1Dieß sind die Worte, welche Mose geredet hat zu ganz Israel jenseits des Jordans, in der Wüste, in der Ebene dem Schilfmeere gegenüber, zwischen Pharan, und zwischen Tophel, und Laban, und Hazeroth, und Di-Sahab, 2eilf Tagreisen vom Horeb, gegen das Gebirge Seir hin, bis Kadesch-Barnea. 3Und es geschah im vierzigsten Jahre im eilften Monate, am ersten des Monates, da redete Mose zu den Söhnen Israels Alles, was ihm Jehova an sie aufgetragen, 4nachdem er geschlagen hatte Sihon, den König der Amoriter, der in Hesbon wohnte, und Og, den König von Basan, der in Astharoth wohnte, in Edrei. 5Jenseits des Jordans, im Lande Moab begann Mose dieses Gesetz auszulegen, und sprach: 6Jehova, unser Gott, hat zu uns geredet auf dem Horeb, und gesprochen: Lange genug seyd ihr jetzt an diesem Berge geblieben. 7Wendet euch, und brechet auf, und kommet zum Gebirge der Amoriter, und zu allen ihren Anwohnern in der Ebene, auf dem Gebirge, und in der Niederung, im Süden, und am Gestade des Meeres, in das Land Kanaan, und zum Libanon, bis zum großen Strome, dem Strome Phrath. 8Siehe! ich habe euch das Land gegeben, gehet hinein, und nehmet in Besitz das Land, das Jehova euern Vätern zugeschworen hat, dem Abraham, Isaak, und Jakob, es ihnen zu geben, und ihrem Samen nach ihnen. 9Und ich redete zu euch in jener Zeit, und sprach: Ich allein vermag es nicht, euch zu tragen. 10Jehova, euer Gott, hat euch gemehrt; ja siehe! ihr seyd heute gleich den Sternen des Himmels an Menge. 11Jehova, der Gott eurer Väter, füge zu euch, so viel ihr seyd, noch so viel tausendmal mehr, und segne euch, wie er zu euch geredet hat. 12Wie kann ich allein tragen eure Beschwerde, und eure Last, und eure Streitigkeiten? 13Wählet euch weise, und verständige, und geachtete Männer aus euern Stämmen, die will ich zu euern Häuptern machen. 14Und ihr antwortetet mir, und sprachet: Es ist gut, was du gesprochen hast, zu thun. 15Da nahm ich die Häupter eurer Stämme, weise und geachtete Männer, und machte sie zu Häuptern über euch, zu Häuptern über Tausend, zu Häuptern über Hundert, und zu Häuptern über Fünfzig, und zu Häuptern über Zehn, und zu Vorstehern bei euren Stämmen. 16Und ich gebot euern Richtern zu jener Zeit und sprach: Verhöret eure Brüder, und richtet gerecht zwischen dem Einen und dem Andern, und dem Fremdling. 17Ihr sollet nicht die Person ansehen im Gericht; den Kleinen, wie den Großen sollet ihr anhören; ihr sollet euch vor Niemand scheuen, denn das Gericht ist Gottes; und was euch zu schwer ist, bringet vor mich, so will ich es verhören. 18Und ich gebot euch in jener Zeit Alles, was ihr thun sollet. 19Und wir brachen auf vom Horeb, und gingen durch diese ganze große, furchtbare Wüste, die ihr gesehen habet, nach dem Gebirge der Amoriter zu, wie Jehova, unser Gott, uns geboten hatte, und kamen nach Kadesch-Barnea. 20Da sprach ich zu euch: Ihr seyd an das Gebirge der Amoriter gekommen, das Jehova, unser Gott, uns geben wird. 21Siehe! Jehova, dein Gott, hat dir das Land gegeben, ziehe hinauf, nimm es ein, wie Jehova, der Gott deiner Väter zu dir geredet hat, fürchte dich nicht, und zage nicht! 22Da tratet ihr Alle vor mich, und sprachet: Wir wollen Männer vor uns her senden, die sollen uns das Land ausforschen, und uns Kunde bringen, auf welchem Wege wir hinaufziehen müssen, und zu welchen Städten wir kommen werden. 23Da dieser Vorschlag mir wohl gefiel, nahm ich aus euch zwölf Männer, aus jedem Stamme Einen Mann. 24Und sie wandten sich, und gingen auf das Gebirge hinauf, und kamen bis in das Thal Eschkol (d. i. Traubenthal), und späheten es aus. 25Und sie nahmen in ihre Hand von der Frucht des Landes, und brachten uns Kunde und sprachen: Gut ist das Land, das Jehova, unser Gott, uns geben will. 26Aber ihr wolltet nicht hinaufziehen, und waret ungehorsam gegen den Befehl Jehova's, eures Gottes; 27Und ihr murrtet in euern Zelten, und sprachet: Weil Jehova uns haßte, hat er uns ausgeführt aus dem Lande Aegypten, um uns in die Hand der Amoriter zu geben, und uns zu vertilgen. 