The big picture
Deuteronomy 31 opens in verse 1 with “And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 15 with “And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the…”, and closes in verse 30 with “And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Moses, Israel, land, children. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Deuteronomy · King James Version · 30Deuteronomy 31:1-8
1–8: Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:1–8 opens with “And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.” and reaches “And the LORD , he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Moses commissioning Joshua and giving the written law to the priests for public reading, with particular weight carried by LORD, courage, fail.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.” Naming Israel and Moses keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Deuteronomy 31:1-8
King James Version1And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
2And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
4And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
5And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8And the LORD , he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:9-16
9–16: Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of…
Deuteronomy 31:9–16 opens with “And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark…” and reaches “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Moses commissioning Joshua and giving the written law to the priests for public reading, with particular weight carried by LORD, Moses, tabernacle.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
“When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye…” Naming Jordan keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the…” The line’s distinctive content terms include cloud, pillar, tabernacle. Its relationship to verses 14 and 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
Deuteronomy 31:9-16
King James Version9And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD , and unto all the elders of Israel.
10And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
11When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
13And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
14And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
15And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
16And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
Deuteronomy 31:17-24
17–24: My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake…
Deuteronomy 31:17–24 opens with “Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will…” and reaches “And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Moses commissioning Joshua and giving the written law to the priests for public reading, with particular weight carried by children, evils, Israel.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song…” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
“And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Deuteronomy 31:17-24
King James Version17Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
18And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
19Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
20For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
21And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
24And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Deuteronomy 31:25-30
25–30: That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of…
Deuteronomy 31:25–30 opens with “That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD , saying,” and reaches “And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Moses commissioning Joshua and giving the written law to the priests for public reading, with particular weight carried by LORD, commanded, covenant.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD , saying,” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
“Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Deuteronomy 31:25-30
King James Version25That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD , saying,
26Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
27For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD ; and how much more after my death?
28Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.
29For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD , to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Deuteronomy 31:1 begins with “And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.”
Where the chapter turns
Deuteronomy 31:17 forms a natural hinge: “Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many…”
The final note
Deuteronomy 31:30 leaves the reader with “And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Moses, Israel, land, children, covenant help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Why do Rachel and Leah agree to leave?
They see themselves as alienated from their father's household and support the journey God has commanded.
What does the boundary accomplish?
It limits hostile crossing and places their future conduct under divine witness.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.