Deuteronomychapter 1

A.You have stayed long enough at this mountainvv. 1-8

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. 3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. 5 On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying: 6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates. 8 See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

B.Wise men set over thousands and hundredsvv. 9-18

9 At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. 10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11 May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. 12 But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself? 13 Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.” 14 And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.” 15 So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes. 16 At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17 Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.” 18 And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.

C.You would not go upvv. 19-33

19 And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, 20 I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” 22 Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.” 23 The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land. 25 They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.” 26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’” 29 So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them! 30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt 31 and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.” 32 But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, 33 who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.

D.Not one of this evil generation shall see itvv. 34-40

34 When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, 35 “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.” 37 The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land. 38 Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 39 And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it. 40 But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”

E.Chased like bees, and their weeping unheardvv. 41-46

41 “We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. 42 But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.” 43 So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45 And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you. 46 For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

← Previous chapter Continue: Deuteronomy 2 →

Chapter summary

Moses' first sermon opens on the east side of Jordan in the fortieth year.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴

Moses' first sermon opens on the east side of Jordan in the fortieth year. ‘The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: turn you, and take your journey’. The appointment of the judges of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (a recap of Exodus 18). The sending of the spies from Kadesh-barnea at the people's request; the evil report; the unbelief; the LORD's anger; Moses' exclusion. The presumptuous push forward rebuked at Hormah. The first generation must die in the wilderness. The chapter is retrospective. Sermon by a man about to die, facing a congregation that did not see these things and must be told.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Law · Moses — Deuteronomy overview

A. 1–8 You have stayed long enough at this mountain
B. 9–18 Wise men set over thousands and hundreds
C. 19–33 You would not go up
D. 34–40 Not one of this evil generation shall see it
E. 41–46 Chased like bees, and their weeping unheard

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Numbers 1411 verses
- Numbers 14:1Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.
- Numbers 14:3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
- Numbers 14:22not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times—
- Numbers 14:24But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.
- Numbers 14:25Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
- Numbers 14:30Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
- Read Numbers 14: 5 more there →
Numbers 135 verses
- Numbers 13:1And the LORD said to Moses,
- Numbers 13:3So at the consent of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,
- Numbers 13:21So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo-hamath.
- Numbers 13:26and they went back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.
- Numbers 13:28Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.
- Read Numbers 13 →
Deuteronomy 44 verses
- Deuteronomy 4:1Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
- Deuteronomy 4:5See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land that you are about to enter and possess.
- Deuteronomy 4:8And what nation is great enough to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?
- Deuteronomy 4:21The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
- Read Deuteronomy 4 →
Exodus 184 verses
- Exodus 18:18Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.
- Exodus 18:21Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Exodus 18:25So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Exodus 18:26And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
- Read Exodus 18 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Numbers 203 verses
- Numbers 20:1In the first month, the whole congregation of Israel entered the Wilderness of Zin and stayed in Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
- Numbers 20:12But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
- Numbers 20:22After they had set out from Kadesh, the whole congregation of Israel came to Mount Hor.
- Read Numbers 20 →
Numbers 113 verses
- Numbers 11:11So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all these people?
- Numbers 11:16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you.
- Numbers 11:17And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
- Read Numbers 11 →
Deuteronomy 93 verses
- Deuteronomy 9:1Hear, O Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities fortified to the heavens.
- Deuteronomy 9:23And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him.
- Deuteronomy 9:28Otherwise, those in the land from which You brought us out will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’
- Read Deuteronomy 9 →
Numbers 322 verses
- Numbers 32:8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.
- Numbers 32:12not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’
- Read Numbers 32 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.