And the little ones you said would become captives--your children who on that day did not know good from evil--will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it. And the little onesThe phrase "the little ones" refers to the children of the Israelites, emphasizing their innocence and vulnerability. In Hebrew, the word used is "טַף" (taf), which denotes young children or infants. This highlights God's compassion and care for the innocent, who are often overlooked in society. The mention of "little ones" serves as a reminder of God's promise to protect and provide for the next generation, ensuring that His covenant extends beyond the current generation to those who are yet to grow and understand His ways. you said would become captives
This phrase reflects the Israelites' fear and lack of faith when they doubted God's promise to deliver them into the Promised Land. The Hebrew root "שָׁבָה" (shavah) means to take captive or to lead away. Historically, this reflects the Israelites' concern that their children would suffer due to their own failures. However, God turns this fear on its head, promising that the very ones they feared for would be the inheritors of His promise. It serves as a lesson in trusting God's plan, even when circumstances seem dire. your children who do not yet know good from evil
This phrase underscores the innocence and purity of the children, who are not yet accountable for moral decisions. The Hebrew concept of "טוֹב וָרָע" (tov va'ra) for "good and evil" is foundational in understanding moral discernment. In the biblical context, this phrase suggests a state of innocence akin to that of Adam and Eve before the Fall. It highlights God's grace in allowing those who are not yet morally accountable to receive His promises, emphasizing His mercy and the fresh start He offers to each new generation. will enter the land I will give them
Here, God reaffirms His promise to give the land to the Israelites, specifically to the next generation. The Hebrew word "אָרֶץ" (eretz) for "land" is significant, as it represents not just a physical territory but also a place of blessing and fulfillment of God's covenant. This promise is a testament to God's faithfulness and His commitment to His people, despite their previous disobedience. It serves as an encouragement that God's promises are sure and will be fulfilled in His timing. and they will take possession of it
The phrase "take possession" comes from the Hebrew "יָרַשׁ" (yarash), meaning to inherit or occupy. This indicates not just entering the land but actively claiming and living in it as their own. It signifies a transition from promise to reality, from wandering to settling. This act of taking possession is both a gift from God and a responsibility for the Israelites to steward the land according to His laws. It serves as a powerful reminder of the active role believers must play in receiving and living out God's promises in their lives. Persons / Places / Events 1. Moses- The leader of the Israelites, delivering God's message to the people. 2. Israelites- The chosen people of God, who were wandering in the wilderness due to their disobedience. 3. The Promised Land- The land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 4. Children of Israel- The next generation of Israelites who were to inherit the Promised Land. 5. Wilderness- The desert area where the Israelites wandered for 40 years due to their lack of faith. Teaching Points Innocence and TrustThe children of Israel, who did not yet know good from evil, symbolize innocence and trust. This teaches us the value of approaching God with a childlike faith, free from the cynicism and disbelief that plagued their parents. God's Faithfulness to His PromisesDespite the disobedience of the older generation, God remained faithful to His promise to give the land to the descendants of Abraham. This reassures us of God's unwavering faithfulness, even when we falter. Generational ImpactThe actions and faith (or lack thereof) of one generation can significantly impact the next. We are reminded to live faithfully and obediently, considering the legacy we leave for future generations. Understanding Good and EvilThe reference to children not knowing good from evil invites reflection on moral and spiritual maturity. As believers, we are called to grow in discernment and understanding of God's will. Hope for the FutureThe promise that the children would enter the land offers hope and a future, even when circumstances seem bleak. It encourages us to trust in God's plans for our lives, knowing He has a purpose for each generation. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the innocence of the children in Deuteronomy 1:39 challenge us to examine our own faith and trust in God? 2. In what ways can we see God's faithfulness to His promises in our own lives, similar to His promise to the children of Israel? 3. How can we ensure that our actions and faith positively impact the next generation, as seen in the transition from the older to the younger Israelites? 4. What steps can we take to grow in our understanding of good and evil, and how does this relate to spiritual maturity? 5. How can the hope given to the children of Israel inspire us to trust in God's plans for our future, even when faced with uncertainty? Connections to Other Scriptures Numbers 14:31- This verse parallels Deuteronomy 1:39, where God promises that the children, whom the Israelites feared would be taken as plunder, would indeed enter the Promised Land. Isaiah 7:15-16- Discusses the concept of knowing good from evil, similar to the children in Deuteronomy 1:39 who do not yet have this knowledge. Matthew 18:3- Jesus speaks about the importance of becoming like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven, highlighting innocence and trust. Hebrews 3:19- Reflects on the unbelief of the Israelites that prevented them from entering the Promised Land, contrasting with the faith of the children who would enter. People Amorites, Anakites, Caleb, Canaanites, Eshcol, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jephunneh, Joshua, Laban, Moses, Nun, Og, Seir, SihonPlaces Arabah, Ashtaroth, Bashan, Dizahab, Edrei, Egypt, Euphrates River, Hazeroth, Heshbon, Horeb, Hormah, Jordan River, Kadesh-barnea, Laban, Lebanon, Moab, Mount Seir, Negeb, Paran, Seir, Suph, Tophel, Valley of EshcolTopics Bad, Captive, Enter, Evil, Hands, Infants, Moreover, Ones, Possess, Possession, Prey, Sons, Strange, Theirs, Thither, To-day, YetDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 1:39 5881 immaturity
8228 discernment, examples Deuteronomy 1:19-40 5923 public opinion Deuteronomy 1:38-39 5887 inexperience Library Foretastes of the Heavenly Life
Early in the year 1857. NOTE: This edition of this sermon is taken from an earlier published edition of Spurgeon's 1857 message. The sermon that appears in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 45, was edited and abbreviated somewhat. For edition we have restored the fuller text of the earlier published edition, while retaining a few of the editorial refinements of the Met Tab edition. "And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 45: 1899Preventive against Backsliding.
