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Deuteronômio 31

BLIVRE · Chapter 31/34

1E foi Moisés, e falou estas palavras a todo Israel,

2E disse-lhes: De idade de cento e vinte anos sou hoje dia; não posso mais sair nem entrar: a mais disto o SENHOR me disse: Não passarás este Jordão.

3O SENHOR teu Deus, ele passa diante de ti; ele destruirá estas nações de diante de ti, e as herdarás: Josué será o que passará diante de ti, como o SENHOR disse.

4E fará o SENHOR com eles como fez com Seom e com Ogue, reis dos amorreus, e com sua terra, que os destruiu.

5E os entregará o SENHOR diante de vós, e fareis com eles conforme tudo o que vos mandei.

6Esforçai-vos e tende ânimo; não temais, nem tenhais medo deles: que o SENHOR teu Deus é o que vai contigo: não te deixará nem te desamparará.

7E chamou Moisés a Josué, e disse-lhe à vista de todo Israel: Esforça-te e anima-te; porque tu entrarás com este povo à terra que jurou o SENHOR a seus pais que lhes havia de dar, e tu a farás herdar.

8E o SENHOR é o que vai diante de ti; ele será contigo, não te deixará, nem te desamparará; não temas, nem te intimides.

9E escreveu Moisés esta lei, e deu-a aos sacerdotes, filhos de Levi, que levavam a arca do pacto do SENHOR, e a todos os anciãos de Israel.

10E mandou-lhes Moisés, dizendo: Ao fim do sétimo ano, no ano da remissão, na festa das cabanas,

11Quando vier todo Israel a apresentar-se diante do SENHOR teu Deus no lugar que ele escolher, lerás esta lei diante de todo Israel aos ouvidos deles.

12Farás congregar o povo, homens e mulheres e crianças, e teus estrangeiros que estiverem em tuas cidades, para que ouçam e aprendam, e temam ao SENHOR vosso Deus, e cuidem de praticar todas as palavras desta lei:

13E os filhos deles que não souberem ouçam, e aprendam a temer ao SENHOR vosso Deus todos os dias que viverdes sobre a terra, para ir à qual passais o Jordão para possuí-la.

14E o SENHOR disse a Moisés: Eis que se aproximam teus dias para que morras: chama a Josué, e esperai no tabernáculo do testemunho, e lhe mandarei. Foram pois Moisés e Josué, e esperaram no tabernáculo do testemunho.

15E apareceu-se o SENHOR no tabernáculo, na coluna de nuvem; e a coluna de nuvem se pôs sobre a porta do tabernáculo.

16E o SENHOR disse a Moisés: Eis que tu vais descansar com teus pais, e este povo se levantará e se prostituirá atrás dos deuses alheios da terra aonde vai, em estando em meio dela; e me deixará, e invalidará meu pacto que estabeleci com ele:

17E meu furor se acenderá contra ele naquele dia; e os abandonarei, e esconderei deles meu rosto, e serão consumidos; e o acharão muitos males e angústias, e dirá naquele dia: Não me acharam estes males porque não está meu Deus em meio de mim?

18Porém eu esconderei certamente meu rosto naquele dia, por todo o mal que eles houverem feito, por haver-se voltado a deuses alheios.

19Agora, pois, escrevei-vos este cântico, e ensina-o aos filhos de Israel: põe-o em boca deles, para que este cântico me seja por testemunha contra os filhos de Israel.

20Porque eu lhe introduzirei na terra que jurei a seus pais, a qual flui leite e mel; e comerá, e se fartará, e se engordará: e se voltarão a deuses alheios, e lhes servirão, e me provocarão à ira, e invalidarão meu pacto.

21E será que quando lhe vierem muitos males e angústias, então responderá em sua face este cântico como testemunha, pois não cairá em esquecimento da boca de sua linhagem: porque eu conheço seu intento, e o que faz hoje antes que lhe introduza na terra que jurei.

22E Moisés escreveu este cântico aquele dia, e ensinou-o aos filhos de Israel.

23E deu ordem a Josué filho de Num, e disse: Esforça-te e anima-te, que tu porás os filhos de Israel na terra que lhes jurei, e eu serei contigo.

24E quando acabou Moisés de escrever as palavras desta lei em um livro até concluir,

25Mandou Moisés aos levitas que levavam a arca do pacto do SENHOR, dizendo:

26Tomai este livro da lei, e ponde-o ao lado da arca do pacto do SENHOR vosso Deus, e esteja ali por testemunha contra ti.

27Porque eu conheço tua rebelião, e tua dura cerviz: eis que ainda vivendo eu hoje convosco, sois rebeldes ao SENHOR; e quanto mais depois que eu morrer?

28Congregai a mim todos os anciãos de vossas tribos, e a vossos oficiais, e falarei em seus ouvidos estas palavras, e chamarei por testemunhas contra eles os céus e a terra.

29Porque eu sei que depois de minha morte, certamente vos corrompereis e vos desviareis do caminho que vos mandei; e que vos há de vir mal nos últimos dias, por haver feito mal aos olhos do SENHOR, provocando-lhe à ira com a obra de vossas mãos.

30Então falou Moisés aos ouvidos de toda a congregação de Israel as palavras deste cântico até acabá-lo.

📖 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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