Deuteronomy 9:4
New International Version
After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you.

New Living Translation
“After the LORD your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The LORD has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way.

English Standard Version
“Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you.

Berean Standard Bible
When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness.

King James Bible
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

New King James Version
“Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you.

New American Standard Bible
“Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them away from you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to take possession of this land.’ Rather, it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.

NASB 1995
“Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.

NASB 1977
“Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Do not say in your heart when Yahweh your God has driven them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness Yahweh has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh is dispossessing them before you.

Amplified Bible
“Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD is dispossessing them before you.

Christian Standard Bible
When the LORD your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ Instead, the LORD will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the LORD your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ Instead, the LORD will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness.

American Standard Version
Speak not thou in thy heart, after that Jehovah thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness Jehovah hath brought me in to possess this land; whereas for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah doth drive them out from before thee.

English Revised Version
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: whereas for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the LORD your God expels these people in front of you, don't say to yourselves, "Because we've been living right, the LORD brought us here to take possession of this land." No, it's because these nations are so wicked that the LORD is forcing them out of your way.

Good News Translation
"After the LORD your God has driven them out for you, do not say to yourselves that he brought you in to possess this land because you deserved it. No, the LORD is going to drive these people out for you because they are wicked.

International Standard Version
After the LORD has expelled them before you, you are not to say to yourselves, 'The LORD caused me to enter and possess this land because of my righteousness.'

Majority Standard Bible
When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, ?Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.? Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness.

NET Bible
Do not think to yourself after the LORD your God has driven them out before you, "Because of my own righteousness the LORD has brought me here to possess this land." It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you.

New Heart English Bible
Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out from before you, saying, "For my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land"; because the LORD drives them out before you because of the wickedness of these nations.

Webster's Bible Translation
Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

World English Bible
Don’t say in your heart, after Yahweh your God has thrust them out from before you, “For my righteousness Yahweh has brought me in to possess this land;” because Yahweh drives them out before you because of the wickedness of these nations.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You do not speak in your heart (in your God YHWH’s driving them away from before you), saying, In my righteousness YHWH has brought me in to possess this land; but in YHWH dispossessing these nations from your presence, [it is because of] their being wicked.

Young's Literal Translation
'Thou dost not speak in thy heart (in Jehovah thy God's driving them away from before thee), saying, For my righteousness hath Jehovah brought me in to possess this land, seeing for the wickedness of these nations is Jehovah dispossessing them from thy presence;

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou shalt not say in thy heart in Jehovah thy God's thrusting them out from before thee, saying, For my justice Jehovah brought me forth to possess this land; and for the injustice of these nations Jehovah dispossessed them from before thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Say not in thy heart, when the Lord thy God shall have destroyed them in thy sight: For my justice hath the Lord brought me in to possess this land, whereas these nations are destroyed for their wickedness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You should not say in your heart, when the Lord your God will have destroyed them in your sight: ‘It is because of my justice that the Lord led me in, so that I might possess this land, while these nations have been destroyed because of their impiety.’

New American Bible
After the LORD, your God, has driven them out of your way, do not say in your heart, “It is because of my justice the LORD has brought me in to possess this land, and because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD is dispossessing them before me.”

New Revised Standard Version
When the LORD your God thrusts them out before you, do not say to yourself, “It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to occupy this land”; it is rather because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has defeated them from before you, It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is destroying them from before you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Do not say in your heart, when LORD JEHOVAH your God has cut them off from before you, ‘By my righteousness LORD JEHOVAH brought me to inherit this land’, because it is by the sins of these Gentiles that LORD JEHOVAH destroys them from before you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying: 'For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land'; whereas for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Speak not in thine heart, when the Lord thy God has destroyed these nations before thy face, saying, For my righteousness the Lord brought me in to inherit this good land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Assurance of Victory
3But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised you. 4When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. 5It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.…

Cross References
Genesis 15:16
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Leviticus 18:24-28
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. / Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. / But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. ...

Joshua 23:9-13
The LORD has driven out great and powerful nations before you, and to this day no one can stand against you. / One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised. / Therefore watch yourselves carefully, that you love the LORD your God. ...

Romans 11:20-22
That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. / For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either. / Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Ezekiel 36:22-23
Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went. / I will show the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I show My holiness in you before their eyes.

2 Kings 17:7-18
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel. / The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities. ...

Nehemiah 9:26-30
But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies. / So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies. / But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, and You delivered them many times in Your compassion. ...

Psalm 44:3
For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.

Isaiah 10:5-7
Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. / I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. / But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.

Jeremiah 7:8-10
But look, you keep trusting in deceptive words to no avail. / Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’?

Matthew 23:29-32
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. / And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ / So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. ...

