Deuteronomy 9:3

Deu 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God [is] he which goeth over before thee; [as] a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

Ver. 3. As a consuming fire.] The force whereof is violent and irresistible. "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? Woe unto us! who shall deliver us?" &c., said those crest-fallen Philistines at the sight of the ark. {1Sa 4:8} So, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites: who among us," say they, "shall dwell with this devouring fire?" - meaning God; - "who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" {Isa 33:14}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Deu 9:3. As a consuming fire — Before whom thine enemies shall be as easily consumed as stubble before the flames. So shalt thou drive them out — quickly — Not the whole seven nations, whom he said (Deu 7:22,) God would drive out by little and little, but so many as to make a settlement for them in Canaan.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9:3 The graphic metaphor like a devouring fire depicts God’s war against his enemies (see 1:30). God will not just use fire but will himself be a raging inferno, consuming everything in his path. In the end, Israel would simply have to step in and occupy the subdued land.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To guide thee and govern thee.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(3) Understand therefore.—Literally, the connection seems to be this: “The children of Anakim thou knowest—thou knowest also (the same word) to-day, that it is Jehovah thy God Himself that passeth over before thee, a consuming fire. He will destroy them, and He will make them to bow down before thee. And thou shalt make a conquest of them, and speedily annihilate them, according as Jehovah hath commanded thee.”

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

3. Know therefore] See on Deu_7:9.

he which goeth over before thee] Deu_31:3 (cp. Jos_3:11).

a devouring fire] Only here and Deu_4:24.

he shall destroy … and he] he emphatic.

bring them down before thee] In D the verb is found only here: it is used also of the subjection of Israel’s enemies in the deuteronomic Jdg_3:30; Jdg_4:23; Jdg_8:28, the late passage 1Sa_7:13, and otherwise only in late writers; except for Jdg_11:33 and 2Sa_8:1 which may be pre-deuteronomic.

quickly] Omitted by LXX B, but otherwise confirmed. See on Deu_7:22.

as the Lord hath spoken unto thee] Exo_23:23 (edit.), Exo_23:27 (E).

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.

Understand therefore this day,.... Or be it known to you for your encouragement, and believe it:

that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee as a consuming fire: did not only go before them over the river Jordan, in a pillar of cloud and fire, to guide and direct them, and was a wall of fire around them to protect and defend them, but as a consuming fire, before which there is no standing, to destroy their enemies; see Deu 4:24,

he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face; be they as great and as mighty, as large and as tall as they may, they will not be able to stand before the Lord, but will soon be made low, and be easily brought down to the earth by him, and to utter destruction; which would be done in a public and visible manner, so as that the hand of the Lord would be seen in it by the Israelites:

so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee; that is, the far greater part of them, and so many as to make room for the Israelites, and which was quickly done. The Jews commonly say (a), that they were seven years in subduing the land; otherwise they were not to be driven out and destroyed at once, but by little and little: see Deu 7:22.

(a) Seder Olam Rabba, c. 11. p. 31, 32.

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

So shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly - This is not inconsistent with Deu 7:22, in which instant annihilation is not to be expected for the reasons assigned. Here Moses urges the people to trust in God’s covenanted aid; since He would then make no delay in so destroying the nations attacked by them as to put them into enjoyment of the promises, and in doing so as fast as was for the well-being of Israel itself.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Fire. See chap. iv. 24. The conducting angel would fight for the Hebrews. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Quickly; without great difficulty or long wars.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. Understand therefore — It is better not to render the verb as an imperative. It should be read in connexion with the first verse. Thou art to pass over Jordan at this time, and thou shalt know this day that Jehovah thy God, he that goeth before thee, a consuming fire, he will destroy them. So shalt thou drive them out. Some critics, as Knobel and Colenso, write as if the speaker, in the ardour of his discourse, had forgotten that he had earlier said, Thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee, (Deu_7:22.) There the thought expressed is that the whole land is not at one fell blow to be depopulated. Here the speaker has in mind those whom they are to meet in battle. Over them they are to have overwhelming victory.

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

Understand therefore this day; rather, And thou knowest today or now. The expression corresponds to ver. 1, "Thou art to pass and thou knowest." In the victory they had obtained over Sihon and Og, they had already had experience of the Lord"s going before them, and leading them on in triumph. The repetition of the He in this verse is very emphatic. Consuming fire (cf. Deu_4:24) Quickly, or suddenly. There is no contradiction here of what is said in Deu_7:22; for there the reference is to the possession of the land by Israel, here it is to the destruction which was to come on the Canaanites the former was to be by degrees, the latter was to come suddenly and overwhelmingly. As Jehovah hath said unto thee. (cf. Exo_23:23, Exo_23:27, etc.; Deu_2:24, etc.)

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 to speak to the Israelites as if they are one person. (See: Forms of You)

today

Moses is speaking of the days and weeks beginning on that day, not of the time since the sun had last set.

like a devouring fire

Yahweh is powerful and able to destroy the armies of the other nations. (See: Simile)

subdue them before you

"make them weak so you can control them"

translationWords

know

Yahweh

God

perish

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

HE WILL DESTROY THEM, AND HE WILL BRING THEM DOWN. The meaning thereof is that “He will bring them down and He will destroy them” [because, obviously, they could be destroyed after having been brought down, but not vice versa]. The expression ‘yachni’eim’ (He will bring them down) denotes “humiliation,” as in the usage, Seest thou how Ahab ‘nichna’ (humbleth himself) before Me?; if then perchance their uncircumcised heart ‘yikana’ (be humbled), and so all [similar expressions]. And the purport thereof is that these peoples were very frightened of Israel. With a trembling heart, low spirit and feebleness of hands they went out [against them in battle], as it is stated, And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard how the Eternal had dried up the waters of the Jordan etc. that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. It is possible that the expression He will destroy them alludes to the nations greater and mightier than thyself — and He will bring them down refers to the sons of the Anakim, for despite all their might and height, their hearts were more humbled than [those of] the rest of the people and they did not go into battle at all, but were hiding in the mountains and in the fortified cities, as it is said, And Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill-country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill-country of Judah, and from all the hill-country of Israel; ‘with’ their cities Joshua utterly destroyed them, that is to say he destroyed them “in” their cities [indicating that the Anakim never entered the battlefield]. Similarly, it is said, And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron etc. and they smote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.