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Deuteronomy 9:5

in Deuteronomy 9

It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

KJV

Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This verse in Deuteronomy 9

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

For the wickedness of these nations - So then it was not by any sovereign act of God that these people were cast out, but for their wickedness; they had transgressed the law of their Creator; they had resisted his Spirit, and could no longer be tolerated. The Israelites were to possess their land, not because they deserved it, but first, because they were less wicked than the others; and secondly, because God thus chose to begin the great work of his salvation among men.

This site's exposition

do not say in your heart

on Deuteronomy 9:4-5

Twice in two verses the text forbids the thought that the land is wages, "do not say in your heart". Two reasons replace it, the wickedness of these nations and the oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This site's exposition

uprightness of heart

The verse adds uprightness of heart to righteousness, so conduct and inward disposition are both ruled out as the ground. Matthew Henry reads the pair this way at verse 4.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

To make it evident that they had no reason to boast of their own righteousness, he mentions their faults, shows Israel their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

He will be honoured in the performance of his promise to those that are in covenant with him: God swore to the patriarchs, who loved him and left all to follow him, that he would give this land to their seed; and therefore he would keep that promised mercy for thousands of those that loved him and kept his commandments; he would not suffer his promise to fail.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

It was not for the sake of the Israelites, but for His own sake, for the promise made to their pious ancestors, and in furtherance of high and comprehensive purposes of good to the world, that God was about to give them a grant of Canaan.

The words behind it

28 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • לֹ֣אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • בְצִדְקָתְךָ֗in righteousness your

    vetzidkatechaH6666 →157 times

  • וּבְיֹ֙שֶׁר֙and in [the] uprightness of

    uveyosherH3476 →

  • לְבָ֣בְךָ֔heart your

    levavekhaH3824 →252 times

  • אַתָּ֥הyou

    ʾatahH859 →1094 times

  • בָ֖א[are] about to go

    va'H935 →2568 times

  • לָרֶ֣שֶׁתto take possession of

    lareshetH3423 →231 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • אַרְצָ֑םland their

    ʾartzamH776 →2504 times

  • כִּ֞יfor

    kiH3588 →4482 times

  • בְּרִשְׁעַ֣ת׀in [the] wickedness of

    berishatH7564 →15 times

  • הַגּוֹיִ֣םthe nations

    hagoyimH1471 →561 times

  • הָאֵ֗לֶּה<the> these

    haelehH428 →746 times

  • יְהוָ֤הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙God your

    ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times

  • מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם[is] dispossessing them

    morishamH3423 →231 times

  • מִפָּנֶ֔יךָfrom before you

    mipaneikhaH6440 →2123 times

  • וּלְמַ֜עַןand so as

    ulemaanH4616 →272 times

  • הָקִ֣יםto carry out

    hakimH6965 →628 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַדָּבָ֗רthe word

    hadavarH1697 →1440 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • נִשְׁבַּ֤עhe swore

    nishba'H7650 →186 times

  • יְהוָה֙Yahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָto ancestors your

    laavoteikhaH1 →1212 times

  • לְאַבְרָהָ֥םto Abraham

    leavrahamH85 →175 times

  • לְיִצְחָ֖קto Isaac

    leyitzchakH3327 →108 times

  • וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃and to Jacob

    uleyaakoH3290 →350 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Titus 3:5

    He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

    it leads to

    • Ephesians 2:8–9

      For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

    • 2 Timothy 1:9

      He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.

    • 1 Corinthians 6:11

      And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

    • 1 Peter 3:21

      And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

    • 1 Peter 1:3

      Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

  • Through

    Genesis 17:8

    And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

    it leads to

    • Genesis 12:7

      Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Leviticus 26:12

      I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.

  • Through

    Genesis 13:15

    for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 20:7

      Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?

Where this verse is studied

About Deuteronomy

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.