Deuteronomy Chapter 31

At a Glance

  • DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 31.
  • Deuteronomy 31 is a transition of leadership and a pastoral call to courage.
  • A central feature is the public reading of the law after every generation, ensuring intergenerational continuity and accountability.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • This chapter sits at the threshold of Israel’s entry into Canaan, during Moses’ farewell stewardship.

DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 31

Chapter Overview

Deuteronomy 31 is a transition of leadership and a pastoral call to courage. Moses, aware of his impending departure, names Joshua as his successor and charges him, in the sight of Israel, to lead with strength and faithfulness. The Lord Himself announces that He will go before the people and will drive out the nations; yet the people must be strong and courageous, not fearing the coming trials. The chapter emphasizes the continuity of divine presence even as human leadership changes. Moses then commissions the Levites to carry the ark and the law, directing them to read the law publicly every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles so that all Israel—men, women, children, and the alien within their gates—may hear and fear the Lord and keep His commandments.

A central feature is the public reading of the law after every generation, ensuring intergenerational continuity and accountability. The chapter moves toward a renewed covenant, culminating in the Song of Moses (introduced here) and the blessing/moaning cadence that will unfold in chapter 32. Moses and Joshua address the people with exhortations to loyalty, while the Lord’s assurance of presence and commitment frames the call. The chapter is thus both a practical leadership transition and a liturgical, covenantal moment: the people must remember, hear, obey, and witness the verdict of God’s justice and mercy. The tension between assurance and challenge creates a dynamic arc that propels Israel forward into the land with a robust sense of identity and mission.

Historical & Literary Context

This chapter sits at the threshold of Israel’s entry into Canaan, during Moses’ farewell stewardship. It reinforces the Deuteronomic pattern of leadership transition, public proclamation, and covenant renewal. The public reading of the law and the appointment of Levitical readers emphasize the book’s pedagogical aim: to embed the law in communal memory and daily life. The Song of Moses, introduced here, will function as a formal liturgical instrument—both blessing and indictment—shaping later Israelite memory and prophetic interpretation. The chapter thus functions as a bridge between Moses’ generation and the next, ensuring continuity of faithfulness as Israelites face new geopolitical realities and temptations in the land.

Key Themes

- Generational Transfer of Leadership: Moses passes the baton to Joshua with a call to steadfast courage.

- Public Covenant Proclamation: The weekly and periodic public reading of the law as a means of shaping memory and obedience.

- Divine Presence and Assurance: The Lord’s promise to go before Israel and be with their leaders.

- Faithful Obedience in Transition: The people are urged to remain faithful as they enter a new phase of national life.

- Memory and Worship as Public Duty: Remembering God’s deeds and redefining identity through the law.

Modern Application

Chapter 31 offers practical lessons for contemporary communities in leadership change and intergenerational discipleship. It underscores the importance of clear, public affirmations of faith and covenant, especially when guiding a community through transitions—pastoral changes, governance shifts, or cultural upheavals. The public reading of Scripture can be a powerful ritual that reinvigorates commitment, accountability, and corporate memory. The assurance of God’s presence invites leaders to step forward with courage, not fear, knowing that divine accompaniment accompanies responsible leadership. The chapter also models a robust humility: Moses’ call to Joshua shows the value of mentoring and succession planning. For communities today, the text encourages intentional formational practices—teaching, liturgy, and communal remembrance—that knit generations together in covenant faithfulness. It also highlights the importance of literacy in Scripture and the habit of listening to God’s word as a daily, shared discipline.

- Joshua 1 (Moses’ successor and leadership transition)

- Joshua 23–24 (renewal and loyalty in the land)

- Nehemiah 8 (public reading of the Law)

- Psalm 78 (instructional memory and generations)

Recommended Personas

- Moses (authoritative leadership, instruction, and pacing of transition)

- Joshua (new leader’s perspective and courage)

- Jesus (fulfillment of law-centered life and faithful obedience)

- Paul (theology of church leadership and spiritual formation)

Chapter Text

1

And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.

2

And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

3

The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.

4

And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.

5

And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.

6

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

7

And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

8

And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

9

And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.

10

And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

11

When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

12

Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

13

And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

14

And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

15

And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.

16

And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

17

Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

18

And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

19

Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

20

For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.

21

And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

22

Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

23

And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

24

And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

25

That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,

26

Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

27

For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?

28

Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.

29

For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

30

And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

Explore Deuteronomy Chapter 31 with Biblical figures who can provide unique perspectives grounded in Scripture.

Ask Apostle PaulAsk MosesAsk King DavidAsk Jesus Christ
← Deuteronomy 30Deuteronomy 32 →