American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Deuteronomy 1
1
These be the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
Reference
📍 Locations
2
(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir to Kadeshbarnea.)
Reference
📍 Mount Seir 1
3
And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them;
Reference
Word
Numbers 33:38
4
After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelled in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelled at Astaroth in Edrei:
Reference
📍 Ashtaroth
Kingdom
Nehemiah 9:22
5
On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
6
The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, You have dwelled long enough in this mount:
Reference
7
Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and to all the places near thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and to Lebanon, to the great river, the river Euphrates.
Reference
📍 Locations
8
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their seed after them.
Reference
10
The LORD your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 32:13
Genesis 22:17
Genesis 15:5
Genesis 28:14
Nehemiah 9:23
Exodus 12:37
Numbers 1:46
References God
Deuteronomy 10:22
Deuteronomy 28:62
11
(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you!)
Reference
Blessing
Genesis 22:17
Genesis 26:4
Numbers 6:27
Genesis 49:25
Numbers 22:12
Parallel theme
Exodus 32:13
Genesis 15:5
References God
2 Samuel 24:3
References Lord
Psalm 115:14
1 Chronicles 21:3
13
Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 18:21
14
And you answered me, and said, The thing which you have spoken is good for us to do.
15
So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.
Reference
16
And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brothers, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.
Reference
17
You shall not respect persons in judgment; but you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.
Reference
Judgment
Exodus 18:26
Deuteronomy 16:19
Proverbs 24:23
Leviticus 19:15
2 Chronicles 19:6
Exodus 18:22
Parallel theme
James 2:9
Proverbs 29:25
References God
1 Thessalonians 2:4
Deuteronomy 10:17
18
And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.
19
And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 1:2
Deuteronomy 8:15
Deuteronomy 32:10
Numbers 13:26
Numbers 10:12
References Lord
Jeremiah 2:6
20
And I said to you, You are come to the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God does give to us.
21
Behold, the LORD your God has set the land before you: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has said to you; fear not, neither be discouraged.
Reference
22
And you came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
23
And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
24
And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
25
And they took 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 the LORD our God does give us.
26
Notwithstanding you would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
27
And you murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 19:21
References Egypt
Numbers 21:5
References Lord
Deuteronomy 9:28
Psalm 106:25
Numbers 14:3
Exodus 16:8
Exodus 16:3
Matthew 25:24
28
Where shall we go up? our brothers have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
Reference
29
Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30
The LORD your God which goes before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 8:37
References God
Nehemiah 4:20
Romans 8:31
Deuteronomy 3:22
Psalm 46:11
Joshua 10:42
2 Chronicles 32:8
References Lord
Exodus 14:14
31
And in the wilderness, where you have seen how that the LORD your God bore you, as a man does bear his son, in all the way that you went, until you came into this place.
Reference
33
Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in a cloud by day.
Reference
34
And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying,
35
Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I swore to give to your fathers.
36
Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he has trodden on, and to his children, because he has wholly followed the LORD.
Reference
37
Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, You also shall not go in thither.
Reference
38
But Joshua the son of Nun, which stands before you, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
Reference
39
Moreover your little ones, which you said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and to them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Reference
40
But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 14:25
41
Then you answered and said to me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when you had girded on every man his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the hill.
42
And the LORD said to me, Say to them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you be smitten before your enemies.
43
So I spoke to you; and you would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
Reference
References Lord
Numbers 14:44
44
And the Amorites, which dwelled in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even to Hormah.
Reference
45
And you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not listen to your voice, nor give ear to you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 12:17
Summary of Deuteronomy 1
Deuteronomy chapter 1 contains the final speeches of Moses to the children of Israel. The people have gathered on the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, preparing to enter Canaan, and Moses is reminding them of the events that transpired since they had set out from Mount Sinai. Much of the chapter deals with the failure of the previous generation to trust God when the time came to enter the Promised Land.
