Deuteronomy 1: Moses looks back: from Horeb to Kadesh, and the people refuse to go in
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What happens?
In the fortieth year, east of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses begins to explain the law to Israel. He reminds them how Yahweh told them to leave Horeb, how leaders and judges were chosen to share his load, and how twelve men spied out the land. The people refused to go in, so Yahweh swore that this generation would not see the land, except Caleb and Joshua; when they then went up to fight anyway, the Amorites chased them like bees.
Who is speaking?
The narrator opens the book in verses 1 to 5. From verse 6 to the end, Moses speaks to Israel and looks back on the journey. In his speech he repeats what Yahweh said (verses 6 to 8, 35 to 40, and 42), what he himself said, and what the people and the spies said. These are Moses' words, so none of them are in gold, even where he tells what Yahweh said. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
In plain English: These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan, in the wilderness, in the Arabah (the desert valley) across from Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.
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2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
In plain English: It is an eleven days' journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the road of Mount Seir.
Good to know: The dictionary gives Horeb as "a (generic) name for the Sinaitic mountains". Deuteronomy names Horeb in 9 verses and Sinai in only 1, . Exodus names Sinai in 13 verses and Horeb in 3, among them , where Horeb is called "God's mountain".
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3In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that Yahweh had given him in commandment to them,
In plain English: In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the Israelites. He told them everything Yahweh had commanded him to tell them.
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4after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.
In plain English: This was after he had struck down Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.
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5Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying,
In plain English: Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain (this Bible: declare) this law. He said,
The Hebrew word: "Declare" is ba'ar, which the dictionary gives as "to dig; by analogy, to engrave; figuratively, to explain". It is in only 3 verses of the Bible. In the other two this Bible says "very plainly" () and "make it plain" ().
The Hebrew word: "Law" is torah, which the dictionary gives as "a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch". This Bible says "law" (or a longer form, like laws) in 204 of the 213 verses that use it.
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6“Yahweh our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain.
In plain English: "Yahweh our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
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7Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there: in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South, by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
In plain English: Turn and set out. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near it: in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South (the Negev), by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
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8Behold, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their offspring after them.’”
In plain English: Look, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.'"
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9I spoke to you at that time, saying, “I am not able to bear you myself alone.
In plain English: At that time I said to you, "I am not able to carry you by myself alone.
Good to know: to tells this from another side: there Moses' father-in-law says the work is too heavy for him and tells him to choose rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, and Moses does it. Here Moses tells it without naming his father-in-law.
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10Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.
In plain English: Yahweh your God has made you many. Look, today you are as many as the stars of the sky.
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11May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!
In plain English: May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you!
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12How can I myself alone bear your problems, your burdens, and your strife?
In plain English: How can I carry by myself alone your load (this Bible: your problems), your burdens and your quarrels?
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13Take wise men of understanding who are respected among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.”
In plain English: Choose wise men of understanding, who are known (this Bible: respected) in your tribes, and I will make them heads over you."
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14You answered me, and said, “The thing which you have spoken is good to do.”
In plain English: You answered me, "What you have said is a good thing to do."
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15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and respected men, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes.
In plain English: So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and respected (literally: known) men, and made them heads over you: captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers for your tribes.
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16I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between your brothers and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him.
In plain English: At that time I commanded your judges, "Hear the cases between your brothers. Judge rightly between a man and his brother, and between a man and the foreigner who lives with him.
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17You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”
In plain English: Do not take sides (literally: regard faces) when you judge. Hear the small and the great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, because the judgment belongs to God. Bring to me any case that is too hard for you, and I will hear it."
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18I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.
In plain English: At that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.
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19We traveled from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.
In plain English: We set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible (or: awesome) wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God had commanded us. And we came to Kadesh Barnea.
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20I said to you, “You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God gives to us.
In plain English: I said to you, "You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God is giving us.
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21Behold, Yahweh your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as Yahweh the God of your fathers has spoken to you. Don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.”
In plain English: Look, Yahweh your God has set the land before you. Go up and take possession of it, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid, and do not lose heart (this Bible: be dismayed)."
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22You came near to me, everyone of you, and said, “Let’s send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to which we shall come.”
In plain English: Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead of us to spy out the land for us. They can bring us back word about the road we should go up by, and the cities we will come to."
Good to know: Here the people ask Moses to send the men, and the idea pleases him (). In to Yahweh tells Moses to send them. The text gives both and does not say how they fit together.
