it, the beginning and the end, and the first extremity is meant; which is more
likely than that the reading of the law should be put off to the end of the
year, and which seems to be confirmed by what follows:
in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of
tabernacles, or "in the appointed time"F21במעד "in tempore statuto", Pagninus, Montanus:
stato tempor. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; of the year of release, of
the release of debtors from their debts, Deuteronomy 15:1;
when the time or season appointed and fixed was come: moreover, what is here
directed to being to be done at the feast of tabernacles, shows it to be at the
beginning of the year, since that feast was in the month Tisri, which was
originally the beginning of the year, before the coming of the children of
Israel out of Egypt, and still continued so for many things, and particularly
for the years of releaseF23Misn. Roshhashanah, c. 1. sect. 1. ; and
this was a very proper time for the reading of the law, when all the increase
of the earth and fruits thereof were gathered in; and so their hearts filled,
or at least should be, with gladness and gratitude; and when there was no
tillage of the land, being the seventh year, and so were at leisure for such
service; and when all poor debtors were released from their debts, and so were
freed from all cares and troubles, and could better attend unto it.
Deuteronomy 31:11 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law
before all Israel in their hearing.
YLT
11in the coming in of all
Israel to see the face of Jehovah in the place which He chooseth, thou dost
proclaim this law before all Israel, in their ears.
When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God,.... As all
the males were obliged to do three times in the year, and one of those times
was the feast of tabernacles, and so a proper season for the reading of the
law; see Exodus 23:14;
in the place which the Lord shall choose; the city of
Jerusalem, and the temple there:
thou shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing; the book of
Deuteronomy, as Jarchi, or it may be the whole Pentateuch: who were to read it
is not expressly said; the speech seems to be directed to the priests and
elders, to whom the law written by Moses was delivered, Deuteronomy 31:9;
and who were either to read it themselves, or take care that it should be read.
JosephusF24Antiqu. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 12. ascribes this service to
the high priest; he says, standing in an high pulpit (or on an high
bench),"from whence he may be heard, he must read the laws to all;'but the
Jewish writers commonly allot this work to the king, or supreme governor, who
at least was to read some parts of it; so Jarchi says, the king at first read
Deuteronomy, as it is said in the MisnahF25Sotah, ut supra. (c. 7.
sect. 8.) ;"he read from the beginning of Deuteronomy to Deuteronomy 6:4;
hear, O Israel, &c. and then added Deuteronomy 11:13;
then Deuteronomy 14:22;
after that Deuteronomy 26:12;
then the section of the king, Deuteronomy 17:14;
next the blessings and the curses, Deuteronomy 27:15,
with which he finished the whole section;'and so we find that Joshua, the
governor of the people after Moses, read all his laws, Joshua 8:35; and so
did King Josiah at the finding of the book of the law, 2 Kings 23:2, and
Ezra, Nehemiah 8:3. The
king received the book from the high priest standing, and read it sitting; but
King Agrippa stood and read, for which he was praised.
Deuteronomy 31:12 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little
ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and
that they may learn to fear the Lord your God
and carefully observe all the words of this law,
YLT
12`Assemble the people, the
men, and the women, and the infants, and thy sojourner who [is] within thy
gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn, and have feared Jehovah your
God, and observed to do all the words of this law;
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children,.... At the
three grand festivals in other years, only males were obliged to appear; women
might if they would, but they were not bound to it; but at this time all of
every age and sex were to be summoned and assembled together; and it is saidF26Bartenora
in Misn. Megillah, c. 1. sect. 3. , when the king read in the book of the law,
all the people were obliged to come and bring their families, as it is said Deuteronomy 31:12;
"gather the people", &c. and as it could not be done when it
happened on the sabbath day, the reading of the section was put off to the day
following:
and thy stranger that is within thy gates; not only the
proselyte of righteousness, but the proselyte of the gate that renounced
idolatry, for his further conviction and thorough conversion to the religion of
the true God; or, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, that they might see
the honour and glory of the law. The end is more fully expressed as follows:
that they may hear; all the laws which God had given:
and that they may learn; and attain unto the true
knowledge and right understanding of them:
and fear the Lord your God; serve and worship him
internally and externally, according to these laws:
and observe to do all the words of this law; so take
notice of them as to put them in practice; and reading them in such a solemn
and reverent manner made them the more servable, and raised the greater
attention to them, to the importance of them; otherwise they were read in their
families, and on sabbath days in their synagogues; see Deuteronomy 6:7 Acts 13:15.
