The Meaning of Deuteronomy 9:5 Explained

Deuteronomy 9:5

KJV: Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

YLT: not for thy righteousness, and for the uprightness of thy heart, art thou going in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations is Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from before thee; and in order to establish the word which Jehovah hath sworn to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob;

Darby: Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou enter in to possess their land, but for the wickedness of these nations doth Jehovah thy God dispossess them from before thee, and that he may perform the word which Jehovah swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

ASV: Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Not for thy righteousness,  or for the uprightness  of thine heart,  dost thou go  to possess  their land:  but for the wickedness  of these nations  the LORD  thy God  doth drive them out  from before  thee, and that he may perform  the word  which the LORD  sware  unto thy fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and Jacob. 

What does Deuteronomy 9:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 9:1-14 - Offending The Righteous God
Who can read this chapter without emotion and admiration for its sublime eloquence! It is one of the most striking and moving chapters in this book!
Moses sets himself to convince the people that they must not suppose that their easy entrance to Canaan was due to conspicuous virtue, but rather to God's covenant with their fathers, and also to the sinful practices of the Canaanites. Compare Deuteronomy 9:5 with Genesis 15:16. The contagion of these sins might have infected and poisoned humanity; therefore they had to be extirpated. Whatever we enjoy is due, not to our merit, but to the infinite grace of God in Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:10.
Ah, my soul, ponder this, for this is true of thee also! All thy past has been filled with failure and rebellion. If thou art still used for God's service, and art credited with a good name among His people, remember the reason is in the sovereign grace of Jehovah!
"A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing." [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 9

1  Moses dissuades them from the opinion of their own righteousness
7  Moses reminds them of the golden calf

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 9:5 mean?

[it is] not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart [that] you go in to possess - their land but because of the wickedness of nations these [that] Yahweh your God drives them out from before you that He may fulfill the word which swore Yahweh to your fathers to Abraham Isaac and Jacob
לֹ֣א בְצִדְקָתְךָ֗ וּבְיֹ֙שֶׁר֙ לְבָ֣בְךָ֔ אַתָּ֥ה בָ֖א לָרֶ֣שֶׁת אֶת־ אַרְצָ֑ם כִּ֞י בְּרִשְׁעַ֣ת ׀ הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֗לֶּה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם מִפָּנֶ֔יךָ וּלְמַ֜עַן הָקִ֣ים הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָה֙ לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב

לֹ֣א  [it  is]  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
בְצִדְקָתְךָ֗  because  of  your  righteousness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: צְדָקָה  
Sense: justice, righteousness.
וּבְיֹ֙שֶׁר֙  or  the  uprightness 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄשֶׁר  
Sense: straightness, uprightness.
לְבָ֣בְךָ֔  of  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
אַתָּ֥ה  [that]  you 
Parse: Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
בָ֖א  go  in 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לָרֶ֣שֶׁת  to  possess 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אַרְצָ֑ם  their  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בְּרִשְׁעַ֣ת ׀  because  of  the  wickedness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
הַגּוֹיִ֣ם  of  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאֵ֗לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
יְהוָ֤ה  [that]  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם  drives  them  out 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רִשְׁעָה  
Sense: wickedness, guilt.
מִפָּנֶ֔יךָ  from  before  you 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וּלְמַ֜עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
הָקִ֣ים  He  may  fulfill 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
הַדָּבָ֗ר  the  word 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
נִשְׁבַּ֤ע  swore 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ  to  your  fathers 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם  to  Abraham 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַבְרָהָם  
Sense: friend of God and founder of Hebrew nation via God’s elective covenant.
לְיִצְחָ֖ק  Isaac 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִצְחָק  
Sense: son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau.
וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב  and  Jacob 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.