TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
KJV (with Strong's)
Complete Jewish Bible
"So we left Horev and went through all that vast and fearsome desert which you saw on the way to the hill-country of the Emori, as ADONAI our God ordered us; and we arrived at Kadesh-Barnea.
Berean Standard Bible
And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,
American Standard Version
And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.
World English Bible Messianic
We traveled from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wildernesse (as yee haue seene) by the way of the mountaine of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded vs: and we came to Kadesh-barnea.
Young's Literal Translation
`And we journey from Horeb, and go through all that great and fearful wilderness which ye have seen--the way of the hill-country of the Amorite, as Jehovah our God hath commanded us, and we come in unto Kadesh-Barnea.
In the KJVVerse 4,912 of 31,102
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Commentary on Deuteronomy 1 verses 19–46
19 ¶ And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.
26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,
36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.
37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.
Moses here makes a large rehearsal of the fatal turn which was given to their affairs by their own sins, and God's wrath, when, from the very borders of Canaan, the honour of conquering it, and the pleasure of possessing it, the whole generation was hurried back into the wilderness, and their carcases fell there. It was a memorable story; we read it Num. 13 and 14, but divers circumstances are found here which are not related there.
I. He reminds them of their march from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea (Deu 1:19), through that great and terrible wilderness. This he takes notice of, 1. To make them sensible of the great goodness of God to them, in guiding them through so great a wilderness, and protecting them from the mischiefs they were surrounded with in such a terrible wilderness. The remembrance of our dangers should make us thankful for our deliverances. 2. To aggravate the folly of those who, in their discontent, would have gone back to Egypt through the wilderness, though they had forfeited, and had no reason to expect, the divine guidance, in such a retrograde motion.
II. He shows them how fair they stood for Canaan at that time, Deu 1:20, Deu 1:21. He told them with triumph, the land is set before you, go up and possess it. He lets them see how near they were to a happy settlement when they put a bar in their own door, that their sin might appear the more exceedingly sinful. It will aggravate the eternal ruin of hypocrites that they were not far from the kingdom of God and yet came short, Mar 12:34.
III. He lays the blame of sending the spies upon them, which did not appear in Numbers, there it is said (Deu 13:1, Deu 13:2) that the Lord directed the sending of them, but here we find that the people first desired it, and God, in permitting it, gave them up to their counsels: You said, We will send men before us, Deu 1:22. Moses had given them God's word (Deu 1:20, Deu 1:21), but they could not find in their hearts to rely upon that: human policy goes further with them than divine wisdom, and they will needs light a candle to the sun. As if it were not enough that they were sure of a God before them, they must send men before them.
IV. He repeats the report which the spies brought of the goodness of the land which they were sent to survey, Deu 1:24, Deu 1:25. The blessings which God has promised are truly valuable and desirable, even the unbelievers themselves being judges: never any looked into the holy land, but they must own it a good land. Yet they represented the difficulties of conquering it as insuperable (Deu 1:28); as if it were in vain to think of attacking them either by battle, "for the people are taller than we," or by siege, "for the cities are walled up to heaven," an hyperbole which they made use of to serve their ill purpose, which was to dishearten the people, and perhaps they intended to reflect on the God of heaven himself, as if they were able to defy him, like the Babel-builders, the top of whose tower must reach to heaven, Gen 11:4. Those places only are walled up to heaven that are compassed with God's favour as with a shield.
V. He tells them what pains he took with them to encourage them, when their brethren had said so much to discourage them (Deu 1:29): Then I said unto you, Dread not. Moses suggested enough to have stilled the tumult, and to have kept them with their faces towards Canaan. He assured them that God was present with them, and president among them, and would certainly fight for them, Deu 1:30. And for proof of his power over their enemies he refers them to what they had seen done in Egypt, where their enemies had all possible advantages against them and yet were humbled and forced to yield, Deu 1:30. And for proof of God's goodwill to them, and the real kindness which he intended them, he refers them to what they had seen in the wilderness (Deu 1:31, Deu 1:33), through which they had been guided by the eye of divine wisdom in a pillar of cloud and fire (which guided both their motions and their rests), and had been carried in the arms of divine grace with as much care and tenderness as were ever shown to any child borne in the arms of a nursing father. And was there any room left to distrust this God? Or were they not the most ungrateful people in the world, who, after such sensible proofs of the divine goodness, hardened their hearts in the day of temptation? Moses had complained once that God had charged him to carry this people as a nursing father doth the sucking child (Num 11:12); but here he owns that it was God that so carried them, and perhaps this is alluded to (Act 13:18), where he is said to bear them, or to suffer their manners.