Deuteronomy 31:13 13 and that their children, who have not known it,
may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God
as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”
YLT
13and their sons, who have
not known, do hear, and have learned to fear Jehovah your God all the days
which ye are living on the ground whither ye are passing over the Jordan to
possess it.'
And that their children, which have not known anything,.... Of God
and of his law and of their duty to God, to their parents, and the rest of
their fellow creatures:
may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God; hear the law
of God, learn the meaning of it, and so be brought up in the fear, nurture, and
admonition of the Lord, and serve him their Creator in the days of their youth:
as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to
possess it; this being a means to continue the fear, service, and worship of
God in their posterity, and so of their long continuance in the land of Canaan.
Deuteronomy 31:14 14 Then the Lord said to
Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present
yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may inaugurate him.” So Moses
and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting.
YLT
14And Jehovah saith unto
Moses, `Lo, thy days have drawn near to die; call Joshua, and station
yourselves in the tent of meeting, and I charge him;' and Moses goeth -- Joshua
also -- and they station themselves in the tent of meeting,
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... Either at the same
time, or quickly after; rather, perhaps, the same day:
behold, thy days approach that thou must die; which does
not necessarily imply that he had some days to live, though but few; but that
the time of his death drew nigh, his last moments were approaching; the time of
his death being, as every man's is, fixed by the Lord, with whom is the number
of his years, months, days, and moments, beyond which he cannot pass, Job 14:5,
call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the
congregation, that I may give him a charge; this looks as if the
people had been dismissed after the above exhortations given; and now Joshua
was called, and Moses with him, to have a charge given him:
and Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the
tabernacle of the congregation; before the Lord. Aben Ezra says, Moses went
from the camp of Israel where he was, to the camp of the Shechinah; the Jews
pretend to know in what form they walked thither. Moses, they sayF1Debarim
Rabba, sect. 9. fol. 244. 2. , went on the left hand of Joshua; and they went
to the tabernacle, and the pillar of cloud descended and separated between
them.
Deuteronomy 31:15 15 Now the Lord appeared
at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the
door of the tabernacle.
YLT
15and Jehovah is seen in the
tent, in a pillar of a cloud; and the pillar of the cloud standeth at the
opening of the tent.
And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud,.... As he was
wont to do, see Exodus 33:9; in
which cloud there was a lustre, a brightness, a glory visible, which showed
that he was there:
and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle; it seems to
have appeared first in the tabernacle, and then it came out of it, and stood
over the door of it, near to which Moses and Joshua were: the Targum of
Jonathan adds,"Moses and Joshua stood without;'
though
the former clause, according to NoldiusF2Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 164.
No. 737. , should be "over the tabernacle", or above where the cloud
was wont to be.
Deuteronomy 31:16 16 And the Lord said to
Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and
play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to
be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have
made with them.
YLT
16And Jehovah saith unto
Moses, `Lo, thou art lying down with thy fathers, and this people hath risen,
and gone a-whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land into the midst of
which it hath entered, and forsaken Me, and broken My covenant which I made
with it;
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... Out of the pillar of
cloud:
behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; a phrase
expressive of death, frequently used both of good and bad men, which serves to
render death easy and familiar, and less formidable; and to assure and lead
into an expectation of an awaking out of it, or a resurrection from it:
and this people will rise up; in their posterity; for
not till after Joshua's death, and the death of the elders of Israel, did they
revolt to idolatry, Joshua 24:31,
and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land,
whither they go to be amongst them; that is, after the gods
of the Canaanites, who though at this time the inhabitants of the land, yet
when the children of Israel became possessors of it, they were the strangers of
it; and being suffered to continue contrary to the directions God had given to
destroy them, would be a means of drawing them into the worship of their idols,
expressed here by going a whoring after them, or committing whoredom with them.
Idolatry in Scripture is frequently signified by fornication and adultery; and,
as foretold, this was the case; see Psalm 106:35,
and will forsake me: their husband, departing
from his worship and service:
and break my covenant which I have made with them at Sinai; and now again
in the plains of Moab, and which had the nature of a matrimonial contract; see Jeremiah 31:32.
Deuteronomy 31:17 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that
day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall
be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will
say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is
not among us?’
