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Deuteronomy 9:19 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

19 For I was afraid H3025 of H6440 the anger H639 and hot displeasure, H2534 wherewith the LORD H3068 was wroth H7107 against you to destroy H8045 you. But the LORD H3068 hearkened H8085 unto me at that time H6471 also.

Cross Reference

Deuteronomy 10:10 STRONG

And I stayed H5975 in the mount, H2022 according to the first H7223 time, H3117 forty H705 days H3117 and forty H705 nights; H3915 and the LORD H3068 hearkened H8085 unto me at that time H6471 also, and the LORD H3068 would H14 not destroy H7843 thee.

Exodus 32:14 STRONG

And the LORD H3068 repented H5162 of the evil H7451 which he thought H1696 to do H6213 unto his people. H5971

Exodus 32:10-11 STRONG

Now therefore let me alone, H3240 that my wrath H639 may wax hot H2734 against them, and that I may consume H3615 them: and I will make H6213 of thee a great H1419 nation. H1471 And Moses H4872 besought H2470 H6440 the LORD H3068 his God, H430 and said, H559 LORD, H3068 why doth thy wrath H639 wax hot H2734 against thy people, H5971 which thou hast brought forth H3318 out of the land H776 of Egypt H4714 with great H1419 power, H3581 and with a mighty H2389 hand? H3027

Exodus 33:17 STRONG

And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Moses, H4872 I will do H6213 this thing H1697 also that thou hast spoken: H1696 for thou hast found H4672 grace H2580 in my sight, H5869 and I know H3045 thee by name. H8034

Deuteronomy 9:8 STRONG

Also in Horeb H2722 ye provoked H7107 the LORD H3068 to wrath, H7107 so that the LORD H3068 was angry H599 with you to have destroyed H8045 you.

Nehemiah 1:2-7 STRONG

That Hanani, H2607 one H259 of my brethren, H251 came, H935 he and certain men H582 of Judah; H3063 and I asked H7592 them concerning the Jews H3064 that had escaped, H6413 which were left H7604 of the captivity, H7628 and concerning Jerusalem. H3389 And they said H559 unto me, The remnant H7604 that are left H7604 of the captivity H7628 there in the province H4082 are in great H1419 affliction H7451 and reproach: H2781 the wall H2346 of Jerusalem H3389 also is broken down, H6555 and the gates H8179 thereof are burned H3341 with fire. H784 And it came to pass, when I heard H8085 these words, H1697 that I sat down H3427 and wept, H1058 and mourned H56 certain days, H3117 and fasted, H6684 and prayed H6419 before H6440 the God H430 of heaven, H8064 And said, H559 I beseech H577 thee, O LORD H3068 God H430 of heaven, H8064 the great H1419 and terrible H3372 God, H410 that keepeth H8104 covenant H1285 and mercy H2617 for them that love H157 him and observe H8104 his commandments: H4687 Let thine ear H241 now be attentive, H7183 and thine eyes H5869 open, H6605 that thou mayest hear H8085 the prayer H8605 of thy servant, H5650 which I pray H6419 before H6440 thee now, H3117 day H3119 and night, H3915 for the children H1121 of Israel H3478 thy servants, H5650 and confess H3034 the sins H2403 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 which we have sinned H2398 against thee: both I and my father's H1 house H1004 have sinned. H2398 We have dealt very H2254 corruptly H2254 against thee, and have not kept H8104 the commandments, H4687 nor the statutes, H2706 nor the judgments, H4941 which thou commandedst H6680 thy servant H5650 Moses. H4872

Psalms 99:6 STRONG

Moses H4872 and Aaron H175 among his priests, H3548 and Samuel H8050 among them that call H7121 upon his name; H8034 they called H7121 upon the LORD, H3068 and he answered H6030 them.

Psalms 106:23 STRONG

Therefore he said H559 that he would destroy H8045 them, had not H3884 Moses H4872 his chosen H972 stood H5975 before H6440 him in the breach, H6556 to turn away H7725 his wrath, H2534 lest he should destroy H7843 them.

