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Deuteronomy 1

KJV · Chapter 1/34

1These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2(There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh–barnea.)

3And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;

4After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

5On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

6The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

7Turn 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, the river Euphrates.

8Behold, 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.

9And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

10The 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!)

12How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

13Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

14And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

15So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, 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.

16And 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 that is with him.

17Ye 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 it.

18And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

19And when we departed from Horeb, we went through 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 Kadesh–barnea.

20And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us.

21Behold, 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.

22And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

23And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

24And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

25And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us.

26Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:

27And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

28Whither 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 there.

29Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30The 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;

31And 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.

32Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,

33Who 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 ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

34And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

35Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

36Save 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.

37Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

38But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39Moreover 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.

40But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

41Then 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.

42And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

43So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

44And 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.

45And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

46So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses begins his final address to the people of Israel on the plains of Moab, recalling the journey from Mount Horeb and the tragic failure at Kadesh-barnea, when the people, afraid because of the spies' report, refused to enter the promised land.

Explanation

Deuteronomy literally means 'second law' — not a new law, but Moses' farewell address recalling the Law and history to the new generation about to enter the land, since the previous generation had died in the wilderness through unbelief. By retelling the episode of the spies right at the outset, Moses sets the tone for the whole book: learning from past mistakes so as not to repeat them. It is significant that Moses includes his own failure in this summary (being unable to enter the land because of the incident at the rock), showing humility in admitting the personal consequences of wrong decisions, even though he was Israel's greatest leader. The application for today: honestly revisiting one's own history, including its failures, is essential before taking important steps toward the future.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'there are eleven days' journey from Horeb' (v. 2), a trip that would normally take about eleven days, contrasts sharply with the 40 years Israel actually took — a quiet reminder, right at the book's opening, of how much unbelief can delay the fulfillment of a promise.
  • This address was delivered in the 'eleventh month of the fortieth year' (v. 3), meaning Moses is speaking only about two months before his own death, giving the whole book the tone of an urgent, final testament.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronomy 1:1This passage opens the book as a farewell speech, not third‑person narrative: it is Moses reminding the people of everything they lived through, following the format of the treaties kings of that era made with their vassals — first the history of the relationship, then the laws, and finally blessings and curses. That is why Deuteronomy sounds like an end‑of‑life sermon, retelling what was already told in Exodus and Numbers.
  2. Deuteronomy 1:2A geographical note that weighs on the whole book: from Horeb to Kadesh‑barnea is only an eleven‑day journey under normal conditions. That detail makes it even more shocking that the people took forty years to make the same trip.
  3. Deuteronomy 1:3Moses is giving this speech right at the end, in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt — in other words, it is a farewell summary, delivered on the eve of entering Canaan, not an account from the start of the journey.
  4. Deuteronomy 1:4The speech comes right after the recent victories over Sihon and Og, two kings on the east side of the Jordan. Those conquests already showed the people that God would keep His promise of the land.
  5. Deuteronomy 1:5The scene is set: Moses is in the plains of Moab, still outside Canaan, about to explain the law to the people before the crossing of the Jordan that he himself will not make.
  6. Deuteronomy 1:6God opens by saying that enough time has already been spent standing still at Mount Horeb (Sinai): it is time to move on toward the promised land.
  7. Deuteronomy 1:7The order to leave points to a huge territory — plain, hill country, valley, south, coastland, the land of the Canaanites, all the way to the Euphrates — showing the extent of the land God promised to give.
  8. Deuteronomy 1:8God hands over the land as a gift already given, not a conquest earned by merit: all they have to do is enter and take possession of what was sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  9. Deuteronomy 1:9Moses recalls the moment he realized he could not handle leading a people that size alone, opening the way for a system of assistant leaders to be created.
