Deuteronomy 9 19

Deuteronomy 9:19 kjv

For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.

Deuteronomy 9:19 nkjv

For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was angry with you, to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me at that time also.

Deuteronomy 9:19 niv

I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me.

Deuteronomy 9:19 esv

For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the LORD bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also.

Deuteronomy 9:19 nlt

I feared that the furious anger of the LORD, which turned him against you, would drive him to destroy you. But again he listened to me.

Deuteronomy 9 verses

Deuteronomy 9 19 Meaning

Deuteronomy 9:19 describes Moses' intense dread and fear concerning the Lord's profound anger and hot displeasure, which was righteously provoked against the Israelites, threatening their utter destruction. Yet, it simultaneously proclaims God's merciful and consistent responsiveness, for the Lord heard Moses' urgent intercession on that occasion as well, thus averting the deserved judgment. This verse underscores the extreme seriousness of divine wrath against sin, Moses' pivotal role as a mediator, and above all, God's enduring compassion.

Deuteronomy 9 19 Context

Deuteronomy 9:19 is a vivid and poignant recollection by Moses as he delivers his farewell address to the Israelites, prior to their entry into Canaan. The larger discourse of Deuteronomy 9 aims to disabuse the people of any notion that their impending victory and inheritance of the land are due to their own righteousness or merit. Instead, Moses emphatically recounts their long and persistent history of rebellion against the Lord.

Specifically, Dt 9:19 references the most severe instance of their sin: the making and worshiping of the golden calf at Mount Horeb (Sinai), directly after they had received the Law from God. This was a grave breach of the foundational covenant commandments. In Dt 9:18, Moses mentions his subsequent desperate act of prostrating himself before the Lord for forty days and forty nights without food or water. Verse 19 then details the motivation for this extreme intercession—his overwhelming fear of the Lord's "anger and hot displeasure" which God had threatened to unleash upon them for their immediate and heinous idolatry. The historical context found in Exodus 32 describes God's direct declaration to Moses that He would destroy this stiff-necked people, and raise up a new nation from Moses. Moses' intervention at that moment was therefore critical, and the verse highlights God's choice to hear His servant's plea and show mercy despite His righteous fury.

Deuteronomy 9 19 Word analysis

• For (כִּי - ki): This conjunctive particle links Moses' intense forty-day fasting and prostration (mentioned in Dt 9:18) directly to the cause. It indicates that the impending divine wrath was the immediate and terrifying reason for his fervent intercession.

• I was afraid (יָגֹרְתִּי - yagorti): Derived from the Hebrew root GWR, it signifies a deep, inward dread or terror, far beyond simple fear. It expresses Moses' overwhelming apprehension born from his unique awareness of God's absolute holiness and the just severity of divine wrath, realizing the nation's total culpability and vulnerability.

• of the anger (הָאַף - ha'aph): "Aph" literally means "nose" or "nostril," metaphorically denoting a snorting or flaring of intense, strong anger. It points to a visible, fiery outburst of divine displeasure that could be sudden and consuming.

• and hot displeasure (וְהַחֵמָה - vehachēmah): "Chemah" (from chaman meaning "to be hot") signifies burning rage, fierce indignation, or consuming fury. When paired with "aph," it creates an intensified, superlative expression of wrath, highlighting the complete and passionate nature of God's holy response to egregious sin.

• which the Lord bore against you (אֲשֶׁר קָצַף יְהוָה עֲלֵיכֶם): "Qatsaph" means to be incensed, highly displeased, or in a state of wrath. This emphasizes that Yahweh (God's personal, covenant name) was indeed justifiably angry, and His anger was specifically and righteously directed at Israel (aleykhem) due to their rebellion.

• to destroy you (לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶתְכֶם - lehashmid etkhem): The Hiphil infinitive "lehashmid" means "to utterly annihilate," "to wipe out completely." This reveals the extreme consequence of the divine wrath: total eradication. It highlights that God's justice would have justly resulted in Israel's absolute demise.

