TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
Then ye answered H6030 and said H559 unto me, We have sinned H2398 against the LORD H3068, we will go up H5927 and fight H3898, according to all that the LORD H3068 our God H430 commanded H6680 us. And when ye had girded H2296 on every man H376 his weapons H3627 of war H4421, ye were ready H1951 to go up H5927 into the hill H2022.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Then you answered me, 'We have sinned against ADONAI. Now we will go up and fight, in accordance with everything ADONAI our God ordered us.'And every man among you put on his arms, considering it an easy matter to go up into the hill-country.
Berean Standard Bible
“We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
American Standard Version
Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against Jehovah, we will go up and fight, according to all that Jehovah our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and were forward to go up into the hill-country.
World English Bible Messianic
Then you answered and said to me, “We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.” Every man of you put on his weapons of war, and presumed to go up into the hill country.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then ye answered and sayd vnto me, We haue sinned against the Lord, we wil go vp, and fight, according to all that the Lord our God hath commanded vs: and ye armed you euery man to the warre, and were ready to goe vp into the mountaine.
Young's Literal Translation
`And ye answer and say unto me, We have sinned against Jehovah; we--we go up, and we have fought, according to all that which Jehovah our God hath commanded us; and ye gird on each his weapons of war, and ye are ready to go up into the hill-country;
Study This Verse
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 1:41 captures a pivotal and tragic moment in Israel's wilderness journey, illustrating the profound dangers of superficial repentance and presumptuous self-reliance. Following God's judgment that the rebellious generation would not enter the Promised Land, the people, driven by fear and a misguided sense of duty, declared their intent to "go up and fight," despite the Lord having explicitly forbidden them to proceed. This verse vividly portrays their physical readiness for battle, with every man girding on his weapons, yet starkly highlights their spiritual unreadiness and their profound misunderstanding of true obedience and divine timing, leading them to another act of rebellion.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 1:41 employs several powerful literary devices to underscore the tragic nature of Israel's actions. Irony is profoundly present, as the Israelites claim to act "according to all that the LORD our God commanded us" while simultaneously defying God's explicit and immediate instruction not to ascend. This creates a tragic contrast between their stated intention and their actual rebellious behavior, highlighting their self-deception. There is also a strong sense of Contrast between their previous paralyzing fear, which prevented them from entering the land when God commanded it, and their current rash, presumptuous courage, which impels them to fight when God forbids it. This juxtaposition vividly illustrates the fickle and unreliable nature of human resolve when it is not anchored in genuine faith and humble obedience. Furthermore, the verse serves as a form of Foreshadowing, subtly hinting at the inevitable defeat that awaits them. Their physical readiness, described by "girded on every man his weapons of war," is presented as a prelude to their disastrous encounter with the Amorites, emphasizing that human effort, however zealous and well-prepared, is futile without divine blessing and guidance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Deuteronomy 1:41 serves as a profound theological lesson on the nature of true repentance, the dangers of presumption, and the absolute necessity of humble submission to God's current and specific will. Their confession of sin was superficial because it was not coupled with a willingness to accept God's judgment or to wait patiently for His renewed direction. Instead, it was immediately followed by an attempt to "fix" their situation through their own strength and wisdom, effectively trying to manipulate God's plan or force His hand. This reveals a heart still steeped in self-reliance rather than genuine reliance on divine sovereignty and grace. True repentance involves not only acknowledging wrongdoing but also a profound turning from self-will to God's will, accepting His timing and methods, even when they are difficult or seem counter-intuitive. This passage underscores that God values humble obedience over zealous, yet misguided, human initiative, reminding us that there is a time for action and a time for patient waiting, both dictated by His sovereign command.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Deuteronomy 1:41 stands as a timeless cautionary tale for believers today, urging us to examine the depth of our repentance and the true source of our zeal. It challenges us to discern whether our actions, even those seemingly righteous, courageous, or well-intentioned, are truly born out of humble submission to God's present will or out of a presumptuous attempt to control outcomes, undo past mistakes, or achieve our own desired ends in our own strength. True repentance involves not just acknowledging our sin but also embracing God's consequences, trusting His wisdom, and patiently seeking His specific guidance for the next steps. We must guard against the temptation to rush ahead of God, to assume we know His will based on past commands, or to believe that our fervent effort can compensate for a lack of divine direction. Our zeal must always be tempered by wisdom, humility, and a deep reliance on the Holy Spirit's leading, ensuring that our "going up" is truly "according to all that the LORD our God commanded us" in the present moment, aligning our will with His perfect and unfolding plan.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was their confession "We have sinned against the LORD" genuine repentance?
