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Deuteronômio 31

ARC · Chapter 31/34

1Depois foi Moysés, e fallou estas palavras a todo o Israel;

2E disse-lhes: Da edade de cento e vinte annos sou eu hoje: já não poderei mais sair e entrar: além d'isto, o Senhor me disse: Não passarás o Jordão.

3O Senhor teu Deus passará diante de ti; elle destruirá estas nações diante de ti, para que as possuas: Josué passará diante de ti, como o Senhor tem dito.

4E o Senhor lhes fará como fez a Sehon e a Og, reis dos amorrheos, e á sua terra, os quaes destruiu.

5Quando pois o Senhor vol-os der diante de vós, então com elles fareis conforme a todo o mandamento que vos tenho ordenado.

6Esforçae-vos, e animae-vos; não temaes, nem vos espanteis diante d'elles: porque o Senhor teu Deus é o que vae comtigo: não te deixará nem te desamparará.

7E chamou Moysés a Josué, e lhe disse aos olhos de todo o Israel: Esforça-te e anima-te; porque com este povo entrarás na terra que o Senhor jurou a teus paes lhes dar; e tu os farás herdal-a.

8O Senhor pois é aquelle que vae diante de ti; elle será comtigo, não te deixará, nem te desamparará; não temas, nem te espantes.

9E Moysés escreveu esta lei, e a deu aos sacerdotes, filhos de Levi, que levavam a arca do concerto do Senhor, e a todos os anciãos d'Israel.

10E deu-lhes ordem Moysés, dizendo: Ao fim de cada sete annos, no tempo determinado do anno da remissão, na festa dos tabernaculos,

11Quando todo o Israel vier a comparecer perante o Senhor teu Deus, no logar que elle escolher, lerás esta lei diante de todo o Israel aos seus ouvidos.

12Ajunta o povo, homens, e mulheres, e meninos, e os teus estrangeiros que estão dentro das tuas portas, para que ouçam, e aprendam e temam ao Senhor vosso Deus, e tenham cuidado de fazer todas as palavras d'esta lei;

13E que seus filhos, que a não souberem, ouçam, e aprendam a temer ao Senhor vosso Deus, todos os dias que viverdes sobre a terra a qual ides, passando o Jordão, a possuir.

14E disse o Senhor a Moysés: Eis-que os teus dias são chegados, para que morras; chama a Josué, e ponde-vos na tenda da congregação, para que eu lhe dê ordem. Assim foi Moysés e Josué, e se puzeram na tenda da congregação.

15Então o Senhor appareceu na tenda, na columna de nuvem; e a columna de nuvem estava sobre a porta da tenda.

16E disse o Senhor a Moysés: Eis que dormirás com teus paes: e este povo se levantará, e fornicará em seguimento dos deuses dos estranhos da terra, para o meio dos quaes vae, e me deixará, e annullará o meu concerto que tenho feito com elle.

17Assim se accenderá a minha ira n'aquelle dia contra elle, e desamparal-o-hei, e esconderei o meu rosto d'elles, para que sejam devorados: e tantos males e angustias o alcançarão, que dirá n'aquelle dia: Não me alcançaram estes males, porquanto o meu Deus não está no meio de mim?

18Esconderei pois totalmente o meu rosto n'aquelle dia, por todo o mal que tiver feito, por se haver tornado a outros deuses.

19Agora pois escrevei-vos este cantico, e ensinae-o aos filhos d'Israel: ponde-o na sua bocca, para que este cantico me seja por testemunha contra os filhos d'Israel.

20Porque o metterei na terra que jurei a seus paes, que mana leite e mel; e comerá, e se fartará, e se engordará: então se tornará a outros deuses, e os servirá, e me irritarão, e annullarão o meu concerto.

21E será que, quando o alcançarem muitos males e angustias, então este cantico responderá contra elle por testemunha, pois não será esquecido da bocca de sua semente; porquanto conheço a sua boa imaginação, o que elle faz hoje, antes que o metta na terra que tenho jurado.

22Assim Moysés escreveu este cantico n'aquelle dia, e o ensinou aos filhos d'Israel.

23E ordenou a Josué, filho de Nun, e disse: Esforça-te e anima-te; porque tu metterás os filhos d'Israel na terra que lhes jurei; e eu serei comtigo.

24E aconteceu que, acabando Moysés de escrever as palavras d'esta lei n'um livro, até de todo as acabar,

25Deu ordem Moysés aos levitas que levavam a arca do concerto do Senhor, dizendo:

26Tomae este livro da lei, e ponde-o ao lado da arca do concerto do Senhor vosso Deus, para que ali esteja por testemunha contra ti.

27Porque conheço a tua rebellião e a tua dura cerviz: eis que, vivendo eu ainda hoje comvosco, rebeldes fostes contra o Senhor; e quanto mais depois da minha morte.

28Ajuntae perante mim todos os anciãos das vossas tribus, e vossos officiaes, e aos vossos ouvidos fallarei estas palavras, e contra elles por testemunhas tomarei os céus e a terra.

29Porque eu sei que depois da minha morte certamente vos corrompereis, e vos desviareis do caminho que vos ordenei: então este mal vos alcançará nos ultimos dias, quando fizerdes mal aos olhos do Senhor, para o provocar á ira com a obra das vossas mãos.

