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Texts -- Deuteronomy 1:4-46 (NET)

Context
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 .” 1:29 So I responded to you, “Do not be terrified of them ! 1:30 The Lord your God is about to go ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt 1:31 and in the desert , where you saw him carrying you along like a man carries his son . This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place .” 1:32 However, through all this you did not have confidence in the Lord your God , 1:33 the one who was constantly going before you to find places for you to set up camp . He appeared by fire at night and cloud by day , to show you the way you ought to go .
Judgment at Kadesh Barnea
1:34 When the Lord heard you, he became angry and made this vow : 1:35 “Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors ! 1:36 The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh ; he will see it and I will give him and his descendants the territory on which he has walked , because he has wholeheartedly followed me.” 1:37 As for me, the Lord was also angry with me on your account . He said , “You also will not be able to go there . 1:38 However, Joshua son of Nun , your assistant , will go . Encourage him , because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 1:39 Also, your infants , who you thought would die on the way , and your children , who as yet do not know good from bad , will go there ; I will give them the land and they will possess it. 1:40 But as for you , turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea .”
Unsuccessful Conquest of Canaan
1:41 Then you responded to me and admitted , “We have sinned against the Lord . We will now go up and fight as the Lord our God has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country . 1:42 But the Lord told me: “Tell them this: ‘Do not go up and fight , because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies .’” 1:43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen . Instead you rebelled against the Lord and recklessly went up to the hill country . 1:44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area confronted you and chased you like a swarm of bees , striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah . 1:45 Then you came back and wept before the Lord , but he paid no attention to you whatsoever . 1:46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time – indeed, for the full time .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • DEUTERONOMY

    [isbe] DEUTERONOMY - du-ter-on'-o-mi: 1. Name 2. What Deuteronomy Is 3. Analysis 4. Ruling Ideas 5. Unity 6. Authorship 7. Deuteronomy Spoken Twice 8. Deuteronomy's Influence in Israel's History 9. The Critical Theory LITERATURE 1....

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Reproof

    [nave] REPROOF. Lev. 19:17; Psa. 141:5; Prov. 9:7, 8; Prov. 10:17; Prov. 12:1; Prov. 13:18; Prov. 15:5, 10, 12, 31, 32; Prov. 17:10; Prov. 19:25; Prov. 21:11; Prov. 25:12; Prov. 26:5; Prov. 27:5, 6; Prov. 28:23; Eccl. 7:5; Amos 5:...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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. ...

  • 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...

  • Amorites

    [ebd] highlanders, or hillmen, the name given to the descendants of one of the sons of Canaan (Gen. 14:7), called Amurra or Amurri in the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. On the early Babylonian monuments all Syria, including P...
    [nave] AMORITES Descendants of Canaan, Gen. 10:15, 16; 1 Chr. 1:13, 14. Were giants, Amos 2:9. Struck by Chedorlaomer and rescued by Abraham, Gen. 14. Territory of, Gen. 14:7; Num. 13:29; 21:13; Deut. 1:4, 7, 19; 3:8, 9; Josh. 5...

  • 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...

  • Og

    [ebd] gigantic, the king of Bashan, who was defeated by Moses in a pitched battle at Edrei, and was slain along with his sons (Deut. 1:4), and whose kingdom was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh ...
    [isbe] OG - (`ogh; Og): King of Bashan, whose territory, embracing 60 cities, was conquered by Moses and the Israelites immediately after the conquest of Sihon, king of the Amorites (Nu 21:33-35; Dt 3:1-12). The defeat took place a...
    [smith] (giant , literally long-necked), an Amoritish king of Bashan, whose rule extended over sixty cities. (Joshua 13:12) He was one of the last representatives of the giant race of Rephaim, and was, with his children and his peopl...
    [nave] OG, king of Bashan. A man of gigantic stature, Num. 21:33; Deut. 3:11; Josh. 12:4; 13:12. Defeated and slain by Moses, Num. 21:33-35; Deut. 1:4; 3:1-7; 29:7; 31:4; Josh. 2:10; 9:10; Psa. 135:10, 11; 136:18-20. Land of, give...

  • Officer

    [nave] OFFICER. Civil Chosen by the people, Deut. 1:13-16; appointed by kings, 2 Sam. 8:16-18; 20:23-26; 1 Kin. 4:1-19; 9:22; Ezra 7:25. See: Government; Judge; Ruler; Serjeant. Ecclesiastical See: Priest; Levite; Apostle; Eld...

