CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Deuteronomy 31
Chapter 31 of 34
Chapter Overview
What happens in Deuteronomy 31
Moses prepares for his death by encouraging Israel and Joshua, commanding the regular reading of the law, receiving God's prophecy about Israel's future rebellion, and placing the written law beside the ark of the covenant.
Scripture
Deuteronomy 31
Moses Encourages Israel and Joshua
Study note
At 120 years old, Moses tells Israel that he will not cross the Jordan with them, but God himself will go ahead. He charges both the nation and Joshua to be strong and courageous, because the Lord will never leave or abandon them.
1 Moses went out and delivered these final words to all of Israel. And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
2 He told them, 'I am now one hundred and twenty years old. I can no longer lead you as I once did. Besides, the Lord has told me I will not be crossing the Jordan. 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 your God will personally cross over ahead of you. He will wipe out the nations in your path so you can take their land. Joshua will also go ahead of you, just as the Lord has said. 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 The Lord will deal with them the same way he dealt with Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and their territories when he destroyed them. 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 The Lord will put those nations in your hands, and you must do to them everything I have told you. 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 good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, he is the one who goes with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you. 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 Then Moses called Joshua forward in front of all Israel and told him, 'Be strong and courageous! You are the one who will lead this people into the land the Lord promised their ancestors. You will help them take ownership of it. 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 is the one who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you, neither forsake you: fear not, neither be dismayed. 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.
Reading the Law Every Seven Years
Study note
Moses writes down the law and commands that it be read aloud to all Israel every seven years at the Festival of Shelters. Men, women, children, and foreigners must all hear it so that every generation learns to fear the Lord.
9 Moses wrote this whole law down. He gave it to the priests, Levi's sons. They carried the ark of the Lord's covenant. He also gave it to all the elders of Israel. And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
10 Moses gave them these orders. 'Every seven years, during the year debts are forgiven, during the Feast of Shelters, And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
11 when all Israel comes before the Lord your God at the place he picks, read this whole law out loud so everyone can hear it. When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12 Gather everyone. Bring men, women, children, and the foreigners in your towns. They must listen and learn to honor the Lord your God. They must follow every word of this law with care. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
13 Their children, who do not know the law yet, need to hear it. They need to learn to honor the Lord your God for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to take.' And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
God Commissions Joshua and Foretells Rebellion
Study note
God appears in a pillar of cloud and commissions Joshua. But he also reveals that Israel will eventually abandon him and worship other gods. God commands Moses to write a song that will serve as a witness against the people when they turn away.
14 The Lord told Moses, 'Your time is almost up. Bring Joshua and stand together at the meeting tent so I can give him his assignment.' So Moses and Joshua went and stood at the tent of meeting. And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
15 The Lord appeared at the tent in a column of cloud. The cloud hovered right over the entrance. And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
16 The Lord told Moses, 'You are about to die and join your ancestors. After you are gone, this people will be unfaithful to me. They will chase after the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will walk away from me and shatter the covenant I made with them. And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
17 When that day comes, my anger will blaze against them. I will turn my back on them and hide my face. They will be consumed by disasters and hardships, and they will say, "Surely God has abandoned us -- therefore all these terrible things are happening." Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
18 And I will hide my face at that point, because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
19 Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites. Have them memorize it so this song will serve as my testimony against them. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
20 When I bring them into the rich land I promised their ancestors -- the land overflowing with milk and honey -- and they eat until they are stuffed and well-fed, they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will spit on me and break my covenant. For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
21 Then when troubles pile up against them, this song will be proof against them. Their children will never forget it. I already know what they are planning, even before I bring them into the promised land.' And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22 So that very day Moses wrote the song down and taught it to the Israelites. Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23 Then the Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun directly: 'Be strong and courageous, because you are going to lead the Israelites into the land I promised them. I will personally be there with you.' And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
The Book of the Law Placed Beside the Ark
Study note
Moses finishes writing the law and commands the Levites to place it beside the ark of the covenant as a permanent witness. He acknowledges Israel's stubbornness and predicts their future corruption, then recites the song before the whole assembly.
24 When Moses had finished writing every word of this law in a scroll, And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
25 he gave this order to the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord's covenant: That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
26 'Take this book of the law and place it right next to the ark of the Lord your God's covenant. It will remain there as evidence against you. Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
27 I know exactly how rebellious and hardheaded you are. If you have been fighting against the Lord while I am still alive and standing right here, imagine how much worse it will be after I am gone! For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
28 Gather all your tribal elders and officials before me so I can speak these words directly to them. I will summon heaven and earth to witness against them. Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
29 I know that after I die, you will turn completely away from God. You will leave the path I set out for you. In the end, trouble will catch up with you. This will happen because you will do things the Lord sees as evil and make him angry with the things you create.' For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30 Then Moses spoke every word of this song, from start to finish. The whole group of Israel listened. And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Key Themes
Themes in Deuteronomy 31
Preparing for leadership transitionsThe importance of reading Scripture publiclyGod knows what is coming and prepares his peopleFaithfulness in the face of predicted failure
Apply This Today
Living Deuteronomy 31
Moses knew he would die and Israel would rebel, yet he still prepared them faithfully. He encouraged Joshua, commanded regular Scripture reading, and wrote a song to serve as a witness. This teaches us to be faithful in our responsibilities regardless of the outcome, to prepare the next generation as best we can, and to trust that God's word endures even when people fail.
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