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Texts -- Deuteronomy 1:1-28 (NET)

Context
The Covenant Setting
1:1 This is what Moses said to the assembly of Israel in the Transjordanian wastelands , the arid country opposite Suph , between Paran and Tophel , Laban , Hazeroth , and Di Zahab 1:2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir . 1:3 However, it was not until the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that Moses addressed the Israelites just as the Lord had instructed him to do. 1:4 This took place after the defeat of King Sihon of the Amorites , whose capital was in Heshbon , and King Og of Bashan , whose capital was in Ashtaroth , specifically in Edrei . 1:5 So it was in the Transjordan , in Moab , that Moses began to deliver these words :
Events at Horeb
1:6 The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said , “You have stayed in the area of this mountain long enough . 1:7 Get up now, resume your journey , heading for the Amorite hill country , to all its areas including the arid country , the highlands , the Shephelah , the Negev , and the coastal plain – all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River , that is, the Euphrates . 1:8 Look ! I have already given the land to you. Go , occupy the territory that I, the Lord , promised to give to your ancestors Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , and to their descendants .” 1:9 I also said to you at that time , “I am no longer able to sustain you by myself . 1:10 The Lord your God has increased your population to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky . 1:11 Indeed, may the Lord , the God of your ancestors , make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you just as he said he would! 1:12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife ? 1:13 Select wise and practical men , those known among your tribes , whom I may appoint as your leaders .” 1:14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good . 1:15 So I chose as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men , placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands , hundreds , fifties , and tens , and also as other tribal officials . 1:16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens and judge fairly , whether between one citizen and another or a citizen and a resident foreigner . 1:17 They must not discriminate in judgment , but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings , for judgment belongs to God . If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing .
Instructions at Kadesh Barnea
1:18 So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do . 1:19 Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense , forbidding wilderness that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the Lord our God had commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea . 1:20 Then I said to you, “You have come to the Amorite hill country which the Lord our God is about to give us. 1:21 Look , he has placed the land in front of you! Go up , take possession of it, just as the Lord , the God of your ancestors , said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged !” 1:22 So all of you approached me and said , “Let’s send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there.” 1:23 I thought this was a good idea , so I sent twelve men from among you, one from each tribe . 1:24 They left and went up to the hill country , coming to the Eshcol Valley , which they scouted out . 1:25 Then they took some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying , “The land that the Lord our God is about to give us is good .”
Disobedience at Kadesh Barnea
1:26 You were not willing to go up , however, but instead rebelled against the Lord your God . 1:27 You complained among yourselves privately and said , “Because the Lord hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us! 1:28 What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover , they said they saw Anakites there .”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • River

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'aphik, properly the channel or ravine that holds water (2 Sam. 22:16), translated "brook," "river," "stream," but not necessarily a perennial stream (Ezek. 6:3; 31:12; 32:6; 34:13). (2.) Heb. nahal, in winter a "t...

  • Plain

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'abel (Judg. 11:33), a "grassy plain" or "meadow." Instead of "plains of the vineyards," as in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version has "Abel-cheramim" (q.v.), comp. Judg. 11:22; 2 Chr. 16:4. (2.) Heb. 'elon...

  • Moses

    [ebd] drawn (or Egypt. mesu, "son;" hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen. 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years before the birth of Moses. ...
    [isbe] MOSES - mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet. I. LIFE 1. Son of Levi 2. Foundling Prince 3. Friend of the Pe...
    [smith] (Heb. Mosheh , "drawn," i.e. from the water; in the Coptic it means "saved from the water"), the legislator of the Jewish people, and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion. The immediate pedigree of Moses is a...
    [nave] MOSES A Levite and son of Amram, Ex. 2:1-4; 6:20; Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23. Hidden in an ark, Ex. 2:3. Discovered and adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, Ex. 2:5-10. Learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, Acts 7:22. His loyalt...

  • Magistrate

    [ebd] a public civil officer invested with authority. The Hebrew shophetim, or judges, were magistrates having authority in the land (Deut. 1:16, 17). In Judg. 18:7 the word "magistrate" (A.V.) is rendered in the Revised Version "...

  • MOUNTAIN OF THE AMORITES

    [smith] specifically mentioned (1:19,20) comp. Deuteronomy 1:44 It seems to be the range which rises abruptly from the plateau of et-Tih , south of Judea, running from a little south of west to north of east, and of which the extremi...

  • MOUNT OF THE AMORITES

    [ebd] the range of hills which rises abruptly in the wilderness of et-Tih ("the wandering"), mentioned Deut. 1:19, 20, "that great and terrible wilderness."
    [isbe] MOUNT OF THE AMORITES - ("Hill-country of the Amorites" (Dt 1:7,20,24; compare Nu 13:29; Josh 10:6, etc.)): The region intended is that afterward known as the hill country of Judah and Ephraim, but sometimes "Amorites" is us...

