Advanced Commentary

Texts -- Deuteronomy 9:1-21 (NET)

Context
Theological Justification of the Conquest
9:1 Listen , Israel : Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications . 9:2 They include the Anakites , a numerous and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites ?” 9:3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire ; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he has told you. 9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land .” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness , or even your inner uprightness , that you have come here to possess their land . Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he made on oath to your ancestors , to Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob . 9:6 Understand , therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession , for you are a stubborn people !
The History of Israel’s Stubbornness
9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert ; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. 9:8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9:9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets , the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there forty days and nights , eating and drinking nothing . 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets , written by the very finger of God , and on them was everything he said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly . 9:11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets , the tablets of the covenant . 9:12 And he said to me, “Get up , go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned ! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image .” 9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people ; they are a stubborn lot! 9:14 Stand aside and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory , and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.” 9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it was blazing with fire ; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands . 9:16 When I looked , you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf ; you had quickly turned aside from the way he had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets , threw them down , and shattered them before your very eyes . 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights ; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed , doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger that threatened to destroy you. But he listened to me this time as well . 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing that you had made , the calf , I took it, melted it down , ground it up until it was as fine as dust , and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain .

Pericope

NET
  • Deu 9:1-6 -- Theological Justification of the Conquest
  • Deu 9:7-24 -- The History of Israel's Stubbornness

Bible Dictionary

  • Obligation

    [nave] OBLIGATION A motive of obedience, Deut. 4:32-40; 6-11; 26:16; 32:6; 1 Sam. 12:24; 1 Chr. 16:12; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 5:15. Acknowledgment of, Psa. 116:12-14, 17. See: Duty.

  • 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. ...
    [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...

  • 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...

  • Idol

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. aven, "nothingness;" "vanity" (Isa. 66:3; 41:29; Deut. 32:21; 1 Kings 16:13; Ps. 31:6; Jer. 8:19, etc.). (2.) 'Elil, "a thing of naught" (Ps. 97:7; Isa. 19:3); a word of contempt, used of the gods of Noph (Ezek. 30...

  • Humility

    [nave] HUMILITY. Deut. 9:7 vs. 4-29.; Deut. 15:15; Job 5:11; Job 22:29; Job 25:5, 6; Psa. 9:12; Psa. 10:17; Psa. 22:6, 26; Psa. 25:9; Psa. 37:11; Psa. 69:32; Psa. 86:1; Psa. 131:1, 2; Psa. 138:6; Psa. 147:6; Psa. 149:4; Prov. 3:34...

  • Grind

    [ebd] (Ex. 32:20; Deut. 9:21; Judg. 16:21), to crush small (Heb. tahan); to oppress the poor (Isa. 3:5). The hand-mill was early used by the Hebrews (Num. 11:8). It consisted of two stones, the upper (Deut. 24:6; 2 Sam. 11:21) bei...

  • Golden calf

    [ebd] (Ex. 32:4,8; Deut. 9:16; Neh. 9:18). This was a molten image of a calf which the idolatrous Israelites formed at Sinai. This symbol was borrowed from the custom of the Egyptians. It was destroyed at the command of Moses (Ex....

  • GROUND; GROUNDED

    [isbe] GROUND; GROUNDED - ground, ground'-ed ('adhamah, 'erets; ge): (1) "Ground" is in the King James Version the translation of 'adhamah, "the soil," the ground so called from its red color, frequently also translated "earth" and...

  • FOUR

    [isbe] FOUR - for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament. (1) It i...

  • FIRE

    [isbe] FIRE - fir ('esh; pur): These are the common words for fire, occurring very frequently. 'Ur, "light" (Isa 24:15 the King James Version; compare the Revised Version (British and American); 31:9, and see FIRES), nur (Aramaic) ...

  • FINGER (1)

    [isbe] FINGER (1) - fin'-ger (Hebrew and Aramaic 'etsba`; daktulos): The fingers are to the Oriental essential in conversation; their language is frequently very eloquent and expressive. They often show what the mouth does not dare...

