Deuteronomy 1 summary meaning ai explained commentary

Deuteronomy 1 meaning explained in AI Summary

Recap and Preparation

Recap of the Journey: Moses, nearing the end of his life, delivers a series of speeches reminding the Israelites of their journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River. He highlights key events like their rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea and the subsequent 40 years of wandering.
God's Faithfulness: Throughout the speech, Moses emphasizes God's faithfulness in providing for them and protecting them despite their disobedience.
Appointment East of the Jordan: Moses mentions the appointment of leaders to oversee the conquered lands east of the Jordan, reminding them of the victories God granted them over the Amorite kings Sihon and Og.

This chapter sets the stage for the book of Deuteronomy, which is essentially a series of speeches by Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land.

Setting the Scene (1:1-5): Moses addresses the Israelites at Horeb (Mount Sinai) and reminds them of their journey so far. He highlights that it has been forty years since they left Egypt.
Remembering the Past (1:6-46): Moses recounts their journey from Sinai, focusing on their rebellion and disobedience. He reminds them of:
- God's command to leave Horeb and take the land (1:6-8).
- The appointment of judges to help Moses lead (1:9-18).
- The sending of spies into Canaan and the people's fearful response, leading to their refusal to enter the land (1:19-46).
God's Punishment (1:41-46): Moses reminds the people of the consequences of their disobedience: they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and the generation that refused to enter Canaan died there.
Looking to the Future (1:6-8): Despite their past failures, Moses encourages the Israelites to move forward and conquer the land God promised them. He emphasizes that God is with them and will grant them victory.

Overall Message:

Chapter 1 serves as a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness and the Israelites' tendency to rebel. It highlights the importance of obedience and trust in God's promises. By recounting their past failures and God's grace, Moses prepares the people to enter the Promised Land with a renewed sense of purpose and dependence on God.

Deuteronomy 1 bible study ai commentary

Deuteronomy 1 presents Moses' first address to the new generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab. It serves as a historical prologue, recounting the journey from Horeb (Sinai) to Kadesh-barnea, emphasizing God's faithfulness to His covenant promises versus the first generation's catastrophic failure of faith. By reminding them of their parents' rebellion and its forty-year consequence, Moses sets the stage for renewing the covenant, urging this new generation to learn from the past and enter the Promised Land with faith and obedience.

Deuteronomy 1 Context

The book of Deuteronomy is set in a specific historical moment: the final weeks of the forty-year wilderness wandering. Israel is camped on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, poised to enter Canaan. The generation that came out of Egypt has died off due to their rebellion at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 14). Moses, also barred from entering the land, delivers a series of farewell speeches to their children, the new generation. These speeches are structured like an ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaty, a common political format where a great king (the suzerain, God) establishes a covenant with a lesser nation (the vassal, Israel). This first chapter acts as the treaty's historical prologue, recalling the benevolent acts of the suzerain and the past rebellion of the vassal, establishing the basis for the laws and stipulations that follow.

Deuteronomy 1:1-2

These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.

In-depth-analysis

"These are the words" ('elleh haddebarim): This phrase gives the book its Hebrew name, Debarim ("Words"). It signifies a formal, authoritative address.
"All Israel": Establishes the communal and covenantal nature of the speech. It addresses the entire nation as a single entity before God.
Geographic Specificity: The detailed place names ground the speech in real history and geography, emphasizing that these are not myths but actual events.
Verse 2's Shock Value: This verse is a parenthetical statement that frames the entire narrative of failure. A journey that should have taken eleven days instead took forty years. This stark contrast between potential and reality is due to one thing: unbelief. It immediately tells the reader that a story of tragic delay is about to be told.

Bible references

Numbers 33:1-49: 'These are the stages of the people of Israel...' (Provides a detailed itinerary of the wilderness journeys, corroborating the locations).
Hebrews 3:19: 'So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.' (Directly explains the theological reason for the 40-year delay).

Cross references

Num 1:1 (Setting at Sinai/Horeb), Num 22:1 (Setting in Moab), Josh 1:1-2 (The transition of leadership after Moses' words).

Deuteronomy 1:3-5

In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment for them, after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites... and Og the king of Bashan... Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law...