VI. He charges them with the sin which they were guilty of upon this occasion. Though those to whom he was now speaking were a new generation, yet he lays it upon them: You rebelled, and you murmured; for many of these were then in being, though under twenty years old, and perhaps were engaged in the riot; and the rest inherited their fathers' vices, and smarted for them. Observe what he lays to their charge. 1. Disobedience and rebellion against God's law: You would not go up, but rebelled, Deu 1:26. The rejecting of God's favours is really a rebelling against his authority. 2. Invidious reflections upon God's goodness. They basely suggested: Because the Lord hated us, he brought us out of Egypt, Deu 1:27. What could have been more absurd, more disingenuous, and more reproachful to God? 3. An unbelieving heart at the bottom of all this: You did not believe the Lord your God, Deu 1:32. All your disobedience to God's laws, and distrust of his power and goodness, flow from a disbelief of his word. A sad pass it has come to with us when the God of eternal truth cannot be believed.
VII. He repeats the sentence passed upon them for this sin, which now they had seen the execution of. 1. They were all condemned to die in the wilderness, and none of them must be suffered to enter Canaan except Caleb and Joshua, Deu 1:34-38. So long they must continue in their wanderings in the wilderness that most of them would drop off of course, and the youngest of them should be cut off. Thus they could not enter in because of unbelief. It was not the breach of any of the commands of the law that shut them out of Canaan, no, not the golden calf, but their disbelief of that promise which was typical of gospel grace, to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy. 2. Moses himself afterwards fell under God's displeasure for a hasty word which they provoked him to speak: The Lord was angry with me for your sakes, Deu 1:37. Because all the old stock must go off, Moses himself must not stay behind. Their unbelief let death into the camp, and, having entered, even Moses falls within his commission. 3. Yet here is mercy mixed with wrath. (1.) That, though Moses might not bring them into Canaan, Joshua should (v. 38): Encourage him; for he would be discouraged from taking up a government which he saw Moses himself fall under the weight of; but let him be assured that he shall accomplish that for which he is raised up: He shall cause Israel to inherit it. Thus what the law could not do, in that it was weak, Jesus, our Joshua, does by bringing in the better hope. (2.) That, though this generation should not enter into Canaan, the next should, Deu 1:39. As they had been chosen for their fathers' sakes, so their children might justly have been rejected for their sakes. But mercy rejoiceth against judgement.
VIII. He reminds them of their foolish and fruitless attempt to get this sentence reversed when it was too late. 1. They tried it by their reformation in this particular; whereas they had refused to go up against the Canaanites, now they would go up, aye, that they would, in all haste, and they girded on their weapons of war for that purpose, Deu 1:41. Thus, when the door is shut, and the day of grace is over, there will be found those that stand without and knock. But this, which looked like a reformation, proved but a further rebellion. God, by Moses, prohibited the attempt (Deu 1:42): yet they went presumptuously up to the hill (Deu 1:43), acting now in contempt of the threatening, as before in contempt of the promise, as if they were governed by a spirit of contradiction; and it sped accordingly (Deu 1:44): they were chased and destroyed; and, by this defeat which they suffered when they provoked God to leave them, they were taught what success they might have had if they had kept themselves in his love. 2. They tried by their prayers and tears to get the sentence reversed: They returned and wept before the Lord, Deu 1:45. While they were fretting and quarrelling, it is said (Num 14:1): They wept that night; those were tears of rebellion against God, these were tears of repentance and humiliation before God. Note, Tears of discontent must be wept over again; the sorrow of the world worketh death, and is to be repented of; it is not so with godly sorrow, that will end in joy. But their weeping was all to no purpose. The Lord would not harken to your voice, because you would not harken to his; the decree had gone forth, and, like Esau, they found no place of repentance, though they sought it carefully with tears.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 19–46. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Deuteronomy 1:19 serves as a pivotal point in Moses' recounting of Israel's wilderness journey, delivered to the new generation on the plains of Moab. It marks the transition from the foundational covenant experience at Mount Horeb (Sinai) through the formidable desert, culminating in their arrival at Kadesh-barnea, a location that would tragically become synonymous with the nation's profound failure of faith and subsequent forty-year detour in the wilderness. This verse encapsulates the divine command guiding their path and foreshadows the critical test awaiting them.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 1:19 effectively employs several literary devices to convey its message. The phrase Descriptive Language is prominent, particularly in "great and terrible wilderness," which uses evocative adjectives to paint a vivid picture of the challenging environment, creating a sense of awe and dread that underscores the magnitude of God's leading. The verse also functions as a prime example of Narrative Recapitulation, a key feature of Deuteronomy, where Moses retells past events to the new generation, not merely as history but as a didactic tool to teach lessons of obedience and faith. The mention of "Kadeshbarnea" serves as a powerful instance of Foreshadowing, subtly hinting at the tragic events detailed later in the chapter and in Numbers, where Israel's unbelief at this very location led to their prolonged wilderness wandering. The consistent use of the first-person plural "we" (e.g., "we departed," "we went," "we came") creates a sense of Collective Memory and Shared Experience, drawing the audience into the historical narrative and emphasizing their inherited legacy of both divine faithfulness and national failure.