Deuteronomy 1:29

(29) Dread not, neither be afraid of them . . .—The reminder that “Jehovah went before them” did not avail, for they had already chosen men to go before them.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29. Dread not, neither be afraid] See on Deu_1:21. Num_14:9 has only the second verb and in a less emphatic form. Neither be afraid (lo-ta‘arsûn) not elsewhere in prose. But see Deu_31:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then I said unto you, dread not, neither be afraid of them. With such like words he had exhorted and encouraged them before the spies were sent, and he still uses the same, or stronger terms, notwithstanding the report that had been made of the gigantic stature and walled cities of the Canaanites. This speech of Moses, which is continued in the two following verses, is not recorded in Num 14:5, it is only there said, that Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, but no account is given of what was said by either of them.

, it is only there said, that Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, but no account is given of what was said by either of them.

Deuteronomy 1:30

deu 1:30

deu 1:30

deu 1:30The Lord your God, which goeth before you,.... In a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night:

he shall fight for you; wherefore, though their enemies were greater and taller than they, yet their God was higher than the highest; and cities walled up to heaven would signify nothing to him, whose throne is in the heavens:

according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes: which is observed to encourage their faith in God; for he that wrought such wonders in Egypt for them, which their eyes, at least some of them, and their fathers, however, had seen, what is it he cannot do?

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

29-33. Then I said unto you — Moses here relates his attempt to inspire the disheartened people with confidence in Jehovah their God, by reminding them of what was done for them in Egypt and in the wilderness.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 29-40. Moses endeavored to rouse the drooping courage of the people, and persuade them to go up by reminding them that God, who was with them, would go before them, and fight for them as he had often done before; but without success, so that God was angry with them, and forbade their entrance into Canaan. This is not mentioned in Numbers, probably because Moses" appeal was unsuccessful. The whole of that generation was bound to fall in the wilderness, except Caleb and Joshua; only their children should enter the Promised Land.

Vers. 29, 30. Moses exhorts the people not to be afraid, as if they had to encounter these terrible enemies solely in their own strength; for Jehovah their God was with them and would go before them, as he had gone before them hitherto, to protect them and strike down their enemies.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Moses continues reminding the people of Israel what the previous generation of Israelites did.

I said to you

"I said to your ancestors"

before your eyes

Here the people are represented by their "eyes" to emphasize what they saw. AT: "which you yourselves saw" (See: Synecdoche)

you have seen ... Yahweh your God carried you ... you went ... you came

Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so all instances of "you" and "your" are singular. (See: Forms of You)

Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son

Here Yahweh's care for his people is compared to that of a father. AT: "Yahweh your God has taken care of you, like a father takes care of his son" (See: Simile)

until you came to this place

"until you came to this land that God promised to give you"

translationWords

terror

fear

Yahweh

God

Egypt

desert

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

לא תערצון — This is an expression denoting breaking, as the Targum translates it: You should not let yourselves be broken by them. Similar to it is, (Job 30:6) “To dwell in ערוץ נחלים”, i.e. in the fissure of the valleys.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.