YLT
17and Mine anger hath burned
against it in that day, and I have forsaken them, and hidden My face from them,
and it hath been for consumption, and many evils and distresses have found it,
and it hath said in that day, Is it not because that my God is not in my midst
-- these evils have found me?
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day,.... As the
anger of a man is against his wife who has treacherously departed from him: and
jealousy, which is the rage of such a man, is very cruel; and much more the
wrath and anger of a jealous God, who is a consuming fire:
and I will forsake them; withdraw his favours
from them, and his protection of them:
and I will hide my face from them; take no notice of them
in a providential way for good, nor hear their cries, to deliver them from
evil:
and they shall be devoured; by their enemies, or by
the sore judgments of God, by famine, sword, pestilence, and evil beasts, they
and their substance:
and many evils and troubles shall befall them; both in their
own land, and in other countries, where they would be, and have been carried
captive:
so that they will say in that day, are not these evils come upon
us,
because our God is not amongst us? of which they
would be sensible by their being exposed to their enemies for want of his
protection, and by the evils upon them through his displeasure, and by their
being deprived of the good things that came from him; but no intimation is given
of their being sensible of their sins as the cause of all this.
Deuteronomy 31:18 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of
all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
YLT
18and I certainly hide My
face in that day for all the evil which it hath done, for it hath turned unto
other gods.
I will surely hide my face in that day,.... Which is
repeated for the certainty of it, and that it might be taken notice of; that he
was the spring and source of all their good things, their sun and their shield,
who being withdrawn from them, they would be deprived of every thing that was good,
and be liable to all evil; and this he would do:
for all the evils which they shall have wrought; for all the
immoralities they should be guilty of, every transgression of his law, whether
of the first or second table, and especially idolatry:
in that they are turned unto other gods; to the
worship and service of them, which of all evils would be the most provoking to
God; and the way of speaking suggests as if all evils were included in
idolatry, and sprang from it, or were committed with it.
Deuteronomy 31:19 19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves,
and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song
may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.
YLT
19`And now, write for you
this song, and teach it the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that
this song is to Me for a witness against the sons of Israel,
Now, therefore, write ye this song for you,.... Which was
now dictated by the Lord, and given to Moses and Joshua to write, which is
recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1,
and teach it the children of Israel; teach them by it,
instructing them in the meaning of it: thus it was usual in ancient times to
write things in verses, that they might be the more pleasingly attended to and
regarded, and be longer retained in memory; and especially this practice was
used with children, and still is:
put it in their mouths; oblige them to get it by
heart, or lay it up in their memories, and repeat it frequently, that it may be
familiar to them, and not be forgotten by them:
that this song may be a witness for me against the children of
Israel; when in times to come they shall call to mind how in this song
they were cautioned against such and such sins, and what they were threatened
with should befall them on account of them, and how all things have come to
pass exactly as foretold in it; which would be a testimony for God of his
goodness to them, of his tender care of them, and concern for them, in the
previous cautions he gave them; and of his foreknowledge of future events; and
a testimony against them for their ingratitude and other sins.
Deuteronomy 31:20 20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk
and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled
themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and
they will provoke Me and break My covenant.
YLT
20and I bring them in unto
the ground which I have sworn to their fathers -- flowing with milk and honey,
and they have eaten, and been satisfied, and been fat, and have turned unto
other gods, and they have served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant.
For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware
unto their fathers,.... To give it to them, and put them into the possession of it,
even the land of Canaan, often thus described, and as it is by the following
character:
that floweth with milk and honey; aboundeth with all good
things; see Exodus 3:8,
and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; that is,
after they have for a considerable time enjoyed the good things of the land,
and they abound with them, and increase in them, and have great fullness of
them:
then will they turn unto other gods: turn from the Lord who
has brought them into all this plenty, from the fear, worship, and service of
him, and turn to the worship of idols:
and serve them: the works of men's hands, and at most but
creatures, and not the Creator; than which nothing can be more absurd and
stupid, as well as wicked and ungrateful:
and provoke me: nothing being more provoking to the Lord
than idolatry, it striking at his very nature, being, and glory:
and break my covenant; now made with them; this
being foretold by the Lord, which exactly came to pass in numerous instances,
proves his precise foreknowledge of future events, even such as depend on the
inclinations, dispositions, and wills of men.
Deuteronomy 31:21 21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have
come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it
will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the
inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the
land of which I swore to give them.”