  • Bee

    [ebd] First mentioned in Deut. 1:44. Swarms of bees, and the danger of their attacks, are mentioned in Ps. 118:12. Samson found a "swarm of bees" in the carcass of a lion he had slain (Judg. 14:8). Wild bees are described as layin...
    [isbe] BEE - be (debhorah; compare Arabic dabr, "a swarm of bees," also Arabic debbur, "a wasp," said to be a corruption of zunbur, "a wasp"; all are apparently from the Hebrew dabhar, "to speak," "arrange," "lead," "follow," or fr...
    [smith] (deborah). (1:44; Judges 14:8; Psalms 118:12; Isaiah 7:18) Bees abounded in Palestine, honey being a common article of food (Psalms 81:16) and was often found in the clefts of rocks and in hollow trees. (1 Samuel 14:25,27)...
    [nave] BEE In Palestine, Deut. 1:44; Judg. 14:8; Psa. 118:12; Isa. 7:18. Called by whistling, Isa. 7:18. See: Honey.

  • HILL; MOUNT; MOUNTAIN

    [isbe] HILL; MOUNT; MOUNTAIN - 1. Names: (1) The commonest word is har (also harar, and herer), which is rendered "hill," "mount" or "mountain." It occurs several hundreds of times. In a number of places the Revised Version (Britis...

  • HILL, HILL COUNTRY

    [isbe] HILL, HILL COUNTRY - hil'-kun-tri: The common translation of three Hebrew words: (1) gibh`ah, from root meaning "to be curved," is almost always translated "hill"; it is a pecuIiarly appropriate designation for the very roun...

  • Caleb

    [nave] CALEB One of the two survivors of the Israelites permitted to enter the land of promise, Num. 14:30, 38; 26:63-65; 32:11-13; Deut. 1:34-36; Josh. 14:6-15. Sent to Canaan as a spy, Num. 13:6. Brings favorable report, Num. 1...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...
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Arts

Questions

  • The Ark of the Covenant was definitely real and was a part of the tabernacle, being placed in the Holy of Holies behind the curtain. I will include articles below from three Bible Dictionaries that will give you some informat...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 14:1-4 Scholars have not been able to locate definitely the sites referred to in verse 2."An Egyptian papyrus associates Baal Zephon with Tahpahnes . . . a known site near Lake Menzaleh in the northeastern delta region."235Ho...
  • 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...
  • 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. ...
  • 14:1-4 God had just proved His supernatural power to the Israelites three times since the nation had left Sinai (chs. 11-12). There was no excuse for this failure to trust Him to lead them victoriously into Canaan.14:5-9 Mose...
  • 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...
  • The third commandment is, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"(5:11). This section of laws deals with the exclusiveness of the Lord and His worship as this pertains to Israel's separation from all other ...
  • 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...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • 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)...
  • Before the casting of lots began Caleb came to Joshua with his fellow tribesmen from Judah to request the inheritance that Moses had promised him (v. 9; Deut. 1:36; cf. Num. 14:26-38). Moses had promised Caleb land in Canaan ...
  • Probably the practice of standing on land one possessed led to the custom of using the sandal as a symbol of possession in land transactions (v. 7; cf. Gen. 13:17; Deut. 1:36; 11:24; Josh. 1:3; 14:9).80Most scholars believe t...
  • Naaman (Aram. gracious) was commander of the Aramean army under Ben-Hadad II (cf. 1 Kings 15:18, 20). Leprosy in the ancient world degenerated the bodies of its victims and eventually proved fatal. At this time no one could c...
  • This section develops the ideas that preceded by unfolding the characteristics of Yahweh that His people needed to appreciate in view of the shocking news that their new Moses would be Cyrus. It opens with an emphasis on God ...
  • 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...
  • 11:1 The Lord reminded His people that when Israel was in its early days as a nation, like a youth, He loved the nation (cf. Exod. 4:22-23). As often, loving refers to choosing (cf. Gen. 12:2-3). God chose Israel for special ...
  • 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...
  • Jesus' genealogy and virgin birth prove His legal human qualification as Israel's King. His baptism was the occasion of His divine approval. His temptation demonstrated His moral fitness to reign. The natural question a thoug...
  • 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...
  • Jude's introductory words were polite (cf. 2 Peter 1:12) but also a reminder that what he now said was fact beyond dispute. His readers knew these things "once for all"because God had delivered them "once for all"in Scripture...
  • There are a number of contrasts between the 144,000 and this great multitude. The number of the first group is not only smaller but definite whereas the number of the second group is larger and indefinite. People from the 12 ...
  • 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)

  • Deut. 33:12Benjamin was his father's favorite child, and the imagery of this promise is throughout drawn from the relations between such a child and its father. So far as the future history of the tribes is shadowed in these ...
  • 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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