1Toto sú slová, ktoré povedal Mojžiš celému Izraelu za Jordánom na púšti, v Arábe naproti Súfu, medzi Páranom a Tófelom, Lábanom, Chacerótom a Dí-Záhabom. 2Cesta z Horebu cez Seírske pohorie až po Kádeš-Barneu trvá jedenásť dní. 3V štyridsiatom roku, v prvý deň jedenásteho mesiaca, povedal Mojžiš Izraelitom všetko, čo im mal na príkaz Hospodina oznámiť. 4Bolo to potom, ako porazil amorejského kráľa Síchona, ktorý sídlil v Chešbóne, a bášanského kráľa Óga, ktorý sídlil v Aštaróte, v Edrei. 5V Moábsku, za Jordánom, začal Mojžiš vysvetľovať tento zákon: 6Hospodin, náš Boh, nám na Horebe povedal: Už dosť dlho bývate na tomto vrchu. 7Obráťte sa a vydajte sa na cestu. Vystúpte na pohorie Amorejčanov a k všetkým obyvateľom v Arábe, na pohorí a v Nížine, v Negeve a na morskom pobreží, vojdite do Kanaánu a Libanonu až k Veľrieke, rieke Eufrat. 8Pozrite, dávam vám túto krajinu. Vojdite do nej a obsaďte ju! Je to krajina, ktorú Hospodin pod prísahou sľúbil dať vašim otcom, Abrahámovi, Izákovi, Jákobovi a ich potomstvu. 9Vtedy som vám povedal: Ja sa už ďalej nevládzem o vás starať. 10Hospodin, váš Boh, vás tak rozmnožil, že dnes vás je už toľko ako hviezd na nebi. 11Nech Hospodin, Boh vašich otcov, ešte stisícnásobí váš počet a nech vás požehnáva, ako vám to sľúbil. 12Ako by som mohol sám znášať vaše ťažkosti, bremená a spory?! 13Priveďte zo svojich kmeňov múdrych, rozvážnych a skúsených mužov a ustanovím ich za vašich náčelníkov. 14Vy ste mi odpovedali: Tvoj návrh je dobrý. 15Vašich kmeňových náčelníkov, múdrych a skúsených mužov, ktorých ste mi priviedli, som vám ustanovil za veliteľov, a to ako tisícnikov, stotníkov, päťdesiatnikov a desiatnikov, ako aj za správcov vašich kmeňov. 16Vtedy som prikázal vašim sudcom: Vypočujte svojich bratov a súďte spravodlivo, či už má niekto spor so svojím bratom alebo s cudzincom. 17Pri súde neberte ohľad na osobu, vypočujte rovnako malého i veľkého, nikoho sa nebojte, lebo súd patrí Bohu! Zložitý prípad zverte mne a ja o ňom rozhodnem. 18Nato som vám dal aj všetky pokyny o tom, čo máte robiť. 19Potom sme sa pohli od Horebu a putovali sme po tej veľkej a strašnej púšti, ktorú ste videli na ceste k Amorejskému pohoriu, ako nám prikázal Hospodin, náš Boh, a došli sme až do Kádeš-Barney. 20Tam som vám povedal: Prišli ste k Amorejskému pohoriu, ktoré nám dáva Hospodin, náš Boh. 21Pozri, Hospodin, tvoj Boh, ti dal krajinu, ktorá je pred tebou. Choď, obsaď ju, ako ti to prikázal Hospodin, Boh tvojich otcov! Neboj sa a nestrachuj! 22Vtedy ste všetci pristúpili ku mne s návrhom: Pošlime vopred mužov, ktorí preskúmajú krajinu a podajú nám správu o ceste, ktorou sa máme uberať, ako aj o mestách, do ktorých sa máme dostať. 23Tento váš návrh sa mi páčil, preto som spomedzi vás vybral dvanásť mužov, po jednom z každého kmeňa. 24Tí sa vybrali na výzvedy, vystúpili na pohorie, prišli až do údolia Eškól a preskúmali ho. 25Priniesli nám z plodov tej krajiny, čo vzali so sebou, a podali nám túto správu: Krajina, ktorú nám dáva Hospodin, náš Boh, je dobrá. 26Vy ste však odmietli vystúpiť a rozkazu Hospodina, svojho Boha, ste sa vzopreli. 