Amos 7:2-3 STRONG

And it came to pass, that when they had made an end H3615 of eating H398 the grass H6212 of the land, H776 then I said, H559 O Lord H136 GOD, H3069 forgive, H5545 I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob H3290 arise? H6965 for he is small. H6996 The LORD H3068 repented H5162 for this: It shall not be, saith H559 the LORD. H3068

Amos 7:5-6 STRONG

Then said H559 I, O Lord H136 GOD, H3069 cease, H2308 I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob H3290 arise? H6965 for he is small. H6996 The LORD H3068 repented H5162 for this: This also shall not be, saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069

Luke 12:4-5 STRONG

And G1161 I say G3004 unto you G5213 my G3450 friends, G5384 Be G5399 not G3361 afraid G5399 of them G575 that kill G615 the body, G4983 and G2532 after G3326 that G5023 have G2192 no G3361 G5100 more G4055 that they can do. G4160 But G1161 I will forewarn G5263 you G5213 whom G5101 ye shall fear: G5399 Fear G5399 him, which after G3326 he hath killed G615 hath G2192 power G1849 to cast G1685 into G1519 hell; G1067 yea, G3483 I say G3004 unto you, G5213 Fear G5399 him. G5126

James 5:16-17 STRONG

Confess G1843 your faults G3900 one to another, G240 and G2532 pray G2172 one G240 for G5228 another, G240 that G3704 ye may be healed. G2390 The effectual fervent G1754 prayer G1162 of a righteous man G1342 availeth G2480 much. G4183 Elias G2243 was G2258 a man G444 subject to like passions as G3663 we are, G2254 and G2532 he prayed G4336 earnestly G4335 that it might G1026 not G3361 rain: G1026 and G2532 it rained G1026 not G3756 on G1909 the earth G1093 by the space of three G5140 years G1763 and G2532 six G1803 months. G3376

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Deuteronomy 9

Commentary on Deuteronomy 9 Matthew Henry Commentary


Chapter 9

The design of Moses in this chapter is to convince the people of Israel of their utter unworthiness to receive from God those great favours that were now to be conferred upon them, writing this, as it were, in capital letters at the head of their charter, "Not for your sake, be it known unto you,' Eze. 36:32.

  • I. He assures them of victory over their enemies (v. 1-3).
  • II. He cautions them not to attribute their successes to their own merit, but to God's justice, which was engaged against their enemies, and his faithfulness, which was engaged to their fathers (v. 4-6).
  • III. To make it evident that they had no reason to boast of their own righteousness, he mentions their faults, shows Israel their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins. In general, they had been all along a provoking people (v. 7-24). In particular,
    • 1. In the matter of the golden calf, the story of which he largely relates (v. 8-21).
    • 2. He mentions some other instances of their rebellion (v. 22, 23). And,
    • 3. Returns, at v. 25, to speak of the intercession he had made for them at Horeb, to prevent their being ruined for the golden calf.

Deu 9:1-6

The call to attention (v. 1), Hear, O Israel, intimates that this was a new discourse, delivered at some distance of time after the former, probably the next sabbath day.

