Deuteronomy 1:6-46

Deuteronomy 1:6-46

[6] The LORD  our God  spake  unto us in Horeb,  saying,  Ye have dwelt  long enough  in this mount:  [7] Turn  you, and take your journey,  and go  to the mount  of the Amorites,  and unto all the places nigh  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 unto Lebanon,  unto the great  river,  Euphrates.  [8] Behold,  I have set  the land  before  you: go  in and possess  the land  which the LORD  sware  unto your fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and Jacob,  to give  unto them and to their seed  after  them. [9] And I spake  unto you at that time,  saying,  I am not able  to bear  you myself alone:  [10] The LORD  your God  hath multiplied  you, and, behold, ye are this day  as the stars  of heaven  for multitude.  [11] (The LORD  God  of your fathers  make you a thousand  times  so many more as  ye are, and bless  you, as he hath promised  you!) [12] How  can I myself alone bear  your cumbrance,  and your burden,  and your strife?  [13] Take  you wise  men,  and understanding,  and known  among your tribes,  and I will make  them rulers  over you. [14] And ye answered  me, and said,  The thing  which thou hast spoken  is good  for us to do.  [15] So I took  the chief  of your tribes,  wise  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.  [16] And I charged  your judges  at that time,  saying,  Hear  the causes between your brethren,  and judge  righteously  between every man  and his brother,  and the stranger  [17] Ye shall not respect  persons  in judgment;  but ye shall hear  the small  as well as the great;  ye 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 unto me, and I will hear  [18] And I commanded  you at that time  all the things  which ye should do.  [19] And when we departed  from Horeb,  all that great  and terrible  wilderness,  which ye saw  by the way  of the mountain  of the Amorites,  as the LORD  our God  commanded  us; and we came  to Kadeshbarnea.  [20] And I said  unto you, Ye are come  unto the mountain  of the Amorites,  which the LORD  our God  doth give  unto us. [21] Behold,  the LORD  thy God  hath set  the land  before  thee: go up  and possess  it, as the LORD  God  of thy fathers  hath said  unto thee; fear  not, neither be discouraged.  [22] And ye came near  unto me every one of you, and said,  We will send  before  us, and they shall search us out  the land,  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  unto 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  us word  again,  and said,  It is a good  land  which the LORD  our God  doth give  us. [26] Notwithstanding ye would  not go up,  but rebelled  against the commandment  of the LORD  your God:  [27] And ye murmured  in your tents,  and said,  Because the LORD  us, he hath brought us forth  out of the land  of Egypt,  to deliver  us into the hand  of the Amorites,  to destroy  [28] Whither shall we go up?  our brethren  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  [29] Then I said  unto you, Dread  not, neither be afraid  [30] The LORD  your God  which goeth  before  you, he shall fight  for you, according to all that he did  for you in Egypt  before your eyes;  [31] And in the wilderness,  where thou hast seen  how that the LORD  thy God  bare  thee, as a man  doth bear  his son,  in all the way  that ye went,  until ye came  into this place.  [32] Yet in this thing  ye did not believe  the LORD  your God,  [33] Who went  in the way  before  you, to search you out  a place  to pitch your tents  in, in fire  by night,  to shew  you by what way  and in a cloud  by day.  [34] And the LORD  heard  the voice  of your words,  and was wroth,  and sware,  saying,  [35] Surely there shall not one  of this evil  generation  see  that good  land,  which I sware  to give  unto your fathers,  [36] Save  Caleb  the son  of Jephunneh;  he shall see  it, and to him will I give  the land  that  he hath trodden upon,  and to his children,  because he hath wholly  followed  the LORD.  [37] Also the LORD  was angry  with me for your sakes,  saying,  Thou also shalt not go  in thither.  [38] But Joshua  the son  of Nun,  which standeth  before  thee, he shall go in  thither: encourage  him: for he shall cause Israel  to inherit  [39] Moreover your little ones,  which ye 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 unto them will I give  it, and they shall possess  it. [40] But as for you, turn  you, and take your journey  into the wilderness  by the way  of the Red  sea.  [41] Then ye answered  and said  unto 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 ye had girded  on every man  his weapons  of war,  ye were ready  to go up  into the hill.  [42] And the LORD  said  unto them, Go not up,  neither fight;  for I am not among  you; lest ye be smitten  before  your enemies.  [43] So I spake  unto you; and ye would not hear,  but rebelled  against the commandment  of the LORD,  presumptuously  up  into the hill.  [44] And the Amorites,  which dwelt  in that mountain,  came out  against  you, and chased  you, as bees  do,  and destroyed  you in Seir,  even unto Hormah.  [45] And ye returned  and wept  before  the LORD;  would not hearken  to your voice,  nor give ear  [46] So ye abode  in Kadesh  many  days,  that ye abode 

What does Deuteronomy 1:6-46 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Moses began his recital of Israel"s history at Horeb (Sinai) because this is where Yahweh adopted the nation by making the Mosaic Covenant with her. The trip from Egypt to Sinai was only preparation for the giving of the covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is central in Deuteronomy.
"The importance of history has two focal points: (a) there is the covenant tradition of promise, from Abraham to Moses; (b) there is the experience of God in history working out in deed the content of the promise. Thus, for the renewal of the covenant described in Deuteronomy , the prologue recalls not only the covenant"s history, but also the ability of the Lord of the covenant to fulfill his promise. What God had done in the past, he could continue to do in the future. There is thus a presentation of a faithful God, whose demand was for a faithful people." [1]
Moses reflected on the past mainly as Israel"s history stands revealed in the earlier books of the Pentateuch. He did not assume knowledge of Israel"s history that is independent of the biblical account nor did he recount events previously unrecorded. Occasionally in Deuteronomy he supplemented what he had written earlier with other explanatory material. This indicates that Moses assumed that those who read Deuteronomy would have prior knowledge of his preceding four books. He did not just write Deuteronomy for the generation of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land but for later generations as well, including our generation.