In-depth-analysis

"Fortieth year, eleventh month": A precise date stamp, highlighting the end of the long judgment period. The time for a new beginning has arrived.
Recent Victories (Sihon and Og): Moses strategically mentions the recent victories over the two Amorite kings. These victories served as tangible proof that God could and would give them the land, directly countering the old generation's fear of "stronger and taller" enemies. It was a foretaste of the full conquest.
"Explain this law" (be’er et-hattorah): The Hebrew verb be'er means more than just "explain"; it means to "make plain," "clarify," or "engrave." It suggests Moses is not giving a new law but delivering an authoritative and lasting exposition of the covenant given at Sinai, applied to the new context of settling the land.

Bible references

Numbers 21:21-35: 'Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites...' (The detailed account of the victories over Sihon and Og).
Psalm 136:17-22: 'to him who struck down great kings... Sihon, king of the Amorites... and Og, king of Bashan... and gave their land as a heritage...' (Celebrates these victories as acts of God's steadfast love).

Cross references

Hab 2:2 (The same root word be'er for making the vision plain), Neh 8:8 (Ezra and the Levites explaining the law to the people).

Deuteronomy 1:6-8

The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites... See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.'

In-depth-analysis

"The LORD our God": Moses repeatedly uses this intimate, covenantal name for God, reinforcing the personal relationship between Yahweh and Israel.
Divine Initiative: God initiated the journey. It was not Israel's idea. The command is clear, direct, and empowering: "Go in and take possession."
"I have set the land before you": The Hebrew is nathan, often translated "I have given." In God's economy, the land was already theirs by promise. Their task was simply to "possess" what was already granted.
Patriarchal Covenant: The promise is explicitly linked back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is not acting on a whim but out of faithfulness to his sworn oath, a theme central to the Pentateuch.

Bible references

Genesis 15:18: 'On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land..."' (The original promise of the land).
Joshua 1:3: 'Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.' (The fulfillment of this command to the new generation under Joshua).

Cross references

Gen 12:7, Gen 17:8, Exod 3:8 (The land promise), Exod 19:1-2 (Israel at Horeb/Sinai).

Deuteronomy 1:9-18

At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself...’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you... And I charged your judges at that time, 'Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously... You shall not be partial in judgment...'

In-depth-analysis

Moses' Humility: Moses admits his own limitations ("I am not able"), a stark contrast to the absolute authority often seen in ancient rulers. This foreshadows the need for distributed leadership.
A Fulfilled Promise: The reason for needing judges is a blessing: "the LORD your God has multiplied you" (v. 10). This fulfills the promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Gen 15:5).
Delegation of Authority: The appointment of judges for civic and legal matters was a practical necessity. This establishes a system of jurisprudence for the nation before they even enter the land.
Principles of Justice: The charge to the judges is profound: hear both sides, be impartial (to rich or poor, citizen or foreigner), and fear no man because "the judgment is God's." This lays the foundation for biblical justice—it is an outworking of God's own character.

Bible references

Exodus 18:17-26: 'What you are doing is not good... you will certainly wear yourself out...' (Jethro's advice to Moses to appoint judges, the original event being recalled here).
2 Chronicles 19:6-7: '...he said to the judges, "Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD..."' (King Jehoshaphat's judicial reform, echoing Moses' charge).

Cross references

Lev 19:15 (Impartiality in judgment), James 2:1-4 (Warning against partiality in the church), John 7:24 (Judge with right judgment).

Deuteronomy 1:19-33

...we came to Kadesh-barnea... And I said to you, '...the LORD our God is giving us...' But you all came to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us...' ...The report was good in my eyes... you were not willing to go up, but rebelled... and you grumbled in your tents... But for all this you did not trust the LORD your God, who went before you in the way... in fire by night and in the cloud by day...

In-depth-analysis

The People's Initiative: Moses frames the sending of spies as the people's idea ("you all came to me"), not God's. While Numbers 13:1-2 says God permitted it, Deuteronomy emphasizes that the request was rooted in the people's fear and lack of faith, not in a desire for wise military strategy.
Grumbling in the Tents: This is a key phrase highlighting private rebellion and the spreading of dissent away from public leadership. It signifies a "hidden" sin that corrupts the whole community.
Forgetting God's Presence: The height of their sin was unbelief in the face of overwhelming evidence. They had literally been led by a pillar of cloud and fire (v. 33), a miraculous, divine GPS. Their fear of men (the "Anakim") was greater than their trust in the visible presence of God. This is the heart of their failure.
"Slave Mentality": Their claim that God brought them out to "give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us" (v. 27) shows they never truly left the mindset of Egypt. They viewed God as a capricious master like Pharaoh, not a loving redeemer.

