Deuteronomy 9

King James Version

Full text for Deuteronomy Chapter 9

1¶ Hear, O Israel: Thou [art] to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,

2A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and [of whom] thou hast heard [say], Who can stand before the children of Anak!

3Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God [is] he which goeth over before thee; [as] a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

4Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

5Not 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.

6Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou [art] a stiffnecked people.

7¶ Remember, [and] forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

8Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.

9When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:

10And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them [was written] according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

11And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, [that] the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant.

12And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted [themselves]; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.

13Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people:

14Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.

15So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant [were] in my two hands.

16And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, [and] had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.

17And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.

18And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

19For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.

20And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.

21And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, [and] ground [it] very small, [even] until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.

22And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.

23Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.

24Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.

25Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down [at the first]; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.

26I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

27Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:

28Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.

29Yet they [are] thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Deuteronomy 9 warns Israel not to attribute their success in possessing the land to their own righteousness, but rather to God's power and the wickedness of the nations they displace. Moses reminds them of their persistent rebellion throughout their wilderness journey, particularly the incident of the golden calf at Horeb. He recounts his fervent intercession that saved them from divine wrath, emphasizing their "stiffnecked" nature.

Medium Summary

Deuteronomy 9 begins with Moses preparing Israel to cross the Jordan and conquer nations mightier than themselves, assuring them that the LORD God will go before them as a consuming fire. He immediately cautions them against believing that their success is due to their own righteousness, emphasizing instead that it is due to the wickedness of the inhabitants and God's sworn promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses sternly reminds them that they are a "stiffnecked people" and recounts their history of provoking the LORD to wrath, starting from their departure from Egypt. He vividly details the golden calf incident at Horeb, where God was so angered He threatened to destroy them. Moses describes breaking the covenant tables and his forty-day intercession, pleading for the people and for Aaron, ultimately prevailing upon the LORD to spare them despite their grievous sin.

Long Summary

Deuteronomy 9 opens with Moses instructing Israel on their imminent crossing of the Jordan to possess the land inhabited by nations greater and mightier than themselves, including the formidable Anakims. He assures them that the LORD their God will go before them as a consuming fire, destroying these nations quickly. Crucially, Moses warns Israel against any future self-righteousness, explicitly stating that their possession of the land is not due to their own uprightness or righteousness. Instead, it is a consequence of the wickedness of the existing nations and the fulfillment of God's sworn covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He bluntly declares Israel to be a "stiffnecked people." The chapter then transitions into a detailed historical recounting of Israel's repeated rebellion against the LORD throughout their wilderness journey. Moses highlights the incident at Horeb, where, while he was on the mount receiving the tables of the covenant, the people corrupted themselves by making a molten calf. This act provoked the LORD to such anger that He intended to destroy them and blot out their name. Moses describes his immediate descent, breaking the tables in their sight, and his subsequent forty-day and forty-night intercession, during which he neither ate nor drank, pleading for the people's lives. He also recounts destroying the golden calf and interceding for Aaron. Moses further reminds them of their provocations at Taberah, Massah, Kibrothhattaavah, and their rebellion at Kadeshbarnea when they refused to enter the promised land. He concludes by reiterating his second forty-day intercession, where he earnestly prayed to the LORD, reminding Him that Israel was His people and inheritance, redeemed from Egypt, and appealing to God's reputation among other nations, lest they say God brought them out to slay them.

Core Concepts

  • Divine ConquestThe LORD God goes before Israel as a "consuming fire" to destroy the nations of Canaan, demonstrating that the land's conquest is by God's power, not Israel's might.
  • Israel's UnworthinessMoses repeatedly stresses that Israel's possession of the land is not due to their righteousness or uprightness, but rather they are a "stiffnecked people" prone to rebellion.
  • Covenant PromisesThe land is given to Israel not for their merit, but to fulfill the oath the LORD swore to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  • The Golden CalfThis significant event at Horeb is recounted as a prime example of Israel's swift turning aside from God's command, provoking His intense wrath and nearly leading to their destruction.
  • Moses' IntercessionMoses' repeated forty-day fasts and fervent prayers before the LORD are highlighted as crucial acts that averted God's destructive anger against the rebellious Israelites.
  • Persistent RebellionThe chapter emphasizes Israel's continuous history of provoking the LORD to wrath from their departure from Egypt, citing specific instances like Taberah, Massah, Kibrothhattaavah, and Kadeshbarnea.
  • God's ReputationMoses' plea to God includes the argument that destroying Israel would cause other nations to question God's power or love, thus appealing to God's honor.