YLT
21`And it hath been, when
many evils and distresses do meet it, that this song hath testified to its face
for a witness; for it is not forgotten out of the mouth of its seed, for I have
known its imagining which it is doing to-day, before I bring them in unto the
land of which I have sworn.'
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are
befallen them,.... As did in the times of the judges, in the Babylonish
captivity, and do now in their present exile:
that this song shall testify against them as a witness; which so
clearly points at their sins, with all their aggravated circumstances, and
describes so fully their calamities, distresses, and punishment for them:
for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; which shows
that it respects time to come, their later posterity, whose memory of this song
would be conjured up by the evils that should come upon them for their sins;
nor is it forgotten by them to this day, who acknowledge there are some things
in it now fulfilled or fulfilling in them:
for I know their imagination which they go about even now: or are
"making"F3עשה
"faciens", Montanus; "quam facit", Pagninus. ; forming and
framing within themselves, there being a secret inclination in their minds to
idolatry, which were working and contriving schemes to bring it about, and set
it up; and this, God, the searcher of hearts, knew full well, and that in
process of time this evil imagination would break forth into act, in an open
and flagrant manner:
before I have brought thee into the land which I sware; to their
fathers, to give it to them for an inheritance, as is suggested in Deuteronomy 31:20.
Deuteronomy 31:22 22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and
taught it to the children of Israel.
YLT
22And Moses writeth this song
on that day, and doth teach it the sons of Israel,
Moses therefore wrote this song the same day,.... The same
day it was dictated to him by divine inspiration; he wrote it, as Josephus saysF4Antiqu.
l. 4. c. 8. sect. 44. ,"in hexameter verse, which he left in the holy
Bible or book (the Pentateuch), containing (as he adds) a prophecy of things
future, according to which all things have been done, and are done; and in
nothing of it has he erred from the truth;'which is a very just account of it,
and worthy of observation:
and taught it the children of Israel; instructed
them in the meaning of it, directed them to repeat it frequently, to lay it up
in their memories, and often meditate upon it; as being a divine composition,
and of great importance, as the consideration of it will make appear.
Deuteronomy 31:23 23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said,
“Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into
the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
YLT
23and He commandeth Joshua
son of Nun, and saith, `Be strong and courageous, for thou dost bring in the
sons of Israel unto the land which I have sworn to them, and I -- I am with
thee.'
And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge,.... It may be
a question who gave this charge, the Lord or Moses; according to the connection
of the words with the preceding, it seems to be the latter; for the immediate
antecedent to the relative he is Moses, and so the Septuagint interpreters
understand it; but then they are obliged to read some following clauses
different from the original, as, instead of "I swear", they read
"the Lord sware"; and the last clause they read, "and he shall
be with thee"; but Aben Ezra gives the same sense without departing from
the common and genuine reading, supposing that Moses gave the charge in the
name and by the authority of the Lord; his words are,"he gave charge by
the commandment of the Lord, therefore he saith, "which I sware unto
them";'but it seems best to understand this of the Lord himself, since he
ordered Moses and Joshua to present themselves before him, that he might give
the latter a charge, Deuteronomy 31:14;
and the language of the following clauses best agrees with him:
and said, be strong and of a good courage; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:6;
See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:7,
for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I
sware unto them; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:7;
and I will be with thee; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:8;
the Targum of Jonathan is,"my Word shall be thy help.'
Deuteronomy 31:24 24 So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words
of this law in a book, when they were finished,
YLT
24And it cometh to pass, when
Moses finisheth to write the words of this law on a book till their completion,
And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the
words of this law in a book,.... In this book of Deuteronomy, and which
concluded the Pentateuch:
until they were finished; all the words of the
law, and the whole five books of Moses, excepting some few verses, Deuteronomy 34:1,
which were added by another hand, Joshua or Ezra.
Deuteronomy 31:25 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of
the covenant of the Lord, saying:
YLT
25that Moses commandeth the
Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,
That Moses commanded the Levites,.... These were not the
common Levites, but the priests who were also Levites, to whom the law was
given, Deuteronomy 31:9;
and none but they might touch the ark, or go so near it as, they are bid to do,
to put the law on the side of it; so Aben Ezra; it follows:
which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord; as the
priests are said to do; see Gill on Deuteronomy 31:9;
for though in journeying the Kohathites carried it, yet not until it was
covered by the priests, for they must not touch it; as these must do when they
put the law on the side of it, as they are ordered in Deuteronomy 31:26.
saying; as follows.