Bible references

Numbers 13:1-14:4: The parallel and more detailed account of the spies, their report, and the people's rebellion.
Hebrews 3:12: 'Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.' (The NT application of this very event as a warning to Christians).
Psalm 95:8-11: 'Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah... For forty years I loathed that generation and said... "They shall not enter my rest."' (A poetic retelling and theological reflection on the event).

Cross references

Ps 106:24-25 (Recounting their grumbling), Exod 13:21 (The pillar of cloud and fire), John 14:1 (Jesus' command: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God...").

Deuteronomy 1:34-40

And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, 'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb... because he has wholly followed the LORD.'... But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness... your little ones... who you said would become a prey—they shall go in and possess it.

In-depth-analysis

Divine Oath of Judgment: Just as God swore an oath to the patriarchs to give the land, He now swears an oath to prevent the rebellious generation from entering it. This highlights the solemnity and finality of God's judgment against unbelief.
The Exceptions (Caleb & Joshua): Caleb is singled out here (and Joshua is included in v. 38) as the model of faithfulness. The reason is specific: "he has wholly followed the LORD." This was not about sinless perfection, but about complete, unwavering trust and allegiance.
Moses' Inclusion in the Judgment: Moses mentions that God was angry with him "on your account" (v. 37), linking his own fate to the people's sin. It is a moment of poignant shared consequence.
Poetic Justice: The most ironic and tragic part of the judgment is that the "little ones," whom the parents used as an excuse for their fear ("they will become a prey"), are the very ones who will inherit the promise. Their unbelief did not thwart God's plan, it only excluded them from it.

Bible references

Numbers 14:21-24: '...as I live... none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs... shall see the land... but my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit...' (The original pronouncement of the judgment).
Joshua 14:8-9: 'But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.' (Caleb himself recounts his faithfulness years later).

Cross references

Num 20:12 (The sin of Moses and Aaron), Jude 1:5 (Recalls how God saved the people but later destroyed those who did not believe).

Deuteronomy 1:41-46

Then you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight...’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. And the LORD said to me, 'Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated...' So you presumed to go up... and the Amorites... chased you as bees do, and beat you down... So you remained at Kadesh many days...

In-depth-analysis

Presumptuous Repentance: The people's sudden reversal from cowardly disobedience to presumptuous disobedience is not true repentance. It is an attempt to fix their mistake on their own terms, without God's command or presence. They are still not listening to God's word.
Obedience has a Timeline: This passage teaches that obedience is not just about doing the right thing, but doing it at the right time. The command to "go up" (v. 21) was now replaced by the command "do not go up" (v. 42). They obeyed the old command when the new one was in effect.
"As bees do": This vivid simile powerfully captures their chaotic and overwhelming defeat. They went from being fearful of giants to being routed by an enemy they thought was "easy" to conquer.
"The LORD is not in your midst": This is the ultimate consequence of their sin. God's presence, which had guided and protected them, was withdrawn for this battle. Military might and enthusiasm are useless without God's presence and blessing.

Bible references

Numbers 14:40-45: '...they rose early in the morning and went up... But Moses said, "Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD...?"' (The parallel account of this presumptuous attack and defeat).
1 Samuel 15:22: 'Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings... as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...' (Saul's presumptuous disobedience provides a thematic parallel).

Cross references

Heb 12:17 (Esau finding no place of repentance), Ps 118:12 (Enemies swarming like bees, but defeated by the Lord's power, the opposite of what happened here).

Deuteronomy chapter 1 analysis

The 11 Days vs. 40 Years Gap: The entire chapter is framed by verse 2. The physical journey was short, but the spiritual failure created a 40-year chasm. This contrast serves as the primary rhetorical device to highlight the cost of a single collective act of unbelief.
Responsibility and Perspective: By framing the spies' mission as the people's idea (Deut 1:22) rather than God's command (Num 13:1-2), Moses shifts the focus to the people's accountability. He is not contradicting the record but offering a pastoral and rhetorical interpretation for the new generation: the mission was born from your parents' lack of faith, so do not repeat their foundational error. God condescended to their fearful request, and the results were disastrous.
Types of Disobedience: The chapter masterfully contrasts two fatal types of sin:
1. Disobedience from Fear/Unbelief (vv. 26-33): Refusing to act when God commands.
2. Disobedience from Presumption (vv. 41-46): Acting when God has forbidden it. Both stem from a failure to trust and obey God's present word.
Covenant Structure: This chapter perfectly models the "Historical Prologue" of a suzerain-vassal treaty. God (the suzerain) is shown to be a benevolent provider and promise-keeper (vv. 6-8, 10-11, 33), while Israel (the vassal) is shown to have broken faith (vv. 26-28). This history justifies the legal stipulations (laws) that are about to be re-issued in the rest of the book.