• But the Lord (וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוָה - vayyishma' Yahweh): The strong adversative "but" (implicit in the sequence) and the swift vayyiqtōl verbal form "vayyishma'" ("and He heard/listened") signal an immediate shift. It highlights God's sovereign initiative in responsiveness, emphasizing that He is a God who actively listens and acts in accordance with His character and purpose.

• listened to me (אֵלַי - elai): Directly specifies Moses as the object of God's hearing. This validates Moses' mediatorial role and underscores that God's merciful change of action was in direct response to His chosen intercessor's desperate prayer.

• that time also (גַּם בַּפַּעַם הַהִוא - gam bappa'am hahiw'): The particle "gam" ("also" or "even") implies that this was not an isolated event. It subtly alludes to God's recurring mercy toward Israel in response to Moses' prayers, despite their frequent rebellions, highlighting God's patient grace throughout their wilderness journey.

• "anger and hot displeasure" (aph and chemah): This hendiadys powerfully describes the depth and heat of divine wrath. It is not merely displeasure, but a righteous, consuming fury against covenant-breaking, demonstrating God's unwavering opposition to sin and His purity.

• "which the Lord bore against you, to destroy you": This phrase makes explicit both the specific target of God's wrath (Israel) and its justified, annihilating consequence. It reinforces the biblical understanding that unaddressed sin earns divine judgment, and God has the sovereign right and power to execute it.

• "But the Lord listened to me that time also": This forms a dramatic turning point in the verse. It juxtaposes the imminent, deserved destruction with God's compassionate attentiveness. It underscores that God's decision to relent was an act of grace, responding to mediation rather than Israel's direct repentance at that moment, highlighting His sovereign mercy and faithfulness to His covenant relationship through His chosen intermediary.

Deuteronomy 9 19 Bonus section

• The dramatic imagery of "anger" (nostrils flaring) and "hot displeasure" (burning fury) are powerful anthropomorphisms, making divine wrath relatable in its intensity to human experience, while maintaining that God's essence is spirit.
• This particular moment of intercession showcases Moses as a Christ-like figure, willing to stand "in the breach" between a holy God and a sinful people, paralleling Christ's ultimate sacrificial intercession (Exo 32:32, cf. Rom 9:3).
• The incident at the Golden Calf (Exo 32, Dt 9) is repeatedly used in the Old Testament as a touchstone for Israel's rebelliousness, underlining their inherent inability to keep the Law and demonstrating their perpetual need for divine grace and a mediator.
• Moses' fasting for forty days and forty nights (Dt 9:18) before the Lord parallels Jesus' fasting for forty days (Matt 4:2), a period of intense spiritual engagement and vulnerability.
• This passage powerfully reinforces the theological truth that salvation and deliverance are entirely by God's grace and His choice to respond to humble prayer, not by human merit or worthiness.

Deuteronomy 9 19 Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:19 is a profound theological statement, central to understanding God's character and humanity's predicament. Moses’ "fear" of God's aph and chemah — terms describing the most intense, burning forms of divine anger — conveys the truly terrifying reality of Yahweh's wrath against sin, a necessary outflow of His absolute holiness. The Golden Calf idolatry was not a minor transgression but a direct, fundamental betrayal of the covenant God had just established with Israel. Consequently, their annihilation was a righteous, deserved judgment.

However, the "But the Lord listened" is the transformative core of the verse. This turning point illustrates the incredible power of intercession and God's boundless mercy. God, though justifiably furious, responded to Moses' desperate, sustained plea, choosing to defer the merited destruction. This doesn't suggest a change in God's immutable character but a change in His intended course of action towards a rebellious people, consistent with His attributes of both justice and covenant love. This event profoundly foreshadows the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ, who through His perfect life, atoning sacrifice, and perpetual intercession (Heb 7:25), diverts the wrath of God from those who trust in Him, granting them forgiveness and life. The inclusion of "that time also" further highlights God's consistent responsiveness to Moses’ appeals, emphasizing God's patient long-suffering with Israel, and providing encouragement for believers to persist in prayer for themselves and others, confident in God’s listening ear.