27Reptali ste vo svojich stanoch a hovorili ste: Hospodin nás vyviedol z Egypta z nenávisti, aby nás vydal do rúk Amorejčanov a zahubil nás. 28Kam to vlastne ideme? Naši bratia nás znechutili, keď vraveli: Ľud je tam zdatnejší a vyšší než my, mestá sú veľké a opevnené až po nebo a videli sme tam aj Anákov. 29Vtedy som vám povedal: Neľakajte sa ich, nemajte pred nimi strach! 30Hospodin, váš Boh, ktorý vás predchádza, bude sám bojovať za vás, ako to zjavne robil s vami v Egypte 31a na púšti. Tam si videl, že Hospodin, tvoj Boh, ťa niesol po celej ceste, ktorou ste sa uberali, ako muž nosieva svojho syna, kým ste neprišli na toto miesto. 32No napriek tomu ste neverili Hospodinovi, svojmu Bohu, 33ktorý vás predchádzal, aby vám vyhliadol táborisko. On vám ohňom v noci a oblakom cez deň ukazuje cestu, ktorou máte ísť. 34Keď Hospodin počul, čo ste vraveli, rozhneval sa a prisahal: 35Nikto z mužov tohto zlého pokolenia neuvidí tú dobrú krajinu, ktorú som pod prísahou sľúbil dať vašim otcom, 36okrem Káleba, syna Jefunneho. On ju uvidí a jemu a jeho synom dám krajinu, po ktorej chodil, lebo bezvýhradne nasledoval Hospodina. 37Pre vás sa Hospodin rozhneval aj na mňa. Povedal: Nevojdeš tam ani ty. 38Vojde ta Jozua, syn Núna, tvoj pomocník. Povzbudzuj ho, lebo on rozdelí Izraelitom krajinu do dedičného vlastníctva. 39Vojdú ta vaše deti, o ktorých ste hovorili, že sa stanú korisťou, i vaši synovia, ktorí dnes ešte nerozoznávajú dobré od zlého. Im ju dám a oni ju obsadia. 40Vy sa však obráťte a odíďte na púšť smerom k Červenému moru. 41Vy ste mi odpovedali: Prehrešili sme sa proti Hospodinovi. Vystúpime a budeme bojovať tak, ako nám prikázal Hospodin, náš Boh. Každý z vás si potom opásal bojovú výzbroj a nazdávali ste sa, že bude ľahké vystúpiť na pohorie. 42Hospodin mi však povedal: Povedz im: Nevystupujte ani nebojujte, lebo ja nebudem medzi vami. Inak vás vaši nepriatelia porazia. 43Povedal som vám to, no neposlúchli ste, vzopreli ste sa Hospodinovmu príkazu a opovážlivo ste vystúpili na pohorie. 44Vtedy vyšli proti vám Amorejčania, ktorí to pohorie obývali, prenasledovali vás ako včely a rozháňali vás od Seíru až po Chormu. 45Po návrate ste plakali pred Hospodinom. Hospodin však nevypočul váš hlas a nenaklonil k vám svoj sluch. 46Práve preto ste museli zostať v Kádeši tak dlho, ako dlho ste tam bývali.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 MOSES' SPEECH AT THE END OF THE FORTIETH YEAR. (Deu. 1:1-46)
These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel--The mental condition of the people generally in that infantine age of the Church, and the greater number of them being of young or tender years, rendered it expedient to repeat the laws and counsels which God had given. Accordingly, to furnish a recapitulation of the leading branches of their faith and duty was among the last public services which Moses rendered to Israel. The scene of their delivery was on the plains of Moab where the encampment was pitched
on this side Jordan--or, as the Hebrew word may be rendered "on the bank of the Jordan."