30Então Moysés fallou as palavras d'este cantico aos ouvidos de toda a congregação de Israel, até se acabarem.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

At 120 years old, Moses formally commissions Joshua as his successor before the entire people, hands over the written Law to the priests for periodic public reading, and receives word from God that after his death Israel would turn away from the covenant — so he is instructed to write a prophetic song as a permanent witness against the people.

Explanation

The public, carefully prepared transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua, including the repeated exhortation to 'be strong and of good courage... do not be afraid or discouraged,' models a healthy leadership succession, in which the outgoing leader actively encourages and validates his successor before the whole community, avoiding power struggles or doubts about legitimacy. The instruction to read the Law publicly every seven years, during the Feast of Tabernacles, ensured that even future generations who were illiterate or without personal access to copies of the text could regularly hear and learn the commandments. God's command for Moses to write a song as a 'witness' against the people is remarkable: rather than hiding or downplaying the prediction of Israel's future failure, God chooses to preserve it permanently in a memorable form (a song), knowing that songs are remembered and repeated across generations even when written texts are forgotten.

Fun facts

  • The custom of publicly reading the Law every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles, instituted here, is dramatically revived centuries later in Nehemiah 8, when Ezra reads the Law to the people newly returned from Babylonian exile, sparking a significant spiritual revival.
  • The choice to preserve a prophetic message through a song, rather than simply as legal text, reflects a timeless teaching principle: music and poetry are retained in a community's collective memory far more durably than ordinary prose — a principle used repeatedly throughout biblical history, as in the Psalms.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 31:1Marks a narrative transition: Moses addresses the whole people once more, moving the book toward its close.
  2. Deuteronômio 31:2Moses announces his own advanced age, a hundred and twenty years, and calmly accepts that he will not cross the Jordan.
  3. Deuteronômio 31:3Reassures the people by saying that God Himself will go ahead to destroy the nations, with Joshua leading in practice.
  4. Deuteronômio 31:4Reinforces their confidence by citing the already-known victories over Sihon and Og as a guarantee of what is still to come.
  5. Deuteronômio 31:5Determines that the treatment given to the next nations should follow exactly the instructions already given before.
  6. Deuteronômio 31:6One of the most quoted encouragement speeches in the book: be strong and courageous, without fear, because God never fails nor forsakes.
  7. Deuteronômio 31:7Moses publicly transfers leadership to Joshua, repeating the same call to courage in front of the whole people.
  8. Deuteronômio 31:8Repeats to Joshua the same assurance given to the people: God goes ahead of him and will never leave him nor forsake him.
  9. Deuteronômio 31:9The law was to be read aloud to the whole people every seven years, at the Feast of Tabernacles, including the children who did not yet know it: a deliberate mechanism to keep the law from being lost from one generation to the next.
  10. Deuteronômio 31:10Establishes a periodic public reading of the law, set for the year of release, during the Feast of Tabernacles.
  11. Deuteronômio 31:11This reading was to take place before all Israel gathered at the sanctuary, heard by everyone.
  12. Deuteronômio 31:12The summons includes everyone — men, women, children, and foreigners — to learn and to fear God.
  13. Deuteronômio 31:13The purpose of repeating the reading is to also reach the children who did not yet know the law, shaping the next generation.
  14. Deuteronômio 31:14God tells Moses directly that his death is near and summons Joshua to the tent of meeting to receive instructions.
  15. Deuteronômio 31:15God’s presence appears visibly at the tent through a pillar of cloud over the entrance.
  16. Deuteronômio 31:16Even before Moses dies, God already tells him that the people will turn away and worship other gods as soon as they enter the land. The text does not pretend to be optimistic about the covenant’s future; it foresees its breaking well in advance.
  17. Deuteronômio 31:17Anticipates God’s reaction to that future unfaithfulness: hiding His face, leaving the people vulnerable to disasters that would make them wonder whether God was still with them.
  18. Deuteronômio 31:18Confirms that this distance from God would be a direct consequence of the people turning to other gods.
  19. Deuteronômio 31:19The song Moses writes at God’s command, given in the next chapter, is meant to stand as a witness that will keep accusing the people even after they forget the written law. A song is harder to forget than a text kept in a book.
  20. Deuteronômio 31:20Specifically foresees that the abundance of the promised land would bring the risk of forgetfulness and unfaithfulness, breaking the covenant.
  21. Deuteronômio 31:21The song taught to them would serve as a permanent witness, reminding the people of this tendency even before it actually happened.
  22. Deuteronômio 31:22Moses carries out the order and writes the song that very day, teaching it to the people.
  23. Deuteronômio 31:23God Himself encourages Joshua directly, repeating the promise to be with him during the conquest of the land.
  24. Deuteronômio 31:24Marks the completion of Moses’ writing of the law, recorded in full in a book.
  25. Deuteronômio 31:25Moses gives specific instructions to the Levites responsible for carrying the ark of the covenant.
  26. Deuteronômio 31:26The book of the law was to be kept beside the ark, serving as a permanent witness against future disobedience.
  27. Deuteronômio 31:27Moses is blunt about the people’s character: already rebellious while he was alive, they would no doubt be worse after his death.
  28. Deuteronômio 31:28Formally summons the elders and officers to hear his final words, calling on heaven and earth as witnesses.
  29. Deuteronômio 31:29Sadly predicts the people’s future corruption, foreseeing that evil would come as a direct consequence of abandoning the commandments.
  30. Deuteronômio 31:30Closes the chapter with Moses reciting the entire song before the whole assembly of Israel gathered together.

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