John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 1:29

"Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them." — Deuteronomy 1:29 (ASV)

Then I said unto you, Dread not. He omits here the address of Caleb and Joshua, since he only briefly states the main points of what he had said to the people. He merely shows that, when he endeavored to recall them to their right senses, his efforts and pains were ineffectual.

Moreover, he reasons from experience that they could well place their hopes in God's assistance, because He went before them as a light. In proof of this, he reminds them that, after the defeat of the Egyptians, He did not fail to continue exerting His power, so as to protect to the very end those whom He had once delivered.

This, then, is his proposition: although they might be aware of their own weakness, still, through the power of God, they would be conquerors, since He had taken them under His care and had declared Himself their leader. He indicates this by the expression, goes before you.

And, lest any hesitation should remain, he sets against their present obstacles the miracles of God’s power, which they had experienced, not only in the commencement of their redemption, but also in the continued progress of their deliverance. When they were in their lost and desperate state, He had in innumerable ways restored them from death to life.

Hence, he concludes that they should not be afraid—not that he would wish them to be altogether free from all fear and care, but rather that they might overcome all hindrances when confidence derived from the ready help of God should prevail in their hearts.

He says emphatically that God had fought before their eyes, to lead them to fuller conviction by the evidence of their own senses.