Yahweh your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as Yahweh has spoken. Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. Yahweh will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.
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Deuteronomy 31:3-5 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Yahweh has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ Yahweh your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as Yahweh has spoken. Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. Yahweh will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as Yahweh has spoken.
Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
Yahweh will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.
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The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
Show all 3 translations
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The LORD thy God, He will go over before thee; He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.
And the LORD will do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom He destroyed.
And the LORD will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (29)
- Deuteronomy 9:3 (v3) Know therefore today that Yahweh your God is he who goes over before you as a devouring fire. He will destroy them and he will bring them…
- Deuteronomy 7:2 (vv4–5) and when Yahweh your God delivers them up before you, and you strike them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant…
- Deuteronomy 31:23 (v3) He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which…
- Deuteronomy 3:28 (v3) But commission Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit…
- Joshua 4:14 (v3) On that day, Yahweh magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
Show all 28 cross-references
- Genesis 48:21 (v3) Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.
- Exodus 23:32-33 (v5) You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you…
- Numbers 27:18-21 (v3) Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Set him before Eleazar the…
- Deuteronomy 20:16-17 (v5) But of the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes; but you…
- Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (v3) Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the…
- Deuteronomy 31:14 (v3) Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may…
- Deuteronomy 34:9 (v3) Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. The children of Israel listened to him, and…
- Joshua 1:2 (v3) “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them,…
- Exodus 23:28-31 (v4) I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you. I will not drive them…
- Exodus 34:12-16 (v5) Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare among you; but you shall…
- Numbers 21:24-35 (v4) Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon; for the…
- Numbers 33:52-56 (v5) then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images,…
- Deuteronomy 2:33 (v4) Yahweh our God delivered him up before us; and we struck him, his sons, and all his people.
- Deuteronomy 3:3-11 (v4) So Yahweh our God delivered into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people. We struck him until no one was left to him…
- Deuteronomy 3:21 (v4) I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, “Your eyes have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to these two kings. So shall Yahweh do to…
- Deuteronomy 7:16 (v4) You shall consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God shall deliver to you. Your eye shall not pity them. You shall not serve their gods;…
- Deuteronomy 7:18 (v5) you shall not be afraid of them. You shall remember well what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:
- Deuteronomy 7:23-25 (v5) But Yahweh your God will deliver them up before you, and will confuse them with a great confusion, until they are destroyed. He will…
- Psalms 44:2-3 (v3) You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad. For they didn’t get…
- Psalms 146:3-6 (v3) Don’t put your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very…
- Hebrews 4:8 (v3) For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.
- Joshua 3:7 (v3) Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I…
- Acts 7:45 (v3) which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations, whom God drove out…
28 distinct cross-references across this passage (29 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v5 Into your hands.
Into your hands.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Deu 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go…
Deu 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, [and] he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: [and] Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
Ver. 3. And Joshua.] Called Jesus. {Heb 4:8} A clear type of Jesus Christ. What Moses could not do because of the people’s unbelief - viz., to bring them to Canaan, Joshua did. So what Moses’s law could not do - viz., to bring us to heaven, because of the infirmity of our flesh, Christ by his gospel hath done for us. {Rom 8:3}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv4–5 Which he gave to you to possess.
Which he gave to you to possess.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv3–5 And the Lord shall do unto them as he…
And the Lord shall do unto them as he did unto Sihon, and to Og, kings of the Amorites,.... Deliver them up into their hands; see the history of this in Num 21:10,
and unto the land of them whom he destroyed; put them into the possession of the land of Canaan, as they were now in possession of the land of those two kings he destroyed by them. This instance is given to encourage their faith, assuring them that what had been done to them would be done to the Canaanitish kings, and their subjects, and their lands.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v3 Verse 3. Joshua, he shall go over before thee]…
Verse 3. Joshua, he shall go over before thee] See Clarke on Nu 27:17, &c.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v3 Then. This word is not in Hebrew or the…
Then. This word is not in Hebrew or the Septuagint; neither does Moses mean to insinuate, that God would take his place in conducting the people; but only that after he should be no more, the divine Providence would no less watch over his people, and direct the councils of Josue, who stood beside him. (Haydock) --- The ark preceded the army, (Josue iii.) and God invisibly put the enemies of Israel to flight. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–5 3. will go over before thee] Deu_9:3, where also…
3. will go over before thee] Deu_9:3, where also there follows (with much else) as here, he will destroy, thou shalt dispossess or succeed them (but in another form of the vb.). This part of the v. may be a later intrusion, for the remainder follows naturally in Deu_31:2.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v3 Vers. 3-6. But though Moses was no longer to…
Vers. 3-6. But though Moses was no longer to be their leader, he assures them that the Lord would fulfill his engagement to conduct them to the possession of Canaan, even as he had already given them the territory of the kings of the Amorites; and he therefore exhorts them to be of good courage and fearlessly go forward to the conquest of the laud. (cf. Deu_1:21 Deu_10:3)
Vers. 3-8, 23. Joshua.
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Joshua a type of Jesus, the true Leader into the rest of God. (Heb_4:8) God has given him, as formerly he gave the son of Nun, for "a Leader and Commander to the people". (Isa_55:4)
I THE MAN. Joshua as leader was:
1. Divinely appointed (ver. 3).
2. Divinely led. "He doth go before thee" (ver. 8). The captain had a higher Captain. (Jos_5:14)
3. Divinely assisted. "He will be with thee" (ver. 8). Our Leader is Emmanuel with us". (Mat_1:23)
4. He was to be strong and courageous (ver. 7). The ground of true courage is God being with us. It is said of the Savior, "He shall not fail nor be discouraged". (Isa_42:4) The perseverance of the Savior is as deserving of consideration as the perseverance of the saints.
II HIS WORK. While Joshua"s and the people"s, it was still more God"s work (vers. 3, 4). With Joshua as leader:
1. The enemy would be overthrown (vers. 3-6).
2. All opposition would be overcome.
3. He would conduct the people unto the land of their inheritance (ver. 7).
4. He would cause them to inherit it (ver. 7),
i.e. settle them in their possessions. Christ in like manner has overthrown the enemy; (Col_2:15) has won an inheritance for his people; (Col_1:12) in his victory they are enabled to overcome the (Joh_16:33; 1Jn_4:4) his cause is steadily triumphing; he is conducting, and has already conducted, many sons to glory. J.O. (Heb_5:10)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v4 General Information:
General Information:
Moses continues speaking to the Israelites.
Read full note →
he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites
Here "Sihon" and "Og" refer to two Kings of the Amorites and their armies. See how you translated these names in Deuteronomy 1:4. AT: "he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their armies" (See: Synecdoche)
Be strong and of good courage
"Be strong and courageous"
fear not, and do not be afraid of them
"do not fear them at all"
Yahweh your God ... with you ... fail you nor forsake you
Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so the words "you" and "your" here are singular. (See: Forms of You)
he will not fail you nor forsake you
This can be treated as litotes and translated positively. AT: "he will always fulfill his promise to you and will always be with you" (See: Litotes)
translationWords
Yahweh
king
Amorite
command
fear
God
forsake
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3–4 31:3 The Lord . . . will cross over…
31:3 The Lord . . . will cross over ahead of you: The conquest would be God’s war. The conflict would be commanded, initiated, and led by the Divine Warrior, the Lord God of Israel (see 1:30). • From the earliest days of the Sinai wandering (Exod 17:8) to the present, Joshua had served as Moses’ attendant; now he was divinely appointed as Moses’ successor (see Deut 1:38; 3:23-29; Num 27:15-23).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.