Deuteronomy 31 – Commentary

¹And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.

² And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

Commentary Verses 1 – 2

In verse 2, we learn the age of Moses at the time of his death. Moses was 80 years old when he led the exodus of Israel from Egypt, which means he led them for a total of 40 years before his death. The Most High kept Moses in physical condition to lead Israel at almost double the age that most people retire in the United States.

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³ The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said.

Commentary Verse 3

Joshua is introduced as the new leader of Israel that will lead them into the Promised Land. At the same time, Moses is informing the congregation that he will not be going into the Promised Land with them.

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⁴ And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.

⁵ And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.

⁶ Be 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; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Commentary Verses 4 – 6

These verses summarize the conquering of The Promised Land and also make a specific reference to Numbers 13:33, with the admonitions to “be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them…” It was the fear of the Nephilim in The Promised Land that led to 10 of the 12 spies giving a bad report, which in turn caused most of the nation to fear. This fear led to Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.

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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.

⁸ And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Commentary Verses 7 – 8

Moses was the first official leader of the nation of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. The appointment of Joshua was significant because he was not the son of Moses, which is how leadership was usually passed down. Moses also points out how big of a task Joshua is inheriting, but reassures him that The Most High is with him and will not fail him.

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⁹ And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel.

¹⁰ And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

¹¹ When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

¹² Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, 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:

¹³ And that their children, which have not known 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.

Commentary Verses 9 – 13

This entire section of text stresses how important this covenant is by requiring it to be read every 7 years during the Feast of Tabernacles. This reading was meant to serve as an ongoing reminder for generations. For those that identify as Israelites, it is foundational to return to following the rules of this covenant because of its direct connection to the prophecies contained throughout.

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¹⁴ And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy 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 And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.

¹⁶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

Commentary Verses 14 – 16

The Most High appears in the temple to tell Moses what will happen to Israel after his death. This puts the contents of Deuteronomy 28 into the category of Bible prophecy because the breaking of the covenant, which brings on the curses, is to occur at an undetermined future date.

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¹⁷ Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

¹⁸ And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

Commentary Verses 17 – 18

After Israel violates the covenant, The Most High says he will forsake Israel and hide his face from them while the curses happen to them. The curses will serve as a reminder of their disobedience and its consequences, as laid out in Deuteronomy 28. It also reflects the statement in Deuteronomy 30:1, that Israel will call these curses to mind after they are scattered into all nations. This again confirms that it has to happen at an undetermined future date.

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¹⁹ Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

²⁰ For 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.

²¹ And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, 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 imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

Commentary Verses 19 – 21

The Most High tells Moses to write this song as a reminder of what God did for Israel, the covenant that was made, the violation of the covenant, and the consequences of violating the covenant. Israel’s problem was constantly turning away from The Most High, even as he was bringing them out of slavery and into their own land.

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²² Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

²³ And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be 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.

²⁴ And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

²⁵ That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,

²⁶ Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Commentary Verses 22 – 26

The putting of Deuteronomy inside of the Ark of The Covenant was significant because the ark also held the Ten Commandments and Aaron’s staff. In 2 Kings 22, this same book is discovered in the temple by Hilkiah the high priest.

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²⁷ For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death?

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.

²⁹ For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

Commentary Verses 27 – 29

In verse 27 – 29, Moses refers back to what The Most High told him in verses 16 – 18 concerning what would happen to Israel in the “Latter Days.” The Latter Days are also referred to as the “End Times” by some believers. This is another portion of scripture that some believers point to as evidence that both the Roman invasion in 70 AD and Transatlantic Slave Trade fit the criteria of prophetic fulfillment.

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³⁰ And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

Commentary Verses 30

There are many people that believe these last few verses of chapter 31 were written by another author, possibly Joshua or a scribe. The verses refer to Moses in third person and speak of him in past tense as if the events had already happened.