Deuteronomy 31:26 26 “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark
of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there
as a witness against you;
YLT
26`Take this Book of the Law,
and thou hast set it on the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your
God, and it hath been there against thee for a witness;
Take this book of the law,.... Not Deuteronomy
only, but the whole Pentateuch:
and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your
God; not in the ark, for there were nothing there but the two tables
of stone with the ten commands on them, 1 Kings 8:9; but on
one side of it; the Targum of Jonathan says, it was"put in a chest (or
box) on the right side of the ark of the covenant;'which is very probable.
Jarchi observes, that the wise men of Israel are divided about it in the TalmudF5T.
B. Bava Bathra, fol. 14. 1. 2. ; some of them say there was a table (or ledge)
that stood out from the ark without, and there it was put; others say it was
put on the side of the tables of the law within the ark; the former are in the
right:
that it may be therefore a witness against thee; when they
fall into idolatry or any other sin, a transgression of any of the laws therein
contained.
Deuteronomy 31:27 27 for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If
today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death?
YLT
27for I -- I have known thy
rebellion, and thy stiff neck; lo, in my being yet alive with you to-day,
rebellious ye have been with Jehovah, and also surely after my death.
For I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck,.... How
rebellious they were against the Lord and his laws, and how unwilling they were
to admit the yoke of his commandments to be put upon them, and submit to it;
this he had an experience of for forty years past:
behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been
rebellious against the Lord; murmuring at his providences, Exodus 16:8,
speaking against his ministers, Exodus 16:2; breaking
his laws, particularly being guilty of idolatry, in making and worshipping the
golden calf, Exodus 32:8; and
even now, as in Deuteronomy 31:21,
were imagining, forming, and framing in their minds something of the same kind,
from the time of their coming out of Egypt unto this time they were now on the
borders of Canaan; this had all along been their character; see Deuteronomy 9:7,
and how much more after my death? When he would be no more
with them to instruct and advise them, to caution and reprove them, and to keep
them in awe by his authority.
Deuteronomy 31:28 28 Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your
officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and
earth to witness against them.
YLT
28`Assemble unto me all the
elders of your tribes, and your authorities, and I speak in their ears these
words, and cause to testify against them the heavens and the earth,
Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers,.... The heads
of the tribes, the princes, and all other inferior magistrates:
that I may speak these words in their ears; not the words
of the law, but of the song which he was ordered to write, and is recorded in
the following chapter:
and call heaven and earth to record against them; to bear
witness of what he delivered to them, and to bear witness against them should they
transgress the laws he gave them; and to bear witness that they had been
faithfully cautioned against transgressing, and had been severely threatened,
and the punishment plainly pointed out that should be inflicted on them in case
of disobedience, so that they were left entirely without excuse.
Deuteronomy 31:29 29 For I know that after my death you will become utterly
corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will
befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”
YLT
29for I have known that after
my death ye do very corruptly, and have turned aside out of the way which I
commanded you, and evil hath met you in the latter end of the days, because ye
do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to make Him angry with the work of
your hands.'
For I know that after my death,.... Which was just at
hand, some time after that, not immediately; this he knew by a spirit of
prophecy, namely, what follows:
ye will utterly corrupt yourselves; their ways,
works, and manners, and so themselves; corrupt the worship of God by making
idols, and serving them, which is the corruption chiefly intended:
and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you: from the way
of the commandments of God, which Moses had given them in his name, and in
which they were directed to walk; but, as here foretold, would wander and
swerve from them as they did:
and evil will befall you in the latter days; not only in
the times of the judges, and in the time of the Babylonish captivity, but in
their present captivity, as they call it; which shows that the following song
has things in it which respect times at a great distance, and even the present
ones, and yet to come:
because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him
to anger through the work of your hands; their idols, idolatry
being the evil chiefly designed, which is of all things the most provoking of
the Lord.
Deuteronomy 31:30 30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of
Israel the words of this song until they were ended:
YLT
30And Moses speaketh in the
ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, till their
completion: --
And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel,.... Not in
the hearing of the whole body of the people, and every individual thereof; no
man could be able to speak to such a numerous congregation, as that they should
hear him; but in the hearing of their heads and representatives, the elders of
their tribes and officers, ordered to be gathered together for this purpose, Deuteronomy 31:28,
the words of this song, until they were ended; which song is
recorded in the following chapter, Deuteronomy 32:1.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》