Deuteronomy 1:45 kjv
And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
Deuteronomy 1:45 nkjv
Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.
Deuteronomy 1:45 niv
You came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.
Deuteronomy 1:45 esv
And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
Deuteronomy 1:45 nlt
Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but he refused to listen.
Deuteronomy 1 45 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:40 | And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned.” | Israelites attempt to obey after sinning, similar to Deu 1:45 timing. |
| Num 14:42-43 | "Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies... but they presumed to go up..." | Moses' warning preceding their defeat, aligning with Deu 1. |
| Lev 26:14-17 | "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments... I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies..." | General principle of divine judgment for disobedience. |
| Deu 1:42 | "And the LORD said to me, 'Say to them, "Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies."'" | Immediate context: God's explicit command they ignored before fighting. |
| Isa 1:15 | "When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood." | God refuses to hear prayer due to unrepentant sin. |
| Jer 11:11 | "Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them." | Divine decree of judgment making prayer unavailing. |
| Jer 14:12 | "When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them..." | God's refusal to accept outward acts without true repentance. |
| Zec 7:13 | "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, says the LORD of hosts." | God's reciprocal non-responsiveness to those who previously disobeyed Him. |
| Pro 1:28 | "Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me." | Wisdom's warning: God's non-responsiveness to those who ignored His counsel. |
| Mic 3:4 | "Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because of the evil they have committed." | Consequences of persistent evil leading to God hiding His face. |
| 2 Chr 15:2 | "The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." | Principle: God's presence and responsiveness are conditional on faithfulness. |
| 1 Sam 8:18 | "And in that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." | Consequences of making ungodly choices leading to God's silence. |
| Psa 18:41 | "They cried for help, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them." | General illustration of unheeded cries for help. |
| Psa 66:18 | "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." | A personal principle for unanswered prayer: hidden sin. |
| Prov 28:9 | "If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." | Direct connection between disobedience to God's law and unheeded prayer. |
| Hos 5:6 | "With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them." | God's withdrawal due to ongoing spiritual unfaithfulness. |
| Lam 3:44 | "You have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through." | Metaphor for God blocking communication due to judgment. |
| Eze 8:18 | "Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them." | God's determined judgment overrides pleas in intense scenarios of rebellion. |
| Amos 8:11-12 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread... but of hearing the words of the LORD." | Metaphorical famine of God's word and responsiveness. |
| Heb 3:7-11 | "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness...'" | Connects directly to the Israelites' rebellion in the wilderness and its consequence of being denied rest. |
| Jas 4:3 | "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." | New Testament insight into improper prayer motives leading to unanswered prayer. |
| 1 Pet 3:12 | "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." | Contrast: God listens to the righteous but not those doing evil. |
Deuteronomy 1 verses
Deuteronomy 1 45 Meaning
Deuteronomy 1:45 states that after the Israelites were defeated by the Amorites when they presumptuously attacked without divine command, they returned and wept before the LORD. However, despite their cries and lamentations, the LORD did not heed their voices nor listen to their pleas. This verse underscores the irreversible consequence of their direct disobedience and rebellion against God's explicit instruction not to go up and fight, demonstrating that remorse after judgment does not always negate the judgment itself.
Deuteronomy 1 45 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 1 serves as the opening of Moses’ farewell discourse, where he recounts the history of Israel’s forty-year wilderness wanderings as a reminder and a warning to the new generation about to enter the Promised Land. Verse 45 specifically refers to an incident immediately following the report of the twelve spies from Numbers 13 and the people's subsequent rebellion and refusal to enter the land (Numbers 14). After the LORD decreed that the disobedient generation would die in the wilderness, some Israelites, realizing their sin, decided to go up and fight the Amorites in a presumptuous and disobedient act (Deu 1:41-43). Moses had explicitly warned them that God would not be with them in this endeavor. Despite this clear warning, they disregarded it, leading to a crushing defeat. Deuteronomy 1:45 describes their despair and futile crying out to God after this defeat and after having flagrantly ignored His previous command. The historical context highlights the severity of their rebellion, the finality of God's decree against that generation, and the futility of seeking divine intervention after intentionally acting against His word and experiencing the direct consequence.