  • I. Moses represents to the people the formidable strength of the enemies which they were now to encounter, v. 1. The nations they were to dispossess were mightier than themselves, not a rude and undisciplined rout, like the natives of America, that were easily made a prey of. But, should they besiege them, they would find their cities well fortified, according as the art of fortification then was; should they engage them in the field, they would find the people great and tall, of whom common fame had reported that there was no standing before them, v. 2. This representation is much the same with that which the evil spies had made (Num. 13:28, 33), but made with a very different intention: that was designed to drive them from God and to discourage their hope in him; this to drive them to God and to engage their hope in him, since no power less than that which is almighty could secure and prosper them.
  • II. He assures them of victory, by the presence of God with them, notwithstanding the strength of the enemy, v. 3. "Understand therefore what thou must trust to for success, and which way thou must look; it is the Lord thy God that goes before thee, not only as thy captain, or commander-in-chief, to give direction, but as a consuming fire, to do execution among them. Observe, He shall destroy them, and then thou shalt drive them out. Thou canst not drive them out, unless he destroy them and bring them down. But he will not destroy them and bring them down, unless thou set thyself in good earnest to drive them out.' We must do our endeavour in dependence upon God's grace, and we shall have that grace if we do our endeavour.
  • III. He cautions them not to entertain the least thought of their own righteousness, as if that had procured them this favour at God's hand: "Say not. For my righteousness (either with regard to my good character or in recompence for any good service) the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land (v. 4); never think it is for thy righteousness or the uprightness of thy heart, that it is in consideration either of thy good conversation or of they good disposition,' v. 5. And again (v. 6) it is insisted on, because it is hard to bring people from a conceit of their own merit, and yet very necessary that it be done: "Understand (know it, and believe it, and consider it) that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this land for thy righteousness. Hadst thou been to come to it upon that condition, thou wouldst have been for ever shut out of it, for thou art a stiff-necked people.' Note, Our gaining possession of the heavenly Canaan, as it must be attributed to God's power and not to our own might, so it must be ascribed to God's grace and not to our own merit: in Christ we have both righteousness and strength; in him therefore we must glory, and not in ourselves, or any sufficiency of our own.
  • IV. He intimates to them the true reasons why God would take this good land out of the hands of the Canaanites, and settle it upon Israel, and they are borrowed from his own honour, not from Israel's deserts.
    • 1. He will be honoured in the destruction of idolaters; they are justly looked upon as haters of him, and therefore he will visit their iniquity upon them. It is for the wickedness of these nations that God drives them out, v. 4, and again, v. 5. All those whom God rejects are rejected for their own wickedness: but none of those whom he accepts are accepted for their own righteousness.
    • 2. He will be honoured in the performance of his promise to those that are in covenant with him: God swore to the patriarchs, who loved him and left all to follow him, that he would give this land to their seed; and therefore he would keep that promised mercy for thousands of those that loved him and kept his commandments; he would not suffer his promise to fail. It was for their fathers' sakes that they were beloved, Rom. 11:28. Thus boasting is for ever excluded. See Eph. 1:9, 11.

Deu 9:7-29

That they might have no pretence to think that God brought them to Canaan for their righteousness, Moses here shows them what a miracle of mercy it was that they had not long ere this been destroyed in the wilderness: "Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God (v. 7); so far from purchasing his favour, thou hast many a time laid thyself open to his displeasure.' Their fathers' provocations are here charged upon them; for, if God had dealt with their fathers according to their deserts, this generation would never have been, much less would they have entered Canaan. We are apt to forget our provocations, especially when the smart of the rod is over, and have need to be often put in mind of them, that we may never entertain any conceit of our own righteousness. Paul argues from the guilt which all mankind is under to prove that we cannot be justified before God by our own works, Rom. 3:19, 20. If our works condemn us, they will not justify us. Observe,

