Deuteronomy 1 40

Deuteronomy 1:40 kjv

But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

Deuteronomy 1:40 nkjv

But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.'

Deuteronomy 1:40 niv

But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea."

Deuteronomy 1:40 esv

But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.'

Deuteronomy 1:40 nlt

As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. '

Deuteronomy 1 verses

Deuteronomy 1 40 Meaning

Deuteronomy 1:40 presents a divine command issued to the disobedient generation of Israelites at Kadesh Barnea. It instructs them to abandon their attempt to enter the Promised Land from the south and instead turn around, journeying back into the wilderness. This directive signifies a punitive regression, an extension of their forty-year wandering as a consequence of their unbelief and rebellion against the Lord's command to go up and take the land. It represents God's judgment, moving them away from the immediate fulfillment of His promise and back into a state of testing and purification.

Deuteronomy 1 40 Context

Deuteronomy chapter 1 serves as the prologue to Moses' grand address to the new generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab, before their final entry into Canaan. Moses is recounting the pivotal events of the previous forty years, specifically highlighting their journey from Horeb (Sinai) to Kadesh Barnea. The chapter focuses on the decisive moment of the spies' report and the people's subsequent rebellion, expressing fear and mistrust in God's promise to give them the land. Despite God's assurance and Caleb's faithful witness, the people refused to advance, prompting God's severe judgment: that none of that disbelieving generation (except Joshua and Caleb) would enter the Promised Land. Verse 40 directly follows this declaration of judgment, instructing the defiant people to turn away from their futile attempt to seize the land (which resulted in defeat in verse 44) and instead return to the prolonged wilderness sojourn that God ordained as punishment. This instruction initiates the nearly four decades of wandering that would prune away the disobedient generation, making way for a new generation prepared to inherit God's promise.

Deuteronomy 1 40 Word analysis

• "But as for you" (וְאַתֶּם, ve'attem): The Hebrew conjunctive waw ('and'/'but') plus the emphatic second-person plural pronoun, "you." This construction distinctly sets apart this particular group, the disobedient generation, emphasizing God's direct address and differentiation between them and the path He intended. It carries a tone of contrast or distinction from previous statements, marking a significant turn in their destiny.
• "turn yourselves" (פְּנוּ לָכֶם, p'nu lakhem): From the root פָּנָה (panah), meaning "to turn, to face, to direct oneself." The imperative plural, with the reflexive dative pronoun, gives it the force of "turn for yourselves," "turn yourselves around." This isn't just a physical change of direction but implies a rejection of their prior defiant movement towards the land. It signifies a reversal of course, from intended progress to enforced retreat, symbolizing a return to the probationary period.
• "and journey" (וּסְעוּ, u's'u): From the root נָסַע (nasa), meaning "to pull up stakes, to depart, to journey, to break camp." This imperative further directs their action, emphasizing continued movement away from their goal. It is an act of continued progression, but now in the "wrong" direction, away from the promise, towards a protracted time of wandering.
• "into the wilderness" (הַמִּדְבָּרָה, hammidbarah): The definite article 'ha-' emphasizes "the" wilderness, referring to the well-known and arduous region they had traversed and were still within. The directional 'ah' ending specifies "to/into the wilderness." This designates their forced destination: a place of testing, discipline, and desolation, symbolic of their spiritual wandering.
• "by the way of the Red Sea" (דֶּרֶךְ יַם־סוּף, derekh Yam-Suph):
  • "by the way of" (דֶּרֶךְ, derekh): "Way" or "road," indicating the route they are to take. This specifies a particular direction.
  • "Red Sea" (יַם־סוּף, Yam-Suph): Literally "Reed Sea" or "Sea of Reeds," which can refer to a large body of water, possibly referring to the Gulf of Aqaba (an arm of the Red Sea). While "Red Sea" (or Yam Suph) evokes the miraculous escape from Egypt, here it points to a route that bypasses the entry points to Canaan and leads deeper into the Arabian Desert, symbolizing a retreat from salvation to an extended period of consequence. This is not the sea of triumph but of isolation and consequence.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "But as for you, turn yourselves and journey": This phrase dramatically contrasts God's original intention for them to go forward and possess the land. It's a sharp, definitive command for an immediate about-face, marking the termination of their forward movement toward the inheritance and the beginning of a retrograde motion enforced by divine decree. The emphasis is on their action in response to their disobedience.
  • "into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea": This specifies their punitive destination. It implies a geographical movement away from the fertile plains of Canaan and back into the barren, testing environment. This path ensures they will not encroach on Edomite or other territories friendly to the promise but hostile to direct entry, instead leading them further into isolation until the disobedient generation expires. The "Red Sea" route underscores this prolonged detour, reminding them of where their journey started and how far they had fallen from the immediate path to promised land.

Deuteronomy 1 40 Bonus Section

The directive in Deut 1:40 effectively begins the "parenthesis of wandering" in Israel's history, a necessary interim before the re-engagement with God's covenantal promises. The route "by the way of the Red Sea" might also deliberately reference their original departure from Egypt (Exo 13:18) – bringing them full circle back to a "starting" point, highlighting the regression their disobedience caused. This enforced wandering serves as a prolonged period of divine discipline, designed to purify and strengthen the nation for its future role. The severity of this command underscores the seriousness of their sin, which was not just defiance but a rejection of God's power and faithfulness to deliver on His sworn word.

Deuteronomy 1 40 Commentary

Deuteronomy 1:40 stands as a somber decree from God, articulating the immediate and decisive consequence of Israel's collective unbelief and rebellion at Kadesh Barnea. The command to "turn yourselves and journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea" is not merely a geographical instruction but a pronouncement of judgment that reversed their progress towards the Promised Land. Instead of marching triumphantly into Canaan, they were condemned to a further, prolonged period of wandering in the desolate wilderness, effectively "going backward and not forward" (Jer 7:24).

This divine directive underscores several profound theological truths: God's holiness demands accountability for disobedience, particularly unbelief which impugns His faithfulness; God's justice is unwavering, meting out consequences appropriate to the rebellion; and His plan, while delayed by human failure, will ultimately prevail, though not through the unfaithful. The return to the wilderness served as a place of judgment and a crucible of purification, where the generation of unfaithfulness would die off, preparing a new, more compliant generation to inherit the covenant promises. It is a powerful illustration of the consequences of failing to mix God's promises with faith (Heb 4:2), emphasizing that access to God's "rest" is conditioned on obedient faith.