It is most instructive to note how exceedingly anxious the early Christians were, that, as soon as a man was converted, he should be "filled with the Holy Ghost." They knew no reason why weary wastes of disappointing years should stretch between Bethel and Peniel, between the Cross and Pentecost. They knew it was not God's will that forty years of wilderness wanderings should lie between Egypt and the Promised Land (Deut. i. 2). When Peter and John came to the Samaritans, and found that they were …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life Afraid of Giants
'And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain; 18. And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Philo of Alexandria, the Rabbis, and the Gospels - the Final Development of Hellenism in Its Relation to Rabbinism and the Gospel According to St. John.
It is strange how little we know of the personal history of the greatest of uninspired Jewish writers of old, though he occupied so prominent a position in his time. [173] Philo was born in Alexandria, about the year 20 before Christ. He was a descendant of Aaron, and belonged to one of the wealthiest and most influential families among the Jewish merchant-princes of Egypt. His brother was the political head of that community in Alexandria, and he himself on one occasion represented his co-religionists, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah A Plain Description of the Essence and Attributes of God, Out of the Holy Scripture, So Far as Every Christian must Competently Know, and Necessarily Believe, that Will be Saves.
Although no creature can define what God is, because he is incomprehensible (Psal. cxliii. 3) and dwelling in inaccessible light (1 Tim. vi. 16); yet it has pleased his majesty to reveal himself to us in his word, so far as our weak capacity can best conceive him. Thus: God is that one spiritual and infinitely perfect essence, whose being is of himself eternally (Deut. i. 4; iv. 35; xxxii. 39; vi. 4; Isa. xlv. 5-8; 1 Cor. viii. 4; Eph. iv. 5, 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5; John iv. 24; 2 Cor. iii. 17; 1 Kings …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the Doubling it in the Maps is Well Done.
The readers of the eastern interpreters will observe, that Kadesh is rendered by all Rekam, or in a sound very near it. In the Chaldee, it is 'Rekam': in the Syriac, 'Rekem': in the Arabic, 'Rakim'... There are two places noted by the name Rekam in the very bounds of the land,--to wit, the southern and eastern: that is, a double Kadesh. I. Of Kadesh, or Rekam, in the south part, there is no doubt. II. Of it, in the eastern part, there is this mention: "From Rekam to the east, and Rekam is as the …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Barren Fig-Tree. Temple Cleansed.
(Road from Bethany and Jerusalem. Monday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 18, 19, 12, 13; ^B Mark XI. 12-18; ^C Luke XIX. 45-48. ^b 12 And ^a 18 Now ^b on the morrow [on the Monday following the triumphal entry], ^a in the morning ^b when they were come out from Bethany, ^a as he returned to the city [Jerusalem], he hungered. [Breakfast with the Jews came late in the forenoon, and these closing days of our Lord's ministry were full of activity that did not have time to tarry at Bethany for it. Our …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel In the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles.
(October, a.d. 29.) ^D John VII. 11-52. ^d 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? [It was now eighteen months since Jesus had visited Jerusalem, at which time he had healed the impotent man at Bethesda. His fame and prolonged obscurity made his enemies anxious for him to again expose himself in their midst. John here used the word "Jews" as a designation for the Jerusalemites, who, as enemies of Christ, were to be distinguished from the multitudes who were in doubt …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 1:39 NIVDeuteronomy 1:39 NLTDeuteronomy 1:39 ESVDeuteronomy 1:39 NASBDeuteronomy 1:39 KJV
Deuteronomy 1:39 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
