Deuteronomy 31:1-8 King James Version (KJV)

1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.

2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.

4 And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.

5 And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: 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.

8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.


Deuteronomy 31:1-8 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 And Moses H4872 went H3212 and spake H1696 these words H1697 unto all Israel. H3478

2 And he said H559 unto them, I am an hundred H3967 and twenty H6242 years H8141 old H1121 this day; H3117 I can H3201 no more go out H3318 and come in: H935 also the LORD H3068 hath said H559 unto me, Thou shalt not go over H5674 this Jordan. H3383

3 The LORD H3068 thy God, H430 he will go over H5674 before H6440 thee, and he will destroy H8045 these nations H1471 from before H6440 thee, and thou shalt possess H3423 them: and Joshua, H3091 he shall go over H5674 before H6440 thee, as the LORD H3068 hath said. H1696

4 And the LORD H3068 shall do H6213 unto them as he did H6213 to Sihon H5511 and to Og, H5747 kings H4428 of the Amorites, H567 and unto the land H776 of them, whom he destroyed. H8045

5 And the LORD H3068 shall give them up H5414 before your face, H6440 that ye may do H6213 unto them according unto all the commandments H4687 which I have commanded H6680 you.

6 Be strong H2388 and of a good courage, H553 fear H3372 not, nor be afraid H6206 of them: H6440 for the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 he it is that doth go H1980 with thee; he will not fail H7503 thee, nor forsake H5800 thee.

7 And Moses H4872 called H7121 unto Joshua, H3091 and said H559 unto him in the sight H5869 of all Israel, H3478 Be strong H2388 and of a good courage: H553 for thou must go H935 with this people H5971 unto the land H776 which the LORD H3068 hath sworn H7650 unto their fathers H1 to give H5414 them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit H5157 it.

8 And the LORD, H3068 he it is that doth go H1980 before H6440 thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail H7503 thee, neither forsake H5800 thee: fear H3372 not, neither be dismayed. H2865


Deuteronomy 31:1-8 American Standard (ASV)

1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.

2 And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

3 Jehovah thy God, he will go over before thee; he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them: `and' Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.

4 And Jehovah will do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed.

5 And Jehovah will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

8 And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.


Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And Moses goeth and speaketh these words unto all Israel,

2 and 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,

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,

4 and 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.

5 And Jehovah hath given them before your face, and ye have done to them according to all the command which I have commanded you;

6 be 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.'

7 And 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;

8 and 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.'


Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel;

2 and he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day, I can no more go out and come in; and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

3 Jehovah thy God, he will go over before thee, he will destroy these nations from before thee, that thou mayest take possession of them: Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath said.

4 And Jehovah will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land; whom he destroyed.

5 And when Jehovah giveth them up before you, ye shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong and courageous, fear them not, neither be afraid of them; for Jehovah thy God, he it is that goeth with thee; he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee.

7 And Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for thou must go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

8 And Jehovah, he it is that goeth before thee: he will be with thee; he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.


Deuteronomy 31:1-8 World English Bible (WEB)

1 Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

2 He said to them, I am one hundred twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and Yahweh has said to me, You shall not go over this Jordan.

3 Yahweh your God, he will go over before you; he will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them: [and] Joshua, he shall go over before you, as Yahweh has spoken.

4 Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land; whom he destroyed.

5 Yahweh will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.

6 Be strong and of good courage, don't be afraid, nor be scared of them: for Yahweh your God, he it is who does go with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.

7 Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for you shall go with this people into the land which Yahweh has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.

8 Yahweh, he it is who does go before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you, neither forsake you: don't be afraid, neither be dismayed.


Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 So Moses said all these things to Israel.

2 Then he said to them, I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to go out and come in: and the Lord has said to me, You are not to go over Jordan.

3 The Lord your God, he will go over before you; he will send destruction on all those nations, and you will take their land as your heritage: and Joshua will go over at your head as the Lord has said.

4 The Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, whom he put to destruction.

5 The Lord will give them up into your hands, and you are to do to them as I have given you orders.

6 Be strong and take heart, and have no fear of them: for it is the Lord your God who is going with you; he will not take away his help from you.

7 Then Moses sent for Joshua, and before the eyes of all Israel said to him, Be strong and take heart: for you are to go with this people into the land which the Lord, by his oath to their fathers, has given them; by your help they will take it for their heritage.

8 It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not take away his help from you or give you up: so have no fear.