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23The thing pleased me well. I took twelve of your men, one man for every tribe.
In plain English: The idea pleased me. I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.
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24They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.
In plain English: They turned and went up into the hill country. They came to the valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
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25They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, “It is a good land which Yahweh our God gives to us.”
In plain English: They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. They brought back word to us and said, "It is a good land that Yahweh our God is giving us."
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26Yet you wouldn’t go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God.
In plain English: But you would not go up. You rebelled against the command (literally: the mouth) of Yahweh your God.
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27You murmured in your tents, and said, “Because Yahweh hated us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
In plain English: You grumbled in your tents and said, "Because Yahweh hated us, he brought us out of the land of Egypt, to hand us over to the Amorites (literally: into the hand of the Amorites) to destroy us.
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28Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there!’”
In plain English: Where are we going up to? Our brothers have made our hearts melt. They said, 'The people are greater and taller than we are. The cities are great, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the sons of the Anakim there!'"
Good to know: This is the spies' report of and , where they say they saw the sons of Anak. The dictionary gives the Anakim as the descendants of Anak.
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29Then I said to you, “Don’t be terrified. Don’t be afraid of them.
In plain English: Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified. Do not be afraid of them.
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30Yahweh your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
In plain English: Yahweh your God, who goes ahead of you, will fight for you himself, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
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31and in the wilderness where you have seen how that Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”
In plain English: and in the wilderness, where you saw how Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all along the way you went, until you came to this place."
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32Yet in this thing you didn’t believe Yahweh your God,
In plain English: Yet in this you did not trust (this Bible: believe) Yahweh your God,
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33who went before you on the way, to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.
In plain English: who went ahead of you on the way to search out a place for you to camp, in fire by night to show you the way you should go, and in the cloud by day.
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34Yahweh heard the voice of your words and was angry, and swore, saying,
In plain English: Yahweh heard what you said (literally: the sound of your words). He was angry, and he swore,
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35“Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your fathers,
In plain English: "Not one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers,
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36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it. I will give the land that he has trodden on to him and to his children, because he has wholly followed Yahweh.”
In plain English: except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it. I will give him and his children the land he has walked on, because he has followed Yahweh fully (literally: filled after Yahweh)."
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37Also Yahweh was angry with me for your sakes, saying, “You also shall not go in there.
In plain English: Yahweh was also angry with me because of you. He said, "You will not go in there either.
Good to know: gives Yahweh's reason for keeping Moses and Aaron out: "Because you didn't believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel." Here Moses says Yahweh was angry with him "because of you". He says it again in and .
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38Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
In plain English: Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you (who serves you), will go in there. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to take it as their own (this Bible: cause Israel to inherit it).
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39Moreover your little ones, whom you said would be captured or killed, your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, shall go in there. I will give it to them, and they shall possess it.
In plain English: Your little ones, who you said would be taken as plunder (this Bible: captured or killed), your children who today do not yet know good from evil, they will go in there. I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it.
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40But as for you, turn, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
In plain English: But as for you, turn and set out into the wilderness by the road to the Red Sea (literally: the Sea of Reeds)."
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41Then you answered and said to me, “We have sinned against Yahweh. We will go up and fight, according to all that Yahweh our God commanded us.” Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed to go up into the hill country.
In plain English: Then you answered me, "We have sinned against Yahweh. We will go up and fight, just as Yahweh our God commanded us." Each of you put on his weapons of war and thought it easy (this Bible: presumed) to go up into the hill country.
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42Yahweh said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go up and don’t fight; for I am not among you, lest you be struck before your enemies.’”
In plain English: Yahweh said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up and do not fight, because I am not among you, or you will be struck down before your enemies.'"
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43So I spoke to you, and you didn’t listen; but you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill country.
In plain English: So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command (literally: the mouth) of Yahweh. You acted proudly (this Bible: were presumptuous) and went up into the hill country.
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44The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah.
In plain English: The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you. They chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir, as far as Hormah.
Good to know: names the Amalekites and the Canaanites who beat Israel down as far as Hormah. Here Moses calls them the Amorites who lived in that hill country.
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45You returned and wept before Yahweh, but Yahweh didn’t listen to your voice, nor turn his ear to you.
In plain English: You came back and wept before Yahweh, but Yahweh did not listen to your voice or turn his ear to you.
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46So you stayed in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you remained.
In plain English: So you stayed at Kadesh many days, all the days that you stayed there.
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