in the wilderness, in the plain--the Arabah, a desert plain, or steppe, extended the whole way from the Red Sea north to the Sea of Tiberias. While the high tablelands of Moab were "cultivated fields," the Jordan valley, at the foot of the mountains where Israel was encamped, was a part of the great desert plain, little more inviting than the desert of Arabia. The locale is indicated by the names of the most prominent places around it. Some of these places are unknown to us. The Hebrew word, Suph, "red" (for "sea," which our translators have inserted, is not in the original, and Moses was now farther from the Red Sea than ever), probably meant a place noted for its reeds (
Num 21:14).
Tophel--identified as Tafyle or Tafeilah, lying between Bozrah and Kerak.
Hazeroth--is a different place from that at which the Israelites encamped after leaving "the desert of Sinai."
2 There are eleven days' journey from Horeb--Distances are computed in the East still by the hours or days occupiesd by the journey. A day's journey on foot is about twenty miles--on camels, at the rate of three miles an hour, thirty miles--and by caravans, about twenty-five miles. But the Israelites, with children and flocks, would move at a slow rate. The length of the Ghor from Ezion-geber to Kadesh is a hundred miles. The days here mentioned were not necessarily successive days [ROBINSON], for the journey can be made in a much shorter period. But this mention of the time was made to show that the great number of years spent in travelling from Horeb to the plain of Moab was not owing to the length of the way, but to a very different cause; namely, banishment for their apostasy and frequent rebellions.
mount Seir--the mountainous country of Edom.
3 in the fortieth year . . . Moses spake unto the children of Israel, &c.--This impressive discourse, in which Moses reviewed all that God had done for His people, was delivered about a month before his death, and after peace and tranquillity had been restored by the complete conquest of Sihon and Og.
4 Ashtaroth--the royal residence of Og, so called from Astarte ("the moon"), the tutelary goddess of the Syrians. Og was slain at
Edrei--now Edhra, the ruins of which are fourteen miles in circumference [BURCKHARDT]; its general breadth is about two leagues.
5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law--that is, explain this law. He follows the same method here that he elsewhere observes; namely, that of first enumerating the marvellous doings of God in behalf of His people, and reminding them what an unworthy requital they had made for all His kindness--then he rehearses the law and its various precepts.
6 The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount--Horeb was the general name of a mountainous district; literally, "the parched" or "burnt region," whereas Sinai was the name appropriated to a particular peak [see on
Exod 19:2]. About a year had been spent among the recesses of that wild solitude, in laying the foundation, under the immediate direction of God, of a new and peculiar community, as to its social, political, and, above all, religious character; and when this purpose had been accomplished, they were ordered to break up their encampment in Horeb. The command given them was to march straight to Canaan, and possess it [
Deut 1:7].
7 the mount of the Amorites--the hilly tract lying next to Kadesh-barnea in the south of Canaan.
to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon--that is, Phśnicia, the country of Sidon, and the coast of the Mediterranean--from the Philistines to Lebanon. The name "Canaanite" is often used synonymously with that of "Phśnician."
8 I have set the land before you--literally, "before your faces"--it is accessible; there is no impediment to your occupation. The order of the journey as indicated by the places mentioned would have led to a course of invasion, the opposite of what was eventually followed; namely, from the seacoast eastward--instead of from the Jordan westward (see on
Num 20:1).
9 I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone--a little before their arrival in Horeb. Moses addresses that new generation as the representatives of their fathers, in whose sight and hearing all the transactions he recounts took place. A reference is here made to the suggestion of Jethro (
Exod 18:18). In noticing his practical adoption of a plan by which the administration of justice was committed to a select number of subordinate officers, Moses, by a beautiful allusion to the patriarchal blessing, ascribed the necessity of that memorable change in the government to the vast increase of the population.