  • 1. They had been a provoking people ever since they came out of Egypt, v. 7. Forty years long, from first to last, were God and Moses grieved with them. It is a very sad character Moses now at parting leaves of them: You have been rebellious since the day I knew you, v. 24. No sooner were they formed into a people than there was a faction formed among them, which upon all occasions made head against God and his government. Though the Mosaic history records little more than the occurrences of the first and last year of the forty, yet it seems by this general account that the rest of the years were not much better, but one continued provocation.
  • 2. Even in Horeb they made a calf and worshipped it, v. 8, etc. That was a sin so heinous, and by several aggravations made so exceedingly sinful, that they deserved upon all occasions to be upbraided with it. It was done in the very place where the law was given by which they were expressly forbidden to worship God by images, and while the mountain was yet burning before their eyes, and Moses had gone up to fetch them the law in writing. They turned aside quickly, v. 16.
  • 3. God was very angry with them for their sin. Let them not think that God overlooked what they did amiss, and gave them Canaan for what was good among them. No, God had determined to destroy them (v. 8), could easily have done it, and would have been no loser by it; he even desired Moses to let him alone that he might do it, v. 13, 14. By this it appeared how heinous their sin was, for God is never angry with any above what there is cause for, as men often are. Moses himself, though a friend and favourite, trembled at the revelation of God's wrath from heaven against their ungodliness and unrighteousness (v. 19): I was afraid of the anger of the Lord, afraid perhaps not for them only, but for himself, Ps. 119:120.
  • 4. They had by their sin broken covenant with God, and forfeited all the privileges of the covenant, which Moses signified to them by breaking the tables, v. 17. A bill of divorce was given them, and thenceforward they might justly have been abandoned for ever, so that their mouth was certainly stopped from pleading any righteousness of their own. God had, in effect, disowned them, when he said to Moses (v. 12), "They are thy people, they are none of mine, nor shall they be dealt with as mine.'
  • 5. Aaron himself fell under God's displeasure for it, though he was the saint of the Lord, and was only brought by surprise or terror to be confederate with them in the sin: The Lord was very angry with Aaron, v. 20. No man's place or character can shelter him from the wrath of God if he have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Aaron, that should have made atonement for them if the iniquity could have been purged away by sacrifice and offering, did himself fall under the wrath of God: so little did they consider what they did when they drew him in.
  • 6. It was with great difficulty and very long attendance that Moses himself prevailed to turn away the wrath of God, and prevent their utter ruin. He fasted and prayed full forty days and forty nights before he could obtain their pardon, v. 18. And some think twice forty days (v. 25), because it is said, as I fell down before, whereas his errand in the first forty was not of that nature. Others think it was but one forty, though twice mentioned (as also in ch. 10:10); but this was enough to make them sensible how great God's displeasure was against them, and what a narrow escape they had for their lives. And in this appears the greatness of God's anger against all mankind that no less a person than his Son, and no less a price than his own blood, would serve to turn it away. Moses here tells them the substance of his intercession for them. He was obliged to own their stubbornness, and their wickedness, and their sin, v. 27. Their character was bad indeed when he that appeared an advocate for them could not give them a good word, and had nothing else to say in their behalf but that God had done great things for them, which really did but aggravate their crime (v. 26),-that they were the posterity of good ancestors (v. 27), which might also have been turned upon him, as making the matter worse and not better,-and that the Egyptians would reproach God, if he should destroy them, as unable to perfect what he had wrought for them (v. 28), a plea which might easily enough have been answered: no matter what the Egyptians say, while the heavens declare God's righteousness; so that the saving of them from ruin at that time was owing purely to the mercy of God, and the importunity of Moses, and not to any merit of theirs, that could be offered so much as in mitigation of their offence.
  • 7. To affect them the more with the destruction they were then at the brink of, he describes very particularly the destruction of the calf they had made, v. 21. He calls it their sin: perhaps not only because it had been the matter of their sin, but because the destroying of it was intended for a testimony against their sin, and an indication to them what the sinners themselves did deserve. Those that made it were like unto it, and would have had no wrong done them if they had been thus stamped to dust, and consumed, and scattered, and no remains of them left. It was infinite mercy that accepted the destruction of the idol instead of the destruction of the idolaters.
  • 8. Even after this fair escape that they had, in many other instances they provoked the Lord again and again. He needed only to name the places, for they carried the memorials either of the sin or of the punishment in their names (v. 22): at Taberah, burning, where God set fire to them for their murmuring,-at Massah, the temptation, where they challenged almighty power to help them,-and at Kibroth-hattaavah, the graves of lusters, where the dainties they coveted were their poison; and, after these, their unbelief and distrust at Kadesh-barnea, of which he had already told them (ch. 1), and which he here mentions again (v. 23), would certainly have completed their ruin if they had been dealt with according to their own merits.

Now let them lay all this together, and it will appear that whatever favour God should hereafter show them, in subduing their enemies and putting them in possession of the land of Canaan, it was not for their righteousness. It is good for us often to remember against ourselves, with sorrow and shame, our former sins, and to review the records conscience keeps of them, that we may see how much we are indebted to free grace, and may humbly own that we never merited at God's hand any thing but wrath and the curse.