28Wo sollen wir hinaufziehen? Unsere Brüder haben unser Herz verzagt gemacht, indem sie sprachen: Das Volk ist größer und höher gewachsen, als wir; die Städte sind groß und befestigt bis an den Himmel; auch Söhne Enaks haben wir dort gesehen. 29Da sprach ich zu euch: Erschrecket nicht, und fürchtet euch nicht vor ihnen! 30Jehova, euer Gott, der vor euch hergeht, der wird für euch streiten, wie er Alles mit euch gemacht hat in Aegypten, vor euern Augen; 31und in der Wüste - wie du es gesehen hast - wo dich Jehova dein Gott getragen hat, wie Jemand seinen Sohn trägt, auf allen Wegen, die ihr ginget, bis ihr kamet an diesen Ort. 32Allein trotzdem glaubtet ihr eurem Gott, Jehova, nicht, 33ihm, der vor euch herging auf dem Wege, um euch einen Ort zu erkunden, wo ihr euch lagern könntet, im Feuer bei der Nacht, daß ihr auf dem Wege sahet, den ihr ginget, und in einer Wolke bei Tag. 34Und Jehova hörte eure Worte, und zürnte, und schwur, und sprach: 35Keiner von diesen Männern, diesem bösen Geschlechte, soll das gute Land sehen, das ich euern Vätern zu geben geschworen habe, 36außer Kaleb, der Sohn Jephunne's, der wird es sehen, und ihm will ich das Land geben, das er betreten hat, und seinen Söhnen, weil er Jehova vollkommen nachfolgte. 37Auch über mich zürnte Jehova um euretwillen, und sprach: Auch du sollst nicht dorthin kommen! 38Josua, der Sohn Nuns, der vor dir steht, der soll dorhin kommen; flöße ihm Muth ein; denn er soll es als Erbeigenthum unter Israel vertheilen. 39Und eure Kinder, von denen ihr gesagt habet, zur Beute werden sie werden, und eure Söhne, die jetzt weder Gutes noch Böses kennen, die werden hineinkommen; ja, diesen will ich es geben, und sie sollen es einnehmen. 40Ihr aber kehret um, und brechet auf in die Wüste, auf dem Wege nach dem Schilfmeere zu! 41Da antwortetet ihr und sprachet zu mir: Wir haben gesündigt gegen Jehova; wir wollen hinaufziehen, und streiten, ganz wie Jehova, unser Gott, uns geboten hat. Auch gürtetet ihr euch, Jeder mit seinem Kriegsgeräthe; und ihr hieltet es für leicht, auf das Gebirge hinauf zu steigen. 42Aber Jehova sprach zu mir: Sage ihnen: Steiget nicht hinauf, und streitet nicht, denn ich bin nicht unter euch; damit ihr nicht geschlagen werdet von euren Feinden. 43Wiewohl ich es euch sagte, so hörtet ihr doch nicht, und waret ungehorsam gegen den Befehl Jehova's; und waret vermessen, und stieget hinauf auf das Gebirge. 44Da zogen die Amoriter aus, die auf diesem Gebirge wohnten, euch entgegen, und verfolgten euch, wie die Bienen thun, und schlugen euch in Seir bis Horma. 45Da kehrtet ihr zurück und weintet vor Jehova; aber Jehova hörte nicht auf eure Stimme, und achtete nicht auf euch. 46Und ihr bliebet in Kadesch lange Zeit, so lange ihr da geblieben seyd.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 MOSES' SPEECH AT THE END OF THE FORTIETH YEAR. (Deu. 1:1-46)
These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel--The mental condition of the people generally in that infantine age of the Church, and the greater number of them being of young or tender years, rendered it expedient to repeat the laws and counsels which God had given. Accordingly, to furnish a recapitulation of the leading branches of their faith and duty was among the last public services which Moses rendered to Israel. The scene of their delivery was on the plains of Moab where the encampment was pitched
on this side Jordan--or, as the Hebrew word may be rendered "on the bank of the Jordan."