10 ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude--This was neither an Oriental hyperbole nor a mere empty boast. Abraham was told (
Gen 15:5-
Gen 15:6) to look to the stars, and though they "appear" innumerable, yet those seen by the naked eye amount, in reality, to no more than three thousand ten in both hemispheres. The Israelites already far exceeded that number, being at the last census above six hundred thousand [
Num 26:51]. It was a seasonable memento, calculated to animate their faith in the accomplishment of other parts of the divine promise.
19 we went through all that great and terrible wilderness--of Paran, which included the desert and mountainous space lying between the wilderness of Shur westward, or towards Egypt and mount Seir, or the land of Edom eastwards; between the land of Canaan northwards, and the Red Sea southwards; and thus it appears to have comprehended really the wilderness of Sin and Sinai [FISK]. It is called by the Arabs El Tih, "the wandering." It is a dreary waste of rock and of calcareous soil covered with black sharp flints; all travellers, from a feeling of its complete isolation from the world, describe it as a great and terrible wilderness.
22 ye came . . . and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land--The proposal to despatch spies emanated from the people through unbelief; but Moses, believing them sincere, gave his cordial assent to this measure, and God on being consulted permitted them to follow the suggestion (see on
Num 13:1). The issue proved disastrous to them, only through their own sin and folly.
28 the cities are great, and walled up to heaven--an Oriental metaphor, meaning very high. The Arab marauders roam about on horseback, and hence the walls of St. Catherine's monastery on Sinai are so lofty that travellers are drawn up by a pulley in a basket.
Anakims--(See on
Num 13:33). The honest and uncompromising language of Moses, in reminding the Israelites of their perverse conduct and outrageous rebellion at the report of the treacherous and fainthearted scouts, affords a strong evidence of the truth of this history as well as of the divine authority of his mission. There was great reason for his dwelling on this dark passage in their history, as it was their unbelief that excluded them from the privilege of entering the promised land (
Heb 3:19); and that unbelief was a marvellous exhibition of human perversity, considering the miracles which God had wrought in their favor, especially in the daily manifestations they had of His presence among them as their leader and protector.
34 the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth--In consequence of this aggravated offense (unbelief followed by open rebellion), the Israelites were doomed, in the righteous judgment of God, to a life of wandering in that dreary wilderness till the whole adult generation had disappeared by death. The only exceptions mentioned are Caleb and Joshua, who was to be Moses' successor.
37 Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes--This statement seems to indicate that it was on this occasion Moses was condemned to share the fate of the people. But we know that it was several years afterwards that Moses betrayed an unhappy spirit of distrust at the waters of strife (
Ps 106:32-
Ps 106:33). This verse must be considered therefore as a parenthesis.
39 your children . . . who in that day had no knowledge between good and evil--All ancient versions read "to-day" instead of "that day"; and the sense is--"your children who now know," or "who know not as yet good or evil." As the children had not been partakers of the sinful outbreak, they were spared to obtain the privilege which their unbelieving parents had forfeited. God's ways are not as man's ways [
Isa 55:8-
Isa 55:9].
40 turn you, and take your journey into the . . . Red Sea--This command they disregarded, and, determined to force an onward passage in spite of the earnest remonstrances of Moses, they attempted to cross the heights then occupied by the combined forces of the Amorites and Amalekites (compare
Num 14:43), but were repulsed with great loss. People often experience distress even while in the way of duty. But how different their condition who suffer in situations where God is with them from the feelings of those who are conscious that they are in a position directly opposed to the divine will! The Israelites were grieved when they found themselves involved in difficulties and perils; but their sorrow arose not from a sense of the guilt so much as the sad effects of their perverse conduct; and "though they wept," they were not true penitents. So the Lord would not hearken to their voice, nor give ear unto them.
46 So ye abode at Kadesh many days--That place had been the site of their encampment during the absence of the spies, which lasted forty days, and it is supposed from this verse that they prolonged their stay there after their defeat for a similar period.