Deuteronomy 1 summary

Moses begins his final words to Israel by recounting their history, focusing sharply on the catastrophic failure at Kadesh-barnea. He contrasts God's faithfulness in bringing them to the edge of the Promised Land with the first generation's crippling unbelief. Their fear led them to rebel against God's direct command, resulting in a forty-year sentence in the wilderness. Moses then recounts their subsequent, presumptuous attempt to conquer the land without God's blessing, which also ended in humiliating defeat. The chapter serves as a powerful and sobering warning to the new generation: do not repeat the unbelief of your fathers, but trust and obey God to receive your inheritance.

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Deuteronomy chapter 1 kjv

¹ These 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 Kadeshbarnea.)
³ And 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;
⁴ After 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:
⁵ On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
⁶ The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
⁷ Turn 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.
⁸ Behold, 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.
⁹ And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
¹⁰ The 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!)
¹² How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
¹³ Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
¹⁴ And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
¹⁵ So 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.
¹⁶ And 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.
¹⁷ Ye 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.
¹⁸ And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
¹⁹ And 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 Kadeshbarnea.
²⁰ And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
²¹ Behold, 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.
²² And 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.
²³ And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
²⁴ And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
²⁵ And 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.
²⁶ Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
²⁷ And 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.
²⁸ Whither 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.
²⁹ Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
³⁰ The 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;
³¹ And 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.
³² Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
³³ Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
³⁴ And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
³⁵ Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.
³⁶ Save 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.
³⁷ Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
³⁸ But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
³⁹ Moreover 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.
⁴⁰ But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
⁴¹ Then 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.
⁴² And 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.
⁴³ So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
⁴⁴ And 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.
⁴⁵ And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
⁴⁶ So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

Deuteronomy chapter 1 nkjv

¹ These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
² It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
³ Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them,
⁴ after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Edrei.
⁵ On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying,
⁶ "The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: 'You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.
⁷ Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.
⁸ See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers?to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?to give to them and their descendants after them.'
⁹ "And I spoke to you at that time, saying: 'I alone am not able to bear you.
¹⁰ The LORD your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.
¹¹ May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!
¹² How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints?
¹³ Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.'
¹⁴ And you answered me and said, 'The thing which you have told us to do is good.'
¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.
¹⁶ "Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.
¹⁷ You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'
¹⁸ And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.
¹⁹ "So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea.
²⁰ And I said to you, 'You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
²¹ Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.'
²² "And every one of you came near to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.'
²³ "The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.
²⁴ And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.
²⁵ They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.'
²⁶ "Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;
²⁷ and you complained in your tents, and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
²⁸ Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there." '
²⁹ "Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.
³⁰ The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
³¹ and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.'
³² Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God,
³³ who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.
³⁴ "And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying,
³⁵ 'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,
³⁶ except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.'
³⁷ The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, 'Even you shall not go in there.
³⁸ Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
³⁹ 'Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
⁴⁰ But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.'
⁴¹ "Then you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.' And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.
⁴² "And the LORD said to me, 'Tell them, "Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies."
⁴³ So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.
⁴⁴ And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah.
⁴⁵ Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.
⁴⁶ "So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

Deuteronomy chapter 1 niv

¹ These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan?that is, in the Arabah?opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.
² (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
³ In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.
⁴ This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
⁵ East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:
⁶ The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
⁷ Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
⁸ See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the LORD swore he would give to your fathers?to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?and to their descendants after them."
⁹ At that time I said to you, "You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone.
¹⁰ The LORD your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.
¹¹ May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!
¹² But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?
¹³ Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you."
¹⁴ You answered me, "What you propose to do is good."
¹⁵ So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you?as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.
¹⁶ And I charged your judges at that time, "Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.
¹⁷ Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it."
¹⁸ And at that time I told you everything you were to do.
¹⁹ Then, as the LORD our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.
²⁰ Then I said to you, "You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
²¹ See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
²² Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to."
²³ The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe.
²⁴ They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it.
²⁵ Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, "It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us."
²⁶ But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.
²⁷ You grumbled in your tents and said, "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.
²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.'?"
²⁹ Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.
³⁰ The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,
³¹ and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."
³² In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God,
³³ who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
³⁴ When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore:
³⁵ "No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,
³⁶ except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly."
³⁷ Because of you the LORD became angry with me also and said, "You shall not enter it, either.
³⁸ But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.
³⁹ And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad?they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.
⁴⁰ But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea."
⁴¹ Then you replied, "We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God commanded us." So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
⁴² But the LORD said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.'?"
⁴³ So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the LORD's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.
⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.
⁴⁵ You came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.
⁴⁶ And so you stayed in Kadesh many days?all the time you spent there.

