Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 31

Deuteronomy 31:1–8. MOSES RESIGNS HIS CHARGE AS LEADER TO JOSHUA.

And Moses went and spoke. — The expression is unusual. Possibly it means “went on to speak.”

The Palestine Targum has, “He went into the house of instruction and spoke.” The Septuagint has apparently preserved a different reading, and says, “And Moses made an end of speaking these words” , as if the Hebrew were vay’cal instead of vay-yelek. A transposition of two letters would make all the difference.

I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in. — The description of Moses’ death in Deuteronomy 34:7 says, “his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” Yet he may have felt within himself that his work was done.

“I have no longer authority, for the authority is taken from me and given into the hand of Joshua” is one interpretation. And it fits with what follows. “The LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.”

The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee ... Joshua, he shall go over before thee. — Can it be accidental that Jehovah and Joshua are spoken of in exactly the same language, and that there is no distinguishing conjunction between them, the “and” of the English Version being supplied? “Jehovah, He is going over; Joshua, he is going over.”

Verbally, the two are as much identified as “The God who fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel that redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48:15–16). The prophetical truth of this identification is too remarkable to be missed.

As he did to Sihon and to Og. — The value of these two conquests, before Israel passed the Jordan, was inestimable, as an encouragement to them to persevere.

According unto all the commandments. — The Hebrew word for “commandments” is in the singular, Mitzvah, the principle of action.

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid. — Here this is addressed to the people in the plural number. The same thing is said to Joshua in the next verse.

And Moses called unto Joshua. — In these words Moses formally delivers the charge of the people to Joshua, to lead them over Jordan.

He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee. — Repeated by Jehovah Himself (Joshua 1:5). “Will not let you go” is the exact meaning of “fail” here. Compare Deuteronomy 9:14, “let me alone.”

Deuteronomy 31:9–13. MOSES RESIGNS HIS CHARGE AS LAWGIVER TO THE PRIESTS.

And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests ... And ... commanded them, saying ... you shall read. — This must be distinguished from the deliverance of the “book” to the Levites in Deuteronomy 31:25-26. The deliverance here must be understood as a charge and a trust conveyed to the priests, making them responsible for the “reading of the law,” and for the instruction of the people. This is the special duty of the priests. They are said to “bear” the ark of the covenant here; not because they always carried it (they did sometimes, as in Joshua 3), but because they were responsible for it, just as they were also responsible for the exposition of the law (Deuteronomy 17:9). This is another example of the distinction between priests and Levites in the book of Deuteronomy.

At the end of every seven years, in the ... year of release, in the feast of tabernacles ... you shall read this law. — The fulfillment of this command, as far as the reading of the law is concerned, is described in Joshua 8:34-35; and again “at the feast of tabernacles” in Nehemiah 8.

That the law read on these occasions was especially the book of Deuteronomy appears from the Talmudical treatise Sotah (p. 41), where the reading of it by the king is described as beginning with Deuteronomy 1:1: These are the words. It is in this connection that the story is told of Agrippa that he wept when he came to Deuteronomy 17:15, Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee. But they said, “Fear not, Agrippa, you are our brother,” and he then finished the reading. It was read from a platform erected in the forecourt of the temple. From this passage it is clear that the “reading” was understood to refer specially to the book of Deuteronomy.

That their children ... may hear. — It is obvious from this that the existence of many copies of the law was not contemplated by the writer. Compare Deuteronomy 6:6-7: These words shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them.

Deuteronomy 31:14–23. JOSHUA IS APPOINTED BY JEHOVAH TO MOSES’ PLACE.

Your days approach that you must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves. —What Moses had already done before Israel (Deuteronomy 31:1–8) is now ratified by Jehovah to Joshua and Moses.

Moses and Joshua went. —We may compare this scene with that which is described in Numbers 20:25-28, when Aaron and Eleazar went up to Mount Hor, in order that the priesthood might be transferred from one to the other. Elijah and Elisha, in like manner, went together over Jordan, when Elijah was about to depart (2 Kings 2:0). For the last time it is recorded here that Jehovah met Moses face to face in the tabernacle. Their next meeting was on Mount Nebo, and the next “within the veil !”

And break my covenant. —With this, contrast Judges 2:1: I said, I will never break my covenant with you. The phrases are identical in Hebrew. Compare to 2 Timothy 2:13: If we do not believe, yet He abides faithful: He cannot deny Himself.

Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers ... now therefore write ye this song. — This prophecy that the children of Israel would forsake Jehovah and break His covenant is quite remarkable, when we consider His dealings with them as a nation. It is one of the many proofs in Holy Scripture that our Creator is not like the man in our Lord’s parable, who “intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it.” When He chose Israel to be His people, He knew the risk of doing so, and He provided for it beforehand.

No less, when He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” did He provide the means of forming in us the Divine character by all that Christ has done. The fall is recorded in Genesis 3. Redemption and restoration are exhibited in type and symbol in Genesis 2. God brought Israel into Canaan in full foreknowledge of what the people would become when there.