  • LAW OF MOSES

    [ebd] is the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply "the Law" (Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written code it is called the "b...
    [smith] It will be the object of this article to give a brief analysis of the substance of this law, to point out its main principles, and to explain the position which it occupies in the progress of divine revelation. In order to do...

  • LABAN

    [ebd] white. (1.) The son of Bethuel, who was the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. He lived at Haran in Mesopotamia. His sister Rebekah was Isaac's wife (Gen. 24). Jacob, one of the sons of this marriage, fled to the house of Laba...
    [smith] (white). Son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel. (B.C. about 1860-1740.) The elder branch of the family remained at Haran, Mesopotamia, when Abraham removed to the land of Canaan, and it is there th...

  • Judge

    [isbe] JUDGE - juj (shopheT; New Testament dikastes, krites): In the early patriarchal times the heads of families and the elders of the tribes were the judges (compare Gen 38:24), and their authority was based on custom. In the wi...
    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • JOSHUA (2)

    [isbe] JOSHUA (2) - || I. FORM AND SIGNIFICANCE OF NAME II. HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF JOSHUA 1. First Appearance 2. The Minister of Moses 3. One of the Spies 4. The Head of the People (1) His First Act--Sending of the Spies (2) Crossi...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Hill

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. gib'eah, a curved or rounded hill, such as are common to Palestine (Ps. 65:12; 72:3; 114:4, 6). (2.) Heb. har, properly a mountain range rather than an individual eminence (Ex. 24:4, 12, 13, 18; Num. 14:40, 44, 45)...

  • Government

    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Galilee

    [ebd] circuit. Solomon rewarded Hiram for certain services rendered him by the gift of an upland plain among the mountains of Naphtali. Hiram was dissatisfied with the gift, and called it "the land of Cabul" (q.v.). The Jews calle...

  • Father

    [ebd] a name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Judg. 17:10; 18:19; 1 Sam. 10:12; 2 Kings 2:12; Matt. 23:9, etc.). (3) ...

  • Faith

    [nave] FAITH. 2 Sam. 22:31; Psa. 5:11; Psa. 7:1; Psa. 9:9, 10; Psa. 18:30; Psa. 32:10; Psa. 33:18, 19; Psa. 34:8, 22 vs. 1-8;; Psa. 2:12. Psa. 36:7; Psa. 40:4; Psa. 64:10; Psa. 78:7 vs. 5-7.; Psa. 84:5, 12; Psa. 112:5, 7, 8; Psa. ...

  • Exodus

    [ebd] the great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they were brought out of the land of Egypt with "a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm" (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8; Ps 114; 136), about B.C. 1490, and four hundre...

  • Captain

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered "chief," Gen. 40:2; 41:9; rendered also "prince," Dan. 1:7; "ruler," Judg. 9:30; "governor,' 1 Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a military captain (Ex. 18:21; 2 K...

  • Beast

    [ebd] This word is used of flocks or herds of grazing animals (Ex. 22:5; Num. 20:4, 8, 11; Ps. 78:48); of beasts of burden (Gen. 45:17); of eatable beasts (Prov. 9:2); and of swift beasts or dromedaries (Isa. 60:6). In the New Tes...

  • AMORITE, THE AMORITES

    [smith] (dwellers on the summits, mountaineers), one of the chief nations who possessed the land of Canaan before its conquest by the Israelites. As dwelling on the elevated portions of the country, they are contrasted with the Canaa...