Deuteronomy chapter 1 esv

¹ These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
² It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.
³ In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them,
⁴ after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.
⁵ Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying,
⁶ "The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
⁷ Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
⁸ See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.'
⁹ "At that time I said to you, 'I am not able to bear you by myself.
¹⁰ The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven.
¹¹ May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!
¹² How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife?
¹³ Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.'
¹⁴ And you answered me, 'The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.'
¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.
¹⁶ And I charged your judges at that time, 'Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.
¹⁷ You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'
¹⁸ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.
¹⁹ "Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea.
²⁰ And I said to you, 'You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
²¹ See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'
²² Then all of you came near me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.'
²³ The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe.
²⁴ And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
²⁵ And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, 'It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.'
²⁶ "Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.
²⁷ And you murmured in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
²⁸ Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."'
²⁹ Then I said to you, 'Do not be in dread or afraid of them.
³⁰ The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
³¹ and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.'
³² Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,
³³ who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.
³⁴ "And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore,
³⁵ 'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers,
³⁶ except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!'
³⁷ Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there.
³⁸ Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
³⁹ And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
⁴⁰ But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.'
⁴¹ "Then you answered me, 'We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.' And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country.
⁴² And the LORD said to me, 'Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.'
⁴³ So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
⁴⁴ Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah.
⁴⁵ And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
⁴⁶ So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.

Deuteronomy chapter 1 nlt

¹ These are the words that Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley near Suph, between Paran on one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.
² Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir.
³ But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the LORD had commanded him to say.
⁴ This took place after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.
⁵ While the Israelites were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the LORD's instructions as follows.
⁶ "When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, 'You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
⁷ It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions ? the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River.
⁸ Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.'"
⁹ Moses continued, "At that time I told you, 'You are too great a burden for me to carry all by myself.
¹⁰ The LORD your God has increased your population, making you as numerous as the stars!
¹¹ And may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised!
¹² But you are such a heavy load to carry! How can I deal with all your problems and bickering?
¹³ Choose some well-respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.'
¹⁴ "Then you responded, 'Your plan is a good one.'
¹⁵ So I took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.
¹⁶ "At that time I instructed the judges, 'You must hear the cases of your fellow Israelites and the foreigners living among you. Be perfectly fair in your decisions
¹⁷ and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don't be afraid of anyone's anger, for the decision you make is God's decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.'
¹⁸ "At that time I gave you instructions about everything you were to do.
¹⁹ "Then, just as the LORD our God commanded us, we left Mount Sinai and traveled through the great and terrifying wilderness, as you yourselves remember, and headed toward the hill country of the Amorites. When we arrived at Kadesh-barnea,
²⁰ I said to you, 'You have now reached the hill country of the Amorites that the LORD our God is giving us.
²¹ Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don't be afraid! Don't be discouraged!'
²² "But you all came to me and said, 'First, let's send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.'
²³ "This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes.
²⁴ They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it.
²⁵ They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, 'The land the LORD our God has given us is indeed a good land.'
²⁶ "But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in.
²⁷ You complained in your tents and said, 'The LORD must hate us. That's why he has brought us here from Egypt ? to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered.
²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, "The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there ? the descendants of Anak!"'
²⁹ "But I said to you, 'Don't be shocked or afraid of them!
³⁰ The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt.
³¹ And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.'
³² "But even after all he did, you refused to trust the LORD your God,
³³ who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.
³⁴ "When the LORD heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore,
³⁵ 'Not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,
³⁶ except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed the LORD completely. I will give to him and his descendants some of the very land he explored during his scouting mission.'
³⁷ "And the LORD was also angry with me because of you. He said to me, 'Moses, not even you will enter the Promised Land!
³⁸ Instead, your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they take possession of it.
³⁹ I will give the land to your little ones ? your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it.
⁴⁰ As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. '
⁴¹ "Then you confessed, 'We have sinned against the LORD! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the LORD our God has commanded us.' So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country.
⁴² "But the LORD told me to tell you, 'Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.'
⁴³ "This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the LORD's command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight.
⁴⁴ But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah.
⁴⁵ Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but he refused to listen.
⁴⁶ So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.