Luke 18:9-14
To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: / “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. / The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ...

Romans 3:27-28
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith. / For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 9:30-32
What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; / but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. / Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

1 Corinthians 1:29-31
so that no one may boast in His presence. / It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. / Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”


Treasury of Scripture

Speak not you in your heart, after that the LORD your God has cast them out from before you, saying, For my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD does drive them out from before you.

Speak not

Deuteronomy 9:5
Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 7:7,8
The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: …

Deuteronomy 8:17
And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

for the wickedness

Deuteronomy 12:31
Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Deuteronomy 18:12
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Genesis 15:16
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

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Account Cast Dispossessing Drive Driven Driving Heart Nations Possess Righteousness Speak Thrust Whereas Wickedness
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Deuteronomy 9
1. Moses dissuades them from the opinion of their own righteousness
7. Moses reminds them of the golden calf














After the LORD your God has driven them out before you
This phrase emphasizes the divine initiative and power in the conquest of the Promised Land. The Hebrew root for "driven out" is "yarash," which means to dispossess or take possession. It underscores that it is not by Israel's might but by God's sovereign will that the nations are displaced. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern context where divine favor was seen as crucial for victory in battle. Theologically, it reminds believers that God is the ultimate authority and power behind all victories and successes.

do not say in your heart
The phrase "do not say in your heart" is a Hebraic expression that warns against internal pride and self-deception. The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the center of thought and will, not just emotion. This warning is a call to humility, recognizing that human understanding is limited and prone to error. It serves as a reminder to maintain a posture of humility and gratitude, acknowledging God's role in their achievements.

‘The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’
This part of the verse addresses the potential for self-righteousness. The Hebrew word for "righteousness" is "tsedeq," which implies justice, rightness, and ethical conduct. The Israelites are cautioned against attributing their success to their own moral superiority. This is a timeless reminder that God's blessings are not earned by human merit but are acts of His grace. It challenges believers to reflect on their own lives, ensuring that they do not fall into the trap of self-righteousness.

No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations
Here, the text clarifies that the reason for the nations' displacement is their own "wickedness." The Hebrew word "rasha" denotes guilt and moral corruption. This highlights God's justice and holiness, as He cannot tolerate persistent sin. It also serves as a warning to Israel and to believers today that sin has consequences. The historical context shows that the Canaanite practices were abhorrent to God, justifying their removal from the land.

that the LORD is driving them out before you
Reiterating the divine action, this phrase emphasizes God's active role in the judgment and removal of the nations. The repetition of "driving them out" reinforces the idea that it is God's hand at work, not Israel's. This serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and justice, encouraging believers to trust in His plans and timing. It also calls for a response of obedience and faithfulness, recognizing that God is the one who orchestrates history according to His purposes.

(4) But for the wickedness.--"Say not in thine heart, 'in my righteousness,' when it is in consequence of their wickedness that Jehovah is dispossessing them from before thee."

Verses 4, 5. - Speak not thou in thine heart (cf. Deuteronomy 8:17). The distinction between righteousness and uprightness (straightness) of heart, is that the former (צֶדֶ) has reference to rectitude of conduct, the latter (ישֶׁר) to rectitude of motive and purpose. "By naming justice [righteousness], he excludeth all merit of works, and by righteousness [uprightness] of heart, all inward affections and purposes. which men might plead, notwithstanding that they fail in action. Yet these two are the chief things which God respecteth in men (Psalm 15:1, 2; 1 Chronicles 29:17)" (Ainsworth).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the LORD
יְהוָה֩ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

has driven them out
בַּהֲדֹ֣ף (ba·hă·ḏōp̄)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1920: To thrust, drive, push

before you,
מִלְּפָנֶיךָ֮ (mil·lə·p̄ā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-m, Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

say
תֹּאמַ֣ר (tō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

in your heart,
בִּלְבָבְךָ֗ (bil·ḇā·ḇə·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

“Because of my righteousness
בְּצִדְקָתִי֙ (bə·ṣiḏ·qā·ṯî)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has brought me in
הֱבִיאַ֣נִי (hĕ·ḇî·’a·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to possess
לָרֶ֖שֶׁת (lā·re·šeṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

this
הַזֹּ֑את (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

land.”
הָאָ֣רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

Rather, the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will drive out
וּבְרִשְׁעַת֙ (ū·ḇə·riš·‘aṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

these
הָאֵ֔לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

nations
הַגּוֹיִ֣ם (hag·gō·w·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

before you
מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ (mip·pā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

because of their wickedness.
מוֹרִישָׁ֥ם (mō·w·rî·šām)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7564: Wickedness


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 9:4 Don't speak in your heart after that (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 9:3
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