Commentary on Deuteronomy 31 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 31

De 31:1-8. Moses Encourages the People and Joshua.

1. Moses went and spake—It is probable that this rehearsal of the law extended over several successive days; and it might be the last and most important day on which the return of Moses to the place of assembly is specially noticed. In drawing his discourse towards a conclusion, he adverted to his advanced age; and although neither his physical nor intellectual powers had suffered any decay (De 34:7), yet he knew, by a special revelation, that the time had arrived when he was about to be withdrawn from the superintendence and government of Israel.

2-8. also the Lord hath said—should be "for the Lord hath said" thou shalt not go over this Jordan. While taking a solemn leave of the people, Moses exhorted them not to be intimidated by the menacing opposition of enemies; to take encouragement from the continued presence of their covenanted God; and to rest assured that the same divine power, which had enabled them to discomfit their first assailants on the east of Jordan, would aid them not less effectually in the adventurous enterprise which they were about to undertake, and by which they would obtain possession of "the land which He had sworn unto their fathers to give them."

De 31:9-13. He Delivers the Law to the Priests, to Read It Every Seventh Year to the People.

9-13. And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests—The law thus committed to writing was either the whole book of Deuteronomy, or the important part of it contained between the twenty-seventh and thirtieth chapters. It was usual in cases of public or private contract for two copies of the engagement to be made—one to be deposited in the national archives or some secure place for reference, should occasion require. The other was to remain in the hands of the contracting parties (Jer 32:12-14). The same course was followed on this renewal of the covenant between God and Israel. Two written copies of the law were prepared, the one of which was delivered to the public representatives of Israel; namely, the priests and the elders.

the priests, … who bare the ark of the covenant—In all ordinary journeys, it was the common duty of the Levites to carry the ark and its furniture (Nu 4:15); but, on solemn or extraordinary occasions, that office was discharged by the priests (Jos 3:3-8; 6:6; 1Ch 15:11, 12).

all the elders of Israel—They were assistants to the priests and overseers to take care of the preservation, rehearsal, and observance of the law.

10, 11. At the end of every seven years, … thou shalt read this law—At the return of the sabbatic year and during the feast of tabernacles, the law was to be publicly read. This order of Moses was a future and prospective arrangement; for the observance of the sabbatic year did not commence till the conquest and peaceful occupation of Canaan. The ordinance served several important purposes. For, while the people had opportunities of being instructed in the law every Sabbath and daily in their own homes, this public periodical rehearsal at meetings in the courts of the sanctuary, where women and children of twelve years were present (as they usually were at the great festivals), was calculated to produce good and pious impressions of divine truth amid the sacred associations of the time and place. Besides, it formed a public guarantee for the preservation, integrity, and faithful transmission of the Sacred Book to successive ages.

14, 15. the Lord said unto Moses, …call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation—Joshua had been publicly designated to the office of commander by Moses [Nu 27:22, 23]; and God was pleased to confirm his appointment by the visible symbols of His presence and approval. As none but the priests were privileged to enter the sanctuary, it is probable that this significant manifestation of the cloudy pillar was made while the leaders stood at the door of the tabernacle.

16-22. the Lord said unto Moses, … this people will rise up—In this remarkable interview, Moses was distinctly apprised of the infidelity of Israel, their corruptions of the true religion through intercourse with the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan (Am 5:26), and their chastisements in consequence of those national defections.

17. Then my anger shall be kindled, … and I will hide my face from them—an announcement of the withdrawal of the divine favor and protection of which the Shekinah was the symbol and pledge. It never appeared in the second temple; and its non-appearance was a prelude of "all the evils that came upon them, because their God was not among them."

19. Now therefore write ye this song—National songs take deep hold of the memories and have a powerful influence in stirring the deepest feelings of a people. In accordance with this principle in human nature, a song was ordered to be composed by Moses, doubtless under divine inspiration, which was to be learnt by the Israelites themselves and to be taught to their children in every age, embodying the substance of the preceding addresses, and of a strain well suited to inspire the popular mind with a strong sense of God's favor to their nation.

26. Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark—The second copy of the law (see on De 31:9) was deposited for greater security and reverence in a little chest beside the ark of the covenant, for there was nothing contained within it but the tables of stone (1Ki 8:9). Others think it was put within the ark, it being certain, from the testimony of Paul (Heb 9:4), that there were once other things inside the ark, and that this was the copy found in the time of Josiah (2Ki 22:8).