It begins with Moses stating the location and circumstances in which he delivers this address. Israel was situated in the wilderness near the Red Sea, having passed through all the places where the children of Israel had lain camp during their journey through the desert. The distance from Mount Horeb to Kadesh-barnea was not great enough to require several years to cover. God had told them to abandon Mount Horeb and head towards the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants.
Moses was reminding them that God had promised to give them this land and that they should go in possession of it. It was not a promise made for the first time, and He had vowed to give them the land of Canaan many years earlier. All they had to do was move forward and take possession of the land God had promised to give them.
He goes on to explain that it was too much for him to bear alone and that he had asked God to appoint officers over the people that would help him carry his responsibility as their leader. Moses told them that he could not bear the burden of Israel by himself, and so they had been divided into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Officers had been chosen from the groups to help Moses and Aaron carry their burdens.
They had been told to judge between people based on what seemed right, not to show favoritism to the poor over the rich or the rich over the poor, and not to be afraid of anyone since judgment belonged to God. Cases that were too difficult for them to decide should be taken to Moses for judgment.
With this reminder, Israel set off from Horeb towards the hill country of the Amorites and reached Kadesh-barnea. Moses reminded them that this was the place where they had come close to entering the Promised Land.
Moses had told them to go up and possess the land, and they had agreed that they should send men ahead to explore Canaan. Twelve men were chosen from each tribe to go and see what kind of land it was.
The men went through the land and brought news from it, saying that it was a good land that God had promised to give them, but the people were afraid because the people who dwelt there were strong. Instead of believing the promise of God, they listened to the fearful report brought by the spies and refused to obey the command of Moses.
Moses reminded them that God had been with them even before, carrying them through the wilderness like a father carries his son. If God had done all this for them, why would they refuse to move forward because of the fear of the people living in the land?
They had complained in the tents that God had brought them out of Egypt because He hated them and would cast them off into the hands of the Amorites, and their fear had made them change their perception of God. They had forgotten that God had brought them out of Egypt and delivered them into the wilderness, but now they thought that if they went into Canaan it would destroy them.
Moses reminded them not to fear because God would go before them and fight for them as He had done in Egypt and during their journey through the wilderness. The Lord had provided for them and had led them through the cloud and fire.
Despite this reminder, they refused to believe that they would succeed and Moses told them that it was because they had seen God's works and had not believed Him.
God was angry with them and told Moses that the people who had seen His glory and miracles in Egypt would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land because they had rebelled against Him. Only Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was to be permitted to enter the land because he had followed the Lord, and Joshua would also lead Israel into Canaan.
The children of those who had rebelled were told that they would inherit the land that their fathers had refused to take, and they would enter it once they had grown up. Moses reminded them of the anger of the Lord against him because of the people's actions and told them that Joshua would be their leader and would lead them into the land.
The chapter goes on to recount another failure of the children of Israel. After hearing of God's decree against them, the people decided that they would go up and fight, and Moses told them not to because God was not with them in this endeavor. They refused to heed his warning, and they went up into the hill country of the Amorites where they were defeated by the enemy and driven back like bees from Seir to Hormah.
The people returned and mourned before the Lord, and He told them not to present any more complaints to Him. They had remained in Kadesh for an extended period.
The chapter closes by recounting the tragic tale of God's displeasure with the people. They had failed to believe in Him when He had called them to enter the Promised Land and had refused to accept the promise He had made to give it to them. Now, when God told them that they would not be allowed to enter the land, they had rebelled against Him and tried to enter it on their own, and they were defeated.
Deuteronomy chapter 1 is significant because it serves both as a history lesson and as a warning to the new generation of children of Israel. Moses is reminding them of what happened to their fathers so that they will not do the same things and so that they will learn to place their trust in God. God had performed many great works before them and had provided for them in the wilderness, promising to lead them into the land of milk and honey. It was not the land that had prevented them from entering it, but rather their unbelief.
With all of this in mind, Moses is reminding the new generation of children of Israel that they are once again being commanded to go forth and take possession of the land of Canaan.