Answer: While the words themselves express an admission of guilt, the immediate actions that followed suggest that their repentance was superficial and incomplete. True repentance (often called "godly sorrow" in the New Testament, as in 2 Corinthians 7:10) involves not only acknowledging sin but also a turning away from self-will and a humble submission to God's will, including His consequences and His new directions. The Israelites' confession was quickly overshadowed by their presumptuous decision to "go up and fight," directly contradicting God's explicit command not to proceed Deuteronomy 1:42. This indicates a sorrow driven by fear of punishment or regret over lost opportunity rather than a genuine change of heart and alignment with God's purposes.
Why did God not accept their attempt to fight and conquer the land, especially since He had originally commanded them to do so?
Answer: God did not accept their attempt because it was an act of direct disobedience to His current command, despite their claim that it was "according to all that the LORD our God commanded us." While God had indeed commanded them to take the land initially, their rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea changed the divine decree. God's judgment was that the rebellious generation would not enter the Promised Land. Therefore, their decision to fight was not an act of faith or obedience, but a presumptuous rebellion against God's new and explicit instruction for that specific moment. God's will is dynamic and specific to the context; past commands do not automatically apply when circumstances, and God's decrees, have changed due to human sin and rebellion. Their action was self-willed, not God-directed, and thus lacked His blessing and power.
What is "presumptuous sin" as illustrated in this verse?
Answer: Presumptuous sin, as seen in Deuteronomy 1:41, is an act of rebellion where an individual or group knowingly or willfully goes against God's explicit command or acts outside of His revealed will, often with the belief that their own efforts or intentions can achieve a desired outcome, even if God has forbidden it. It's not merely an unintentional transgression but a deliberate overstepping of boundaries or acting on one's own initiative where God has clearly indicated a different path or closed a door. In this case, the Israelites presumed to take the land by force when God had explicitly stated they would not enter and had commanded them not to go up. It's a dangerous form of self-reliance that elevates human will and perceived righteousness above divine authority and current instruction, leading to disastrous consequences.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Deuteronomy 1:41, with its stark portrayal of Israel's presumptuous rebellion and the futility of human effort apart from divine command, powerfully foreshadows the profound need for a Savior who perfectly fulfills God's will. The Israelites' failure to truly repent and their misguided attempt to "fix" their sin through self-initiated action highlight humanity's inherent inability to achieve righteousness or redemption on its own terms. This brokenness points directly to Jesus Christ. Unlike Israel, who disobeyed God's command to enter the land and then presumptuously fought when forbidden, Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father in every aspect of His life, even to the point of death on a cross Philippians 2:8. He is the ultimate obedient Son, whose life and atoning sacrifice fully satisfy God's righteous demands, accomplishing what no human effort or self-willed repentance could ever achieve. Through Christ, genuine repentance becomes possible, not as a desperate human attempt to earn favor, but as a Spirit-empowered turning to the One who has already secured forgiveness and new life Acts 5:31. In Him, our "going up" is not a presumptuous charge into battle, but a humble ascent to the Father, made possible by His perfect obedience and the indwelling Spirit who guides us into all truth and empowers true obedience John 16:13.