1Moses encourageth the people, 7and Joshua. 9He delivereth the law to the priests to be read by them every seventh year to the people. 14Moses and Joshua appear before God. 16God telleth Moses of the people's future apostasy, and the consequent evils, and giveth him a song to testify against them. 23Joshua receiveth a charge. 24Moses delivereth the book of the law to the Levites to keep, and calleth together the elders and officers to hear the song.
1AND Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
2And he said unto them, I am an 1hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more 2go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thoua shalt not go over this Jordan.
1 Hebr. a son of an hundred and twenty year.
2 That is, to execute mine office among you as I have done heretofore. See Num. 27:16, 17. Compare Deut. 28:6.
a Num. 27:12; Deut. 3:26.
3The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, 3and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua,b he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
3 Namely, the nations, that is, their lands; as Deut. 9:1, and elsewhere often.
b Num. 27:18.
4And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihonc and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
c Num. 21:24, 33.
5And the LORD shall give them up 4before your face, that ye may do unto them 5according unto all the commandments whichd I have commanded you.
4 See Deut. 1 on verse 8.
5 Thou shalt utterly banish them. See Deut. 7:1, 2.
d Deut. 7:1, 2.
6Be 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; 6hee will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 This promise is applied to all believers, Heb. 13:5.
e Joshua 1:5; Heb. 13:5.
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.
8And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fearf not, neither be dismayed.
f Joshua 1:9.
9¶And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the 7priests the sons of Levi, 8which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
7 Compare Deut. 17:18.
8 Compare verse 25 and see Num. 4 on verse 15.
10And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, 9in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of 10tabernacles,
9 See Deut. 15:1, etc.
10 See Lev. 23:34, etc.; Deut. 16:13, etc.
11When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, 11thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
11 Namely, the priest, with the assisting priests and Levites, etc. See an example in Neh. 8:1, 5, 7, 8.
1212Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy 13gates, 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:
12 Or, gathering, etc. The sense is that this was to be done repeatedly at the end of every seven years.
13 That is, cities, dwelling-places.
13And that their children, which have not 14known 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.
14 Or, have not experienced, have not been acquainted therewith, that is, have not seen all My miracles, as you have seen them.
14¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, 15thy 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 That is, thy day of death has come.
15And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a 16pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
16 Out of which God was wont to walk with Moses. See Exod. 33:9; Psalm 99:7.
16¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt 17sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a 18whoring after the gods 19of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among 20them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with 21them.
17 Or, lie down, namely, to sleep, that is, thou shalt die. Thus death is called a sleep, because the bodies rest until the time of awakening. Psalm 13:3; 76:5; Dan. 12:2; John 11:11; 1 Thes. 4:13, 14, 15; 2 Peter 3:4.
18 See Exod. 34 on verse 15; Lev. 20 on verse 5.
19 Hebr. of the strangers of that land, that is, of the Canaanites, who were estranged from God and His people, serving strange gods.
20 Meaning, the land, or the strange inhabitants of Canaan thereof.
21 Namely, the people, and so continually in the sequel, although the singular and the plural number are intermixed among each other.
17Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide 22my face from them, and they shall be 23devoured, and many 24evils and troubles shall befall 25them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils 26come upon us, because our God is not 27among us?
22 That is, withdraw My blessing and help from them, whereby I was wont to manifest My gracious presence; and so in the following verse.
23 Hebr. for to eat, that is, may be torn and devoured by enemies as by wild beasts. Compare Deut. 7 on verse 16; Ezek. 34:5, 8, 10; 35:12.
24 That is, calamities, miseries, and so in the sequel.
25 Namely, the people, as above and in the sequel.
26 Hebr. found; and so verse 21.
27 As Deut. 1:42.
18And I will 28surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
28 Hebr. hiding hide.
19Now therefore write ye 29this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: 30put it in their mouths, that this song may be a 31witness for me against the children of Israel.
29 Which is recorded in the following chapter; being composed by God into the form of a song, which the people might be more capable to learn and to remember it.
30 That is, cause them to understand it aright; learn it by heart; to be able to sing it, and thus have it daily in their mouth. Compare Exod. 4:15; 2 Sam. 14:3, etc.
31 May it be unto a memorial of all My faithful admonitions, and may it convince them of the righteousness of My punishments when they shall be rebellious.
20For 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.
21And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen 32them, 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 33imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I 34sware.
32 Namely, the people, as above and below.
33 The imagination of their heart. See Gen. 6:5.
34 To give them.
22¶Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23And 35he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Beg 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.
35 The LORD.
g Joshua 1:6.
24¶And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this 36law in a book, until they were finished,
36 This is not only to be understood of the tables of the Ten Commandments and of this song, but of the entire exposition of the law, as it is contained in these books of Moses.
25That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
26Take this bookh of the law, and put it 37in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against 38thee.
h 2 Kings 22:8.
37 In the Holy Of Holies, to signify the dignity and Divinity of this book. The two tables of the covenant were in the ark, and this book (that the ark be not opened) was outside, at the side of the ark. This book was found in the days of king Josiah, 2 Kings 22:8.
38 Not only the Levites, but also all the people.
27For I know thy rebellion, and thy 39stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, 40ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
39Compare Isa. 48:4.
40 See Deut. 9:7, 23, 24.
28¶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.
29For I know that after my death ye will 41utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and 42evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do 43evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
41 Hebr. corrupting will corrupt.
42 Meaning, the evil of punishment, or all manner of plagues which are mentioned above.
43 Understand the evil of sin.
30And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.