It begins with Moses stating the location and circumstances in which he delivers this address. Israel was situated in the wilderness near the Red Sea, having passed through all the places where the children of Israel had lain camp during their journey through the desert. The distance from Mount Horeb to Kadesh-barnea was not great enough to require several years to cover. God had told them to abandon Mount Horeb and head towards the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants.
Moses was reminding them that God had promised to give them this land and that they should go in possession of it. It was not a promise made for the first time, and He had vowed to give them the land of Canaan many years earlier. All they had to do was move forward and take possession of the land God had promised to give them.
He goes on to explain that it was too much for him to bear alone and that he had asked God to appoint officers over the people that would help him carry his responsibility as their leader. Moses told them that he could not bear the burden of Israel by himself, and so they had been divided into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Officers had been chosen from the groups to help Moses and Aaron carry their burdens.
They had been told to judge between people based on what seemed right, not to show favoritism to the poor over the rich or the rich over the poor, and not to be afraid of anyone since judgment belonged to God. Cases that were too difficult for them to decide should be taken to Moses for judgment.
With this reminder, Israel set off from Horeb towards the hill country of the Amorites and reached Kadesh-barnea. Moses reminded them that this was the place where they had come close to entering the Promised Land.
Moses had told them to go up and possess the land, and they had agreed that they should send men ahead to explore Canaan. Twelve men were chosen from each tribe to go and see what kind of land it was.
The men went through the land and brought news from it, saying that it was a good land that God had promised to give them, but the people were afraid because the people who dwelt there were strong. Instead of believing the promise of God, they listened to the fearful report brought by the spies and refused to obey the command of Moses.
Moses reminded them that God had been with them even before, carrying them through the wilderness like a father carries his son. If God had done all this for them, why would they refuse to move forward because of the fear of the people living in the land?
They had complained in the tents that God had brought them out of Egypt because He hated them and would cast them off into the hands of the Amorites, and their fear had made them change their perception of God. They had forgotten that God had brought them out of Egypt and delivered them into the wilderness, but now they thought that if they went into Canaan it would destroy them.
Moses reminded them not to fear because God would go before them and fight for them as He had done in Egypt and during their journey through the wilderness. The Lord had provided for them and had led them through the cloud and fire.
Despite this reminder, they refused to believe that they would succeed and Moses told them that it was because they had seen God's works and had not believed Him.
God was angry with them and told Moses that the people who had seen His glory and miracles in Egypt would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land because they had rebelled against Him. Only Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was to be permitted to enter the land because he had followed the Lord, and Joshua would also lead Israel into Canaan.
The children of those who had rebelled were told that they would inherit the land that their fathers had refused to take, and they would enter it once they had grown up. Moses reminded them of the anger of the Lord against him because of the people's actions and told them that Joshua would be their leader and would lead them into the land.
The chapter goes on to recount another failure of the children of Israel. After hearing of God's decree against them, the people decided that they would go up and fight, and Moses told them not to because God was not with them in this endeavor. They refused to heed his warning, and they went up into the hill country of the Amorites where they were defeated by the enemy and driven back like bees from Seir to Hormah.
The people returned and mourned before the Lord, and He told them not to present any more complaints to Him. They had remained in Kadesh for an extended period.
The chapter closes by recounting the tragic tale of God's displeasure with the people. They had failed to believe in Him when He had called them to enter the Promised Land and had refused to accept the promise He had made to give it to them. Now, when God told them that they would not be allowed to enter the land, they had rebelled against Him and tried to enter it on their own, and they were defeated.
Deuteronomy chapter 1 is significant because it serves both as a history lesson and as a warning to the new generation of children of Israel. Moses is reminding them of what happened to their fathers so that they will not do the same things and so that they will learn to place their trust in God. God had performed many great works before them and had provided for them in the wilderness, promising to lead them into the land of milk and honey. It was not the land that had prevented them from entering it, but rather their unbelief.
With all of this in mind, Moses is reminding the new generation of children of Israel that they are once again being commanded to go forth and take possession of the land of Canaan.