  • FENCE

    [isbe] FENCE - fens (batsar, mibhtsar): Commonly used in the King James Version in the description of fortified places, as the translation of batsar, "to cut off," "to separate," "to fortify" (and forms) (Dt 3:5; 9:1; 28:52, etc.);...

  • FEAR

    [isbe] FEAR - fer (yir'ah, yare'; phobos, phobeo): Terms, etc.: "Fear" is the translation of many words in the Old Testament; the chief are: yir'ah, "fear," "terror," "reverence," "awe," most often "the fear of God," "fear of Yahwe...

  • ECCLESIASTES, THE PREACHER

    [isbe] ECCLESIASTES, THE PREACHER - e-kle-zi-as'-tez, or (qoheleth; Ekklesiastes, perhaps "member of assembly"; see below): 1. Structure of the Book 2. The Contents 3. Composite Authorship? 4. Qoheleth 5. "King in Jerusalem" 6. Dat...

  • Commandments, the Ten

    [ebd] (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 10:4, marg. "ten words") i.e., the Decalogue (q.v.), is a summary of the immutable moral law. These commandments were first given in their written form to the people of Israel when they were encamped at Sin...

  • CONGREGATION

    [isbe] CONGREGATION - kon-gre-ga'-shun (qahal, `edhah). 1. Terms Employed: These two words rendered by "congregation" or "assembly" are used apparently without any difference of sense. They appear to include an assembly of the whol...

  • CALF, GOLDEN

    [isbe] CALF, GOLDEN - kaf, gol'-d'-n: I. THE NAME II. ANCIENT CALF WORSHIP 1. Narrative of Aaron's Golden Calf 2. Jeroboam's Golden Calves III. ATTITUDE OF ELIJAH TO THE BULL SYMBOLS IV. ATTITUDE OF AMOS AND HOSEA TO THE BULL SYMBO...

  • 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...

  • BRING

    [isbe] BRING - dasha' = "to sprout," "spring" (Gen 1:11 the King James Version); sharats = "to wriggle," "swarm" (Gen 1:20 f; 9:7; Ex 8:3); yaladh = "to bear," "beget" (Gen 3:16; 2 Ki 19:3; Job 15:35; 39:1,2; "what a day may bring ...

  • AHIMAN

    [isbe] AHIMAN - a-hi'-man ('achiman, perhaps, "brother of fortune," or, "my brother is fortune"): (1) One of the names given as those of the three "children of the Anak" (Nu 13:22; Josh 15:14; of Nu 13:28; 2 Sam 21:16,18), or the t...