Deuteronomy 1 45 Word analysis
- So when you returned (וַתָּשֻׁבוּ, va-tashuvu): From the root שׁוּב (shuv), meaning "to turn back," "return." Here, it signifies their retreat from the battle and return to their camp, indicating the immediate aftermath of their military defeat. Their return was one of disarray and failure, directly linking to the consequence of their rebellion.
- and wept (וַתִּבְכּוּ, va-tibku): From the root בָּכָה (bakah), meaning "to weep," "cry." This is a strong expression of sorrow, grief, or lament. However, in this specific context, the timing of their weeping – after their presumptuous attack and defeat, not before as true repentance might dictate – suggests a sorrow rooted in consequence and regret rather than deep contrition for their original disobedience. It was weeping out of physical suffering and failure, not necessarily spiritual brokenness that acknowledges their direct defiance of God's word.
- before the LORD (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, lifnei YHWH): This phrase indicates that their weeping and pleading were directed towards God, acknowledging Him as the source of their past blessing and current plight. It implies an appeal for His compassion or intervention. Even in their rebellion, they instinctively turned to their covenant God, recognizing His authority.
- the LORD did not (וְלֹא יְהוָה, ve-lo YHWH): Emphatically states the Lord's absolute refusal. The Hebrew structure puts emphasis on the negation "not," underscoring the finality and deliberate nature of God's decision. This is not passive ignoring but an active withholding of attention and favor.
- listen to your voice (שָׁמַע בְּקֹלְכֶם, shama beqolkem): From the root שָׁמַע (shama), which means "to hear," "listen," and often "to obey." In this context, it specifically means God did not "give attention to," "respond to," or "grant" their request. Their cries fell on unresponsive ears, signifying a deliberate lack of divine engagement with their distress call. This is particularly poignant because shema is so central to Israel's covenant (e.g., Deu 6:4). They did not shema God, and now God did not shema them.
- nor give ear to you (וְלֹא הֶאֱזִין אֲלֵיכֶם, ve-lo he'azin aleikem): From the root אָזַן (azan), specifically meaning "to give ear," "to pay close attention." This phrase parallels "listen to your voice" and serves to reinforce the Lord’s unresponsiveness through Hebrew poetic repetition (parallelism). It adds a layer of emphasis, highlighting that God totally withdrew His attention and favor from them. It signifies that there was no openness, no consideration of their plight.
Deuteronomy 1 45 Bonus section
The timing of the Israelites' "weeping before the LORD" is crucial. It was after their willful disobedience and the resulting defeat, not before or during the time they made the decision to disobey. This distinction between "sorrow over consequence" and "true repentance unto salvation" (2 Cor 7:10) is vital. True repentance is a change of heart and action that often leads to obedience and is expressed before or during the time when one seeks God's face for mercy regarding a wrong deed. Here, their tears were a lament over suffering, not necessarily a plea rooted in a profound reorientation toward God's will. The episode in Deuteronomy 1:45 functions as a stark theological boundary, reminding believers that divine promises and intervention are intricately tied to covenant fidelity and obedience, and while God is merciful, there are consequences for hardened hearts and deliberate defiance that may close the door to His immediate responsiveness in a specific season of judgment.
Deuteronomy 1 45 Commentary
Deuteronomy 1:45 captures a critical lesson about divine justice and the nature of repentance. The Israelites, having openly defied God's explicit command to not ascend and fight the Amorites (Deu 1:42-44), faced the direct consequence of their rebellion: a devastating defeat. Their subsequent weeping before the LORD was a sorrow born of pain and regret over the outcome, not true, timely contrition for the root sin of disobedience. When God said, "Do not go up or fight, for I am not among you," it was a binding decree; to act contrary was a deep offense. Thus, when they cried out in distress after their willful sin and its painful results, God did not respond. His refusal to listen emphasizes that there are moments when God’s judgment, having been set in motion by flagrant disobedience, will run its course, and belated or self-serving expressions of sorrow will not reverse it. It serves as a stern warning that seeking God’s favor requires prior obedience and genuine humility, not merely remorse for unwanted consequences. This instance illustrates the solemn truth that presuming upon God's grace after outright defiance can lead to a moment when His ears are closed.