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Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Again the Israelites complained because there was no water to drink when they camped at Rephidim (cf. 15:24). At Marah there was bad water, but now there was none.". . . the supreme calamity of desert travellers befell them--...
  • As a Midianite, Jethro was a descendant of Abraham as was Amalek. Both were blood relatives of the Israelites. Nevertheless the attitudes of the Amalekites and Jethro were very different, though Midian as a nation was hostile...
  • When the book opens the Israelites were in the second month of the second year after they departed from Egypt (1:1). In chapters 7-10 we read things that happened in the nation before that. These things happened when Moses fi...
  • The Israelites had been at Mt. Sinai for almost one year (Exod. 19:1; Num. 10:11). All that Moses recorded as occurring between Exodus 19:1 and Numbers 10:11 took place during those twelve months.Even though this region conta...
  • 13:1-2 When the people arrived at Kadesh the Lord told them to go up and take possession of the land He had promised them (Deut. 1:19-21). Kadesh stood in the Desert of Zin, which was a section of the great Paran wilderness. ...
  • The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible was its first two words, elleh haddebarim, which translate into English as "these are the words"(1:1). Ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties began with exactly the same words.1So ...
  • Moses evidently wrote this book on the plains of Moab shortly before his death, which occurred about 1406 B.C.The Mosaic authorship of this book is quite easy to establish. The book claims to be the words of Moses (1:5, 9; 5:...
  • Let me share with you a couple of quotations that point out the importance of this book."Deuteronomy is one of the greatest books of the Old Testament. Its significance on the domestic and personal religion of all ages has no...
  • I. Introduction: the covenant setting 1:1-5II. Moses' first major address: a review of God's faithfulness 1:6-4:40A. God's past dealings with Israel 1:6-3:291. God's guidance from Sinai to Kadesh 1:6-462. The march from Kades...
  • This brief section places the events that follow in their geographical and chronological setting. It introduces the occasion for the covenant, the parties involved, and other information necessary to identify the document and...
  • ". . . an explicit literarystructure to the book is expressed in the sermons or speeches of Moses; a substructureis discernible in the covenantal character of the book; and a theologicalstructure is revealed in its theme of t...
  • Moses began his recital of Israel's history at Horeb because this is where Yahweh adopted the nation by making the Mosaic Covenant with her. The trip from Egypt to Sinai was only preparation for the giving of the covenant. Th...
  • "The passage at hand is without comparison as a discourse on the doctrine of God."56Moses' three rhetorical questions (vv. 32-34) clearly point out the uniqueness of Yahweh."In addition to His self-disclosure in event, in his...
  • These verses are similar to 1:4-5. They summarize and introduce with historical references what follows. In a larger sense these verses summarize all of chapters 1-3. This is narration about Moses, not a discourse by Moses."T...
  • "From a literary standpoint Deut 9:1-10:11 is a travel narrative much like Deut 1:6-3:29, with which, in fact, it shares much in common. For example, both are introduced (1:1-5; 9:1-6) and concluded (3:29; 10:11) by a setting...
  • As in the other sections of Deuteronomy here too Moses' emphasis was on underlying principles more than on procedures. Here he stressed the principle of justice.16:18-20 Probably the people chose the judges, and the leaders o...
  • Moses recognized that when Israel settled in Canaan and took on the characteristics of other nations (e.g., a homeland, political organization, etc.) her people would desire a king. As he revealed the mind of God here a king ...
  • Chapter 29 verse 1 is the last verse of chapter 28 in the Hebrew Bible. Moses probably intended it to be a summary statement of what precedes rather than an introduction to what follows. The renewed Mosaic covenant to which M...
  • The emphasis in this section is on God's faithfulness in bringing Israel to its present position (cf. 1:6-4:40). To do this God had provided for the people in the wilderness and had given them victory over some of their enemi...
  • The duty of obedience did not lie beyond the average Israelite's ability if he or she turned to Yahweh wholeheartedly (v. 10). God was not asking something impossible of His people (vv. 11-15; cf. Rom. 10:6-8). He had given t...
  • After receiving the reminder of his death and as one of his final official acts as Israel's leader, Moses pronounced a prophetic blessing on the tribes of Israel (cf. Gen. 49)."In the ancient Near East, a dying father's final...
  • When the people had dealt with the sin of Achan as God had commanded, Israel was ready to engage the enemy again.8:1-2 In view of Israel's defeat God's encouraging words were necessary to strengthen Joshua's resolve (cf. 1:9)...
  • This is the first of several symbolic acts that Jeremiah performed to communicate divine messages (cf. 16:1-4; 18:1-12; 19:1-2, 10-11; 27:1-28:17; 32:1-15; 43:8-13; 51:59-64). Other prophets did the same thing (cf. Isa. 20:2-...
  • Jeremiah wrote almost as much about Babylon's future as he did about the futures of all the other nations in his other oracles combined. The length of this oracle reflects the great importance of Babylon in his ministry as we...
  • 20:10-12 So the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness. At Mount Sinai He gave them statutes and ordinances that would result in their welfare if they obeyed them, namely, the Mosaic Law. He also gave th...
  • In this section Amos reminded the Israelites of Yahweh's past blessings on them. This made the heinousness of their sins even clearer. Israel's treatment of the poor had been destructive, but Yahweh's treatment of the poor Is...
  • This pericope (section of text), as the former one, also has a framing phrase: "the mountain of Esau"(vv. 19, 21). This mountain, of course, contrasts with the Lord's holy mountain, Zion (vv. 16-17).vv. 19-20 Obadiah predicte...
  • 7:45-46 When the officers of the temple guard returned to the Sanhedrin without Jesus, the Sanhedrin members asked why they had not arrested Him (cf. v. 32). The officers replied that no man (Gr. anthropos, emphatic in the Gr...
  • The writer put his readers' sufferings in perspective so they might not overestimate the difficulty they faced in remaining faithful to God."Suffering comes to all; it is part of life, but it is not easy to bear. Yet it is no...
  • The final three bowl judgments all have political consequences.16:12 The problem that this judgment poses for earth-dwellers is not a result of the judgment itself but its consequences, namely, war. It does not inflict a plag...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • The image is the same as in Deut. 1. already referred to. It recurs also in (Isaiah 46:3-4),'Even to hoar hairs will I carry you, and I have made and I will bear, yea, I will carry, and will deliver'; and in (Hosea 11:3), I t...
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