Deuteronomy 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)
3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;
4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:
5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
6 The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
10 The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
11 (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)
12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.
16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.
17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us.
21 Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us.
26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:
27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30 The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,
33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
34 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.
36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.
37 Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
42 And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
45 And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.
Commentary
After receiving the law at Mount Sinai, Israel spent about forty years in the wilderness region between Sinai and Canaan. During this time those who were adults when Israel left Sinai died and a new generation grew up (Num 14:28-35). Moses therefore repeated and explained the law for the people of this new generation before they entered Canaan. This instruction was given during the last two weeks of Moses’ life, while Israel was camped on the plains of Moab making preparations to conquer Canaan (Num 22:1; 35:1; Deut 1:1-5).
Because this instruction involved a repetition of the law given at Sinai, the book that records it is known as Deuteronomy (from two Greek words, deuteros, meaning ‘second’, and nomos, meaning ‘law’). This was not the original title, but was given by the translators of the Septuagint, the first Greek version of the Old Testament. Also Deuteronomy was not originally an individual book, but was part of one long book that has for convenience been divided into five parts, together known as the Pentateuch. (Concerning the Pentateuch and the Septuagint see introductory notes to Genesis.)
Restating the law; renewing the covenant
The book of Deuteronomy is, however, much more than a mere repetition of the law; it is also an exposition. It restates the commandments of the law but with a different emphasis. The laws recorded in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers gave the clearcut legal requirements; Deuteronomy, though it does not lessen those requirements, adds that Israel’s religion must have more than legal correctness. It must have spiritual warmth.
Deuteronomy’s style is that of the preacher rather than the lawgiver, and its audience the people as a whole rather than the priests and judges (Deut 8:5-6; 10:12-13). Its emphasis is that the people should keep God’s law because they want to know and love him better, not merely because they are required to do so by the covenant (Deut 6:3,5-9; 7:7-8,11).
The covenant is the basis of Deuteronomy, but the relationship between God and his people within that covenant should be one of love. The sovereign love of God towards his people should produce a response of obedient love towards him (Deut 5:6-7; 6:1-3). (For the meaning of the word ‘covenant’ see notes on Genesis 9:8-17. For the specific meaning of the covenant between Yahweh and Israel see notes on Exodus 19:1-9.)
In his grace God chose Israel to be his people and promised to give them Canaan as their national homeland (Deut 7:6-7; 8:1; 9:4-5). But if the people were to enjoy the blessings of the covenant in loving fellowship with God, they had to know his law and keep it. The previous generation swore covenant loyalty to God at Sinai (Exod 24:7-8), but failed him badly. Now that the new generation was about to enter Canaan, the covenant was renewed. Moses repeated the law and the people gave a fresh pledge of obedience (Deut 26:17-18).
Ancient covenant documents
The form of Deuteronomy is similar to that of the usual covenant document of the ancient Near East, by which a sovereign overlord made a covenant, or treaty, with his subject peoples. Such a treaty was not a negotiated agreement, but a statement by the overlord declaring his sovereignty over the people and laying down the order of life he required of them. The people had no alternative but to accept the overlord’s terms.
Usually the document began with an historical introduction where the overlord announced himself and recounted all he had done for his people. Then followed a list of covenant obligations that he placed on the people. Their underlying duty at all times was to be loyal to him and not to act treacherously by forming alliances with foreign powers. After the basic requirements came detailed laws that dealt with specific local issues.
The treaty usually named witnesses. It also contained details of the benefits that would follow the people’s obedience and the punishments that would follow their disobedience. The document was then lodged for safekeeping in the sanctuary of the subject people. It provided, however, for periodic public readings and for updating of the details from time to time. It may have concluded with a summary of the
covenant’s main requirements or a guarantee to continue the covenant as long as the people remained faithful to their obligations.
In relation to the covenant between God and Israel, most of these features can be seen in the accounts given in Exodus, Deuteronomy and Joshua. In the case of Deuteronomy, not only are the above features obvious, but the entire book seems to have been written in the form of a treaty document.