  10. Deuteronomy 1:10The people had already grown so much that they seemed impossible to count, like the stars of the sky — the same image used in the promise made to Abraham in Genesis.
  11. Deuteronomy 1:11Moses adds one more request: that God multiply the people a thousand times more than they already were, and bless them as He had promised.
  12. Deuteronomy 1:12The question is rhetorical: how could one man alone bear the troubles, the burdens, and the disputes of such a large people? That is the direct reason for dividing up the leadership.
  13. Deuteronomy 1:13Moses asks each tribe to put forward its own wise and experienced men, to become leaders recognized by the people themselves, not imposed from outside.
  14. Deuteronomy 1:14The people accept the idea without resistance: they agree that the proposal to divide the leadership among several chiefs was good.
  15. Deuteronomy 1:15Moses organizes the chosen leaders into a military hierarchy — captains of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens — a practical system for administering a huge people in the desert.
  16. Deuteronomy 1:16The instruction to the judges is to judge fairly the cases between brothers, and also those involving the foreigner, with no difference in treatment because of a person’s origin.
  17. Deuteronomy 1:17The central statement is that judgment belongs to God, so the judge does not judge in his own name: that is why he must not show partiality between rich and poor, nor be afraid of anyone. It was a common idea in the ancient world, where the local judge acted as a delegate of a higher authority than himself.
  18. Deuteronomy 1:18Moses closes the summary of this organizational period by saying he had already given all the instructions the people needed for their life at that time.
  19. Deuteronomy 1:19The people leave Horeb and cross the great and terrifying wilderness until they reach Kadesh‑barnea — the point where the story is about to go wrong in the following verses.
  20. Deuteronomy 1:20Moses announces that they have finally reached the hill country of the Amorites, the very land God was about to give them.
  21. Deuteronomy 1:21The encouragement is direct: the land is already set before them, all they have to do is go up and take possession, without fear and without being terrified.
  22. Deuteronomy 1:22The idea of sending spies did not come from God but from the people themselves, who wanted to scout the route and the cities first before advancing.
  23. Deuteronomy 1:23Moses agrees to the request and chooses twelve spies, one representative from each tribe of Israel.
  24. Deuteronomy 1:24The spies go up to the Valley of Eshcol and carry out the mission of scouting the land from within.
  25. Deuteronomy 1:25They come back with fruit from the land in their hands and a positive report: the land God was giving them was truly good.
  26. Deuteronomy 1:26Despite the good report, the people refuse to go up — the beginning of the rebellion against God’s direct command.
  27. Deuteronomy 1:27In their tents, the people twist God’s intention: instead of seeing a gift, they accuse God of hating them and of having brought them out of Egypt only to die at the hands of the Amorites.
  28. Deuteronomy 1:28“The sons of the Anakims” translates a legendary people described as enormous warriors who lived in Canaan — their reputation had already come up earlier, in Numbers 13. The people’s fear is not the exaggeration of cowards: it is a real fear of facing fortified cities and a people seen as superhuman.
  29. Deuteronomy 1:29Facing the collective panic, Moses tries to calm the people: there is no reason for terror or for fear of the enemies.
  30. Deuteronomy 1:30Moses’ argument is recent experience: the same God who fought for them in Egypt will go ahead and fight for them now.
  31. Deuteronomy 1:31The image used is that of a father carrying his son — that is how God carried them through the whole journey in the wilderness.
  32. Deuteronomy 1:32Even with all that reminder of God’s care, the people simply did not trust God at the decisive moment.
  33. Deuteronomy 1:33God’s care is described in detail: He went ahead of them choosing where to camp, guiding by night with fire and by day with a cloud.
  34. Deuteronomy 1:34Hearing the people’s complaints, God reacts with indignation and makes an oath — which will be spelled out in the next verse.
  35. Deuteronomy 1:35The oath is harsh: not one of that disobedient generation will see the good land promised to their ancestors.
  36. Deuteronomy 1:36Caleb escapes the general punishment because, among the twelve spies, he was one of the two who trusted that the people could take the land. He is the only one from the exodus generation, along with Joshua, who will be allowed to enter Canaan.
  37. Deuteronomy 1:37Not even Moses escapes the consequences: because of the people’s revolt, God also bars him from entering the promised land.
  38. Deuteronomy 1:38The one who will inherit the leadership and bring the people into the land is Joshua, Moses’ assistant — hence the request to encourage him starting now.
  39. Deuteronomy 1:39The children who still did not know how to tell good from evil are precisely the ones God decides to spare from the punishment of the rebellious generation: too young to be held responsible for their own actions, they inherit the land their parents lost by distrusting the promise.
  40. Deuteronomy 1:40God’s command turns into punishment: instead of entering Canaan, the people have to turn around and go back to the wilderness, toward the Red Sea.
  41. Deuteronomy 1:41Only after the sentence do the people repent and want to attack on their own — but now it is too late, without God’s authorization.
  42. Deuteronomy 1:42God warns through Moses: do not go up, do not fight now, because He will not be with them in this attack — and without Him, defeat is certain.
  43. Deuteronomy 1:43Even after being warned, the people ignore Moses again, act with arrogance, and go up the mountain on their own.
  44. Deuteronomy 1:44The result is the announced defeat: the Amorites come out to meet them and chase them like bees, from Seir all the way to Hormah.
  45. Deuteronomy 1:45This time, when they weep before the LORD in repentance, He does not listen — the punishment had already been decreed.
  46. Deuteronomy 1:46The chapter closes with the people stuck at Kadesh for many days, unable to go forward or turn back, paying the price of disobedience.

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