in the wilderness, in the plain--the Arabah, a desert plain, or steppe, extended the whole way from the Red Sea north to the Sea of Tiberias. While the high tablelands of Moab were "cultivated fields," the Jordan valley, at the foot of the mountains where Israel was encamped, was a part of the great desert plain, little more inviting than the desert of Arabia. The locale is indicated by the names of the most prominent places around it. Some of these places are unknown to us. The Hebrew word, Suph, "red" (for "sea," which our translators have inserted, is not in the original, and Moses was now farther from the Red Sea than ever), probably meant a place noted for its reeds (
Num 21:14).
Tophel--identified as Tafyle or Tafeilah, lying between Bozrah and Kerak.
Hazeroth--is a different place from that at which the Israelites encamped after leaving "the desert of Sinai."
2 There are eleven days' journey from Horeb--Distances are computed in the East still by the hours or days occupiesd by the journey. A day's journey on foot is about twenty miles--on camels, at the rate of three miles an hour, thirty miles--and by caravans, about twenty-five miles. But the Israelites, with children and flocks, would move at a slow rate. The length of the Ghor from Ezion-geber to Kadesh is a hundred miles. The days here mentioned were not necessarily successive days [ROBINSON], for the journey can be made in a much shorter period. But this mention of the time was made to show that the great number of years spent in travelling from Horeb to the plain of Moab was not owing to the length of the way, but to a very different cause; namely, banishment for their apostasy and frequent rebellions.
mount Seir--the mountainous country of Edom.
3 in the fortieth year . . . Moses spake unto the children of Israel, &c.--This impressive discourse, in which Moses reviewed all that God had done for His people, was delivered about a month before his death, and after peace and tranquillity had been restored by the complete conquest of Sihon and Og.
4 Ashtaroth--the royal residence of Og, so called from Astarte ("the moon"), the tutelary goddess of the Syrians. Og was slain at
Edrei--now Edhra, the ruins of which are fourteen miles in circumference [BURCKHARDT]; its general breadth is about two leagues.
5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law--that is, explain this law. He follows the same method here that he elsewhere observes; namely, that of first enumerating the marvellous doings of God in behalf of His people, and reminding them what an unworthy requital they had made for all His kindness--then he rehearses the law and its various precepts.
6 The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount--Horeb was the general name of a mountainous district; literally, "the parched" or "burnt region," whereas Sinai was the name appropriated to a particular peak [see on
Exod 19:2]. About a year had been spent among the recesses of that wild solitude, in laying the foundation, under the immediate direction of God, of a new and peculiar community, as to its social, political, and, above all, religious character; and when this purpose had been accomplished, they were ordered to break up their encampment in Horeb. The command given them was to march straight to Canaan, and possess it [
Deut 1:7].
7 the mount of the Amorites--the hilly tract lying next to Kadesh-barnea in the south of Canaan.
to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon--that is, Phśnicia, the country of Sidon, and the coast of the Mediterranean--from the Philistines to Lebanon. The name "Canaanite" is often used synonymously with that of "Phśnician."
8 I have set the land before you--literally, "before your faces"--it is accessible; there is no impediment to your occupation. The order of the journey as indicated by the places mentioned would have led to a course of invasion, the opposite of what was eventually followed; namely, from the seacoast eastward--instead of from the Jordan westward (see on
Num 20:1).
