Deuteronomy 31

Moseh telleth the people that he shall soon die not come into the land of Canaan promising that God will bring them into it by Joshua and by him subdue their enemies verse 1 &c. he encouraged and comforteth Joshua 7 writteth and delivereth this book of the law unto the priest levites and eldest with a charge to read it seven years before all the people 9 God putteth Joshua into 14 and foretelleth unto Moseh and Joshua the disobedience and backsliding of the people together with the future judgments 16 enjoineth Moseh to a song of admonition 19 Moseh chargeth the Levites to lay up this book of the law besides the ark of the covenant 24commandeth all people to assemble together tohear the song 28.

1. After that Moseh went and spake these words unto all Israel.

2. And said unto them I am hundred and twenty years old [Heb. A son of hundred and twenty years] this day I shall not be able anymore to go out and come in [that is to execute mine office among ye as I have done heretofore see Numbers 27:16,17 and compare above chapter 28.6] besides the Lord hath said unto me thou shalt not go over this Jordan [see Numbers 27:12 and above chapter 3.26.]

3. The Lord thy God he will go over before thy face he will destroy these nations from before thy face ye may hereditarily possess them [to wit the nations that is their land as above chapter 9.1 and elsewhere] Joshua he shall go over before thy face according as the Lord hath spoken.

4. And the Lord do unto them according as he did unto Sihon and to Og king of the Amorites and to their land whom he destroyed [see numbers 21.24,33.]

5. Now when the Lord shall have given them up before your face [see above chapter 1 on verse 8] then ye shall do unto them according to all or every commandment which I command ye [that is thou shalt utterly ban them see above chapter 7.1,2.]

6. Be strong and of good courage fear not nor be afraid of their face for it is the Lord thy God that doth go with thee he will not fail thee nor forsake thee [this promise is applied to all believers Hebrews 13:5.]

7. And Moseh called unto Joshua and said unto him before the eyes of all Israel be strong and of good courage for thou shalt go in with these people into the Land which the Lord swear unto their fathers to give them and thou shalt cause to inherit it.

8. Now the Lord is he that goeth before thy face he will be with thee he will not fail thee nor forsake thee fear not neither be dismayed.

9. And Moseh wrote this law and delivered it unto the priest the sons of Levi [compare above chapter 17.18] which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord [compare below verse 25 and Numbers 4 on verse 15.] and unto all the eldest of Israel.

10. And Moseh commanded them saying at the end of seven years at the set time of the year of release [see above chapter 15.1&c.] at the feast of the leaf huts [see above chapter16.13&c. Leviticus 23:34 &c.]

11. When all Israel shall come to appear before the faceoff the Lord thy God in the place which he shall have chosen thou [to wit the priest with the priest and Levites &c. that stands by] shall proclaim this law before all Israel before their ears [see an example Nehemiah 8:1, 5, 7, 8.]

12. Gather the people together [or gathering &c. the meaning is that this was to be done at the end of every seven years]men and women and the children and thy strangers that are within thygates [that is city dwelling places] that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your and observe to do all the words of this law.

13. and thattheir children that they have not known it [or have not experienced it there thereof or been acquainted therewith that is have not seen all wonders and miracles as ye have seen them] may hear and learn to fear tehLord your God all the days that ye live in the land whither ye are going over Jordan to inherit it.

14. And the Lord said unto Moseh behold thy days are come nigh for to die [that is thy dying day is come] call Joshua and present yourself in the tent of congregation that I may give him a charge so Moseh went and Joshua and they presented themselves in the tent of the congregation.

15. Then the Lord appeared in the tents in the pillar of cloud [out of which God was wont to walk with Moseh see Exodus 33:9 Psalms 99:7] and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tent.

16. And the Lord said unto Moseh behold thou shalt sleep [or lie down to wit to sleep is called a sleep because the bodies is at rest until the time of awaking or raising up Psalms 13:4 and 76.6 Daniel 12:2 Joshua 11:11 1Thessalonians 4.13,14,15 2Peter 3.4] with thy fathers and these people will go up a whorting after the Gods [see Exodus 34 on verse 15 and Leviticus 20 on verse 5] of the strangers of the land [Heb. Of that land that is of the Canaanites that were estranged from god and his people serving strange Gods.]Whither they go in the midst thereof [meaning the land of the strange Canaanitish inhabitants thereof] and they will forsake me and make void my covenant which I have made with them [to wit the people and so in the sequel continually although the singular and plural number be intermixed together.]

17. Then mine anger shall kindle against them at that day and I will forsake them and hide my face from them [that is withdraw my blessing and help whereby I was wont to manifest my gracious presence from them and so in the following verse]that they may be for meat [Heb. For to eat that is may be torn and devoured by enemies as by wild beasts compare above chapter 7 on verse 16 Ezechiah 34.5,8,10 and 35.12.] and many evils [that is mischief miseries afflictions and so in the sequel] and distress shall hit them [to wit the people as above and in the sequel] that they shall saying that day have not these evil hit [Heb. Found and so verse 11] me because our God is not in the midst of us? [as above chapter 1.42.]

18. I will then altogether hide [Heb. Hiding hide] my face in that day for all the veil which they shall have done for they have turned unto other gods.

19. And now write this song [which is recorded in the following chapter which is put by God into the form of a song that the people might the better learn and remember it] for ye and teach it the children of Israel put it in their mouth [that is cause them to understand it aright to get it by heart and to be able to sing it and so to have it daily in their mouths compare Exodus 4:15 2 Samuel 14:3 &c.] that this song may be witness against the children of Israel[that is may be a memorial of all my faithful admonitions and may convince them to the justness of my punishments when they shall be rebellious.]

20. For I will bring in this people into the land which I swore unto their fathers flowing with milk and honey and they shall eat and be satisfied and wax fat then will they turn unto other gods and serve them and they will provoke and disannul my covenant.

21. And it shall come to pass when many evils and distress shall hit them [to wit the people as above and below] then shall this song answer as a witness before their face for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouth of their seed because I know their imagination [the imagination of their heart see Genesis 6:5]which they make this day before I bring them into the land which I swear [to give them.]

22. Moseh then wrote this song the same day then he taught it to the children of Israel.

23. And he [to wit the LORD] gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge and said be strong and of good courage [compare Joshua 1:6] for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land that I swore unto them I will be with thee.

24. And it came to pass when Moseh had made an end of writing the words of this law [this is to be understood not only of the tables of the ten commandments and of this song but also of the whole exposition of the law as it is contained in these books of Moses] in a book until they were finished.

25. Then Moseh commanded the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord saying.

26. Take this book of Law and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God [that is in the holy of holies to signify the dignity and divinity of this book the two tables of the covenant lay in the ark and this book that the ark might not be opened lay without at the side of the ark this book was found in heydays of the king Josiah 2Kings 22.8] that it may be there against witness against thee [not only the Levites but also all that people.]

27. For I know thy rebellion and thine hard neck [compare Isaiah 48:8] behold while I am yet alive with ye this day ye have been rebellious against the Lord [see above chapter 9.7,23,24] how much more after my death?

28. Gather unto me all the eldest of your tribes and all the officers that I may speak these words before their ears and take heaven and earth to record against them.

29. For I know that after my death ye will surely corrupt [Heb. Corrupting will corrupt] yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded ye then this evil [meaning the evil of punishment or all manner of plagues that are mentioned above [shall meet thee in the last of the days when thou shalt have done that which is evil in the latter days [meaning te evil of sin] in the eyes of the Lord to provoke him to anger by the work of thine hands.

30. Then Moseh spake before ears of the congregation of Israel the words of this song until they were finished.