Deuteronomy31

Moses, at 120 years old, announces his impending death and commissions Joshua to lead Israel into Canaan, assuring them of the LORD's presence. He commands the Law to be read publicly every seven years to all Israel. The LORD foretells Israel's future apostasy and instructs Moses to write a song to serve as a witness against their rebellion.
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Moses Encourages Israel and Names Successor

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When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel,
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he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ ​
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The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said. ​
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And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
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The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.
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Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” ​
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Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. ​
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The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

The Reading of the Law Commanded

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So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. ​
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Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles, ​
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when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.
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Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law. ​
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Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

God Charges Joshua and Prophesies Apostasy

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Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting. ​
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Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. ​
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And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them. ​
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On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’ ​
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And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
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Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them. ​
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When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant. ​
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And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”
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So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
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Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.” ​

The Law Written and Stored

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When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
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he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
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“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you. ​
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For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death! ​
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Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
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For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger by the work of your hands.” ​
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Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 31

Verse 2

Moses states his age (120 years) and confirms God's prohibition against him crossing the Jordan (Num. 20:12). His inability to 'go out and come in' signifies the end of his active leadership.

Verse 3

This verse establishes the continuity of divine leadership. God (Yahweh) will go before them to conquer the nations, while Joshua will serve as the immediate human leader, fulfilling the covenant promises.

Verse 6

The command, 'Be strong and of a good courage,' is a foundational theme in the transition narrative. It is based entirely on the theological assurance that God will remain perpetually faithful to them (he will not 'fail thee, nor forsake thee').

Verse 7

Moses publicly commissions Joshua in the sight of all Israel. This public act ensures that the people recognize the legitimate transfer of authority and that Joshua’s leadership is divinely sanctioned.

Verse 9

This verse marks the completion of the written Torah (Deuteronomy 1–30) up to this point, which Moses entrusts to the priests and Levites, who were responsible for safeguarding and interpreting the covenant text.

Verse 10

Moses institutes the command for the public reading of the Law during the Feast of Tabernacles, specifically in the Sabbatical year (the 'year of release,' Lev. 25:2–7). This ensured the covenant was renewed and remembered regularly.

Verse 12

The instruction to gather all segments of society ('men, and women, and children, and thy stranger') highlights the universal scope of the covenant obligation; all inhabitants were responsible for hearing and obeying the Law.

Verse 14

This is the formal divine summons for the transition. God calls Moses to prepare for death and charges Joshua directly in the Tabernacle, formally legitimizing his succession.

Verse 15

The appearance of the pillar of cloud, representing God's active presence (the *Shekinah*), emphasizes the solemnity and divine authority of the charge being given to the new leaders.

Verse 16

God delivers a stark prophecy of Israel's future apostasy immediately after commissioning Joshua. The phrase 'go a whoring after the gods' is the standard prophetic metaphor for covenant infidelity and idolatry.

Verse 17

God foretells the consequences of breaking the covenant: divine hiddenness ('I will hide my face') and subsequent suffering. This experience will prompt Israel to recognize that their troubles stem from forsaking God.

Verse 19

God commands the writing of a 'song' (Deut. 32) to serve as an enduring, self-condemning witness against Israel. The poetic form was easily memorized and would testify against them when they broke the covenant.

Verse 20

The prophecy links prosperity ('waxen fat') with spiritual decline. Material comfort often leads to arrogance and forgetting the source of blessings, causing Israel to turn to foreign gods (cf. Deut. 8:11–14).

Verse 23

This is the final, repeated charge to Joshua, reinforcing the theme of divine presence: 'I will be with thee.' God assures Joshua not only of the task but also of the enablement necessary to complete it.

Verse 26

The Book of the Law was placed beside the Ark of the Covenant. Its location near the dwelling place of God ensured its status as a divine witness and a standard against which Israel's behavior would be judged.

Verse 27

Moses expresses profound disappointment, knowing that the people's stubborn rebellion ('stiff neck') during his lifetime would only intensify once his authoritative presence was removed.

Verse 29

Moses prophesies future corruption, confirming God's earlier warning (v. 16). The phrase 'in the latter days' refers to the distant future, emphasizing the long-term consequences of disobedience and idolatry.

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