9 I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone--a little before their arrival in Horeb. Moses addresses that new generation as the representatives of their fathers, in whose sight and hearing all the transactions he recounts took place. A reference is here made to the suggestion of Jethro (
Exod 18:18). In noticing his practical adoption of a plan by which the administration of justice was committed to a select number of subordinate officers, Moses, by a beautiful allusion to the patriarchal blessing, ascribed the necessity of that memorable change in the government to the vast increase of the population.
10 ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude--This was neither an Oriental hyperbole nor a mere empty boast. Abraham was told (
Gen 15:5-
Gen 15:6) to look to the stars, and though they "appear" innumerable, yet those seen by the naked eye amount, in reality, to no more than three thousand ten in both hemispheres. The Israelites already far exceeded that number, being at the last census above six hundred thousand [
Num 26:51]. It was a seasonable memento, calculated to animate their faith in the accomplishment of other parts of the divine promise.
19 we went through all that great and terrible wilderness--of Paran, which included the desert and mountainous space lying between the wilderness of Shur westward, or towards Egypt and mount Seir, or the land of Edom eastwards; between the land of Canaan northwards, and the Red Sea southwards; and thus it appears to have comprehended really the wilderness of Sin and Sinai [FISK]. It is called by the Arabs El Tih, "the wandering." It is a dreary waste of rock and of calcareous soil covered with black sharp flints; all travellers, from a feeling of its complete isolation from the world, describe it as a great and terrible wilderness.
22 ye came . . . and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land--The proposal to despatch spies emanated from the people through unbelief; but Moses, believing them sincere, gave his cordial assent to this measure, and God on being consulted permitted them to follow the suggestion (see on
Num 13:1). The issue proved disastrous to them, only through their own sin and folly.
28 the cities are great, and walled up to heaven--an Oriental metaphor, meaning very high. The Arab marauders roam about on horseback, and hence the walls of St. Catherine's monastery on Sinai are so lofty that travellers are drawn up by a pulley in a basket.
Anakims--(See on
Num 13:33). The honest and uncompromising language of Moses, in reminding the Israelites of their perverse conduct and outrageous rebellion at the report of the treacherous and fainthearted scouts, affords a strong evidence of the truth of this history as well as of the divine authority of his mission. There was great reason for his dwelling on this dark passage in their history, as it was their unbelief that excluded them from the privilege of entering the promised land (
Heb 3:19); and that unbelief was a marvellous exhibition of human perversity, considering the miracles which God had wrought in their favor, especially in the daily manifestations they had of His presence among them as their leader and protector.
34 the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth--In consequence of this aggravated offense (unbelief followed by open rebellion), the Israelites were doomed, in the righteous judgment of God, to a life of wandering in that dreary wilderness till the whole adult generation had disappeared by death. The only exceptions mentioned are Caleb and Joshua, who was to be Moses' successor.
37 Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes--This statement seems to indicate that it was on this occasion Moses was condemned to share the fate of the people. But we know that it was several years afterwards that Moses betrayed an unhappy spirit of distrust at the waters of strife (
Ps 106:32-
Ps 106:33). This verse must be considered therefore as a parenthesis.
39 your children . . . who in that day had no knowledge between good and evil--All ancient versions read "to-day" instead of "that day"; and the sense is--"your children who now know," or "who know not as yet good or evil." As the children had not been partakers of the sinful outbreak, they were spared to obtain the privilege which their unbelieving parents had forfeited. God's ways are not as man's ways [
Isa 55:8-
Isa 55:9].
40 turn you, and take your journey into the . . . Red Sea--This command they disregarded, and, determined to force an onward passage in spite of the earnest remonstrances of Moses, they attempted to cross the heights then occupied by the combined forces of the Amorites and Amalekites (compare
Num 14:43), but were repulsed with great loss. People often experience distress even while in the way of duty. But how different their condition who suffer in situations where God is with them from the feelings of those who are conscious that they are in a position directly opposed to the divine will! The Israelites were grieved when they found themselves involved in difficulties and perils; but their sorrow arose not from a sense of the guilt so much as the sad effects of their perverse conduct; and "though they wept," they were not true penitents. So the Lord would not hearken to their voice, nor give ear unto them.
46 So ye abode at Kadesh many days--That place had been the site of their encampment during the absence of the spies, which lasted forty days, and it is supposed from this verse that they prolonged their stay there after their defeat for a similar period.