Arts

Questions

  • It is not merely an arbitrary period or a "round number," but is chosen to convey die sense of fullness. Some of its prominent Scriptural uses are: Moses was forty days on the mount (Ex. 24:18, etc.); Elijah, strengthened by ...
  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. In response Yahweh promised to give the patriarch innumerable descendants. This led Abram to request some further assurance that God would indeed do what He promised. God graciously ob...
  • 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...
  • Moses encouraged Joshua, his successor, to take courage on the basis of all that God had done for Israel thus far, especially in defeating Sihon and Og (vv. 21-22). A better translation of verse 22 is ". . . for Yahweh [the c...
  • "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...
  • ". . . Deuteronomy contains the most comprehensive body of laws in the Pentateuch. It is clearly intended to be consulted for guidance on many aspects of daily life, in sharp contrast with the laws of Leviticus, which are ver...
  • Another writer suggested that chapters 6-26 expand the Decalogue with the intent of addressing the spirit of the law.92He believed the structure of the book supports his contention that the writer chose exemplary cases. Moses...
  • Here the actual exposition of the Decalogue begins with an explanation and implications of the first commandment. In short, Moses presented Yahweh as the one true God who requires complete devotion."With this chapter we come ...
  • This chapter is a logical development of what Moses said in chapters 5 and 6. God had called on His people to acknowledge that He is the only true God and to be completely loyal to Him. In Canaan they would encounter temptati...
  • "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...
  • Having recited what God had done for the Israelites, Moses now called on them to respond and make a commitment to Him."The structure of the passage reveals an enveloping pattern in which injunctions to obey God (vv. 12-13; 20...
  • Moses' homiletical exposition of the law of Israel that follows explains reasons for the covenant laws that arose from the Ten Commandments. This address concludes with directions for celebrating and confirming the covenant (...
  • The context of this section is significant as usual. Verses 1-8 deal with people who ministered to Yahweh in various ways for the people, and verses 15-22 concern the delivery of God's revelations to His people. Verses 9-14 c...
  • This section concludes the "purely legal material."284The ordinances with which Moses concluded his second address (chs. 5-26) not only specified the Israelites' actions in further respects but also focused their thinking on ...
  • "The presentation of the commandments and the statutes and ordinances that will guide Israel's life in the land is over now. Verse 16 serves as a concluding bracket around chapters 5-26, matching Moses' introduction to the wh...
  • "Moses assigned the priests and elders the duty of regularly republishing the law of the covenant. The effect of this was to associate the priests and elders with Joshua in the responsibility of rule and in the esteem of Isra...
  • 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)...
  • 1:1 The Book of Judges begins with a conjunction translated "now"or "and."God intended Judges to continue the narrative of Israel's history where the Book of Joshua ended (cf. Josh. 1:1). This verse provides a heading for the...
  • Asa came to power close to the end of Jeroboam's reign over Israel in 910 B.C. Asa reigned from 911-870 B.C., 41 years, an unusually long reign that probably began when he was quite young (cf. 15:2). It was his grandmother (N...
  • Josiah began to seek Yahweh when he was 16 years old and began initiating religious reforms when he was 20 (2 Chron. 34:3-7). His reforms were more extensive than those of any of his predecessors. One of them was the repair o...
  • This brief section is a call to God's people to embrace God's promises. It concludes this section of the prophecy (42:10-44:22) by affirming that God would not abandon the Israelites because of their sins but would deliver th...
  • The prophet emphasized the gracious character of Yahweh as the source of restoration for His people. Returning to the metaphor of the Lord's people as the his wife (51:17-20), Isaiah presented the joyful prospect of reconcili...
  • The national defeat pictured in this lament was a serious one. It may have been the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 597 B.C., which resulted in severe destruction and exile for some Judeans.14:17 Jeremiah was to tell th...
  • 12:12 The Lord reminded the Israelites again of their humble origins. Jacob was a refugee who migrated to the land of Aram. There he had to work to pay for a wife, and he did so by tending sheep, a very humble occupation (cf....
  • 2:1 Habakkuk compared himself to a sentinel on a city wall watching the horizon for the approach of a horseman. He purposed to watch and wait expectantly for the Lord to reply to this second question, as He had the first, so ...
  • 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...
  • Luke stressed how the Spirit who had come upon Jesus at His baptism guided and empowered Him in His temptation and how Jesus, God's approved Son, pleased His Father by His obedience. Jesus overcame the devil who opposed God's...
  • Stephen concluded his defense by indicting his accusers. They had brought charges against him, but now he brought more serious charges against them.In his first speech to the Sanhedrin, Peter had been quite brief and forthrig...
  • The writer proceeded to explain the superiority of the New Covenant by comparing it with the Old Covenant using the figure of two mountains: Sinai and Zion.12:18-21 These verses describe the giving of the Old Covenant at Mt. ...
Back to Commentary Page
Display Bible



Universal Search:

NET Only
Exact Search
Commentary
Study Dictionary
Word Study
Lexicon
Study Maps System
Sermon Illustrations
Expository
Arts
Resource
Daily Bible Reading
Training Video
Classic NET Bible
iPhone NET Bible
Mobile Bible
TIP #13: [ALL]
created in 0.06 seconds
powered by
bible.org - YLSA