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Deuteronomy 1:19 is a profound theological statement on God's sovereign guidance and the human response to it. It encapsulates the journey from divine revelation (Horeb) to the threshold of promise (Kadesh-barnea), highlighting the intervening period of testing in a "great and terrible wilderness." This journey, though divinely commanded, was fraught with challenges designed to cultivate dependence and obedience. The arrival at Kadesh-barnea, a place of potential triumph, instead became a site of national failure due to unbelief, demonstrating that God's promises are conditional on faithful human response. The verse thus sets a crucial precedent for understanding the interplay between divine initiative and human responsibility in the unfolding of salvation history.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Deuteronomy 1:19 offers timeless lessons for believers navigating their own spiritual journeys. Just as Israel moved from the mountain of revelation into a challenging wilderness, so too do we often find ourselves transitioning from moments of spiritual clarity and encounter with God into periods of testing and difficulty. The "great and terrible wilderness" represents the trials, uncertainties, and daunting circumstances of life that God permits, and sometimes even commands us, to traverse. Our "Kadesh-barnea moments" are those critical junctures where faith is truly tested—when the promised land is within sight, but fear, doubt, or the perceived obstacles tempt us to shrink back from God's command. This verse challenges us to remember that God's command is always accompanied by His presence and provision, even in the most formidable landscapes. Our response in these moments of decision, whether it be trust and obedience or fear and rebellion, ultimately determines our progress toward the blessings God has prepared for us.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of "Horeb" in this verse?
Answer: "Horeb" is another name for Mount Sinai, the holy mountain where God revealed His Law to Israel and established His covenant with them (see Exodus 19 and Exodus 20). In Deuteronomy 1:19, departing from Horeb signifies the end of a foundational period of divine instruction and the beginning of the practical journey of obedience towards the Promised Land. It marks the transition from receiving revelation to living it out in the world.
Why is the wilderness described as "great and terrible"?
Answer: The wilderness is described as "great" (vast, immense) and "terrible" (awe-inspiring, dreadful, fear-inducing) to emphasize its formidable and dangerous nature. It was an arid, desolate, and challenging environment, full of physical hardships and potential threats. This description highlights the magnitude of the journey the Israelites undertook and, by extension, the miraculous nature of God's protection and provision that sustained them through such a hostile landscape. It underscores their utter dependence on God for survival.
What is the importance of "Kadeshbarnea" in Israel's history?
Answer: Kadesh-barnea was a crucial oasis and strategic location on the southern border of Canaan, intended as the staging ground for Israel's entry into the Promised Land. However, it tragically became the site of their greatest national failure. From Kadesh, Moses sent out twelve spies to scout the land (as recounted in Numbers 13). Ten of the spies returned with a fearful report, leading the people to rebel against God and refuse to enter the land, despite Caleb and Joshua's faithful urging. As a result of this profound act of unbelief and disobedience, God condemned that entire generation (except Caleb and Joshua) to wander in the wilderness for forty years until they died off, as detailed in Numbers 14. Thus, Kadesh-barnea symbolizes the severe consequences of unbelief and the importance of trusting God's promises.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Deuteronomy 1:19, in its recounting of Israel's journey from Horeb through the "great and terrible wilderness" to Kadesh-barnea, profoundly foreshadows the redemptive journey of humanity and its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. The wilderness journey, divinely commanded yet fraught with peril, mirrors the spiritual pilgrimage of believers in a fallen world, where God's people are led through trials and temptations designed to test and refine their faith. Just as Israel was sustained by God's miraculous provision in the desert (e.g., manna, water from the rock, cf. Exodus 16:35; Exodus 17:6), so too are believers sustained by Christ, who is the true Bread of Life and the Living Water. The tragic failure at Kadesh-barnea, rooted in unbelief and disobedience, highlights humanity's inability to enter God's rest through their own efforts, a theme powerfully developed in Hebrews 3:7-19. Christ, however, is the faithful Son who perfectly obeyed God, even through the wilderness of temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), and through His perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection, He has opened the way for all who believe to enter into the true rest of God. He is the ultimate leader who brings His people not just to the border, but into the promised inheritance, fulfilling all that Israel failed to achieve.