Deuteronomy 31:23

31:23-30 The solemn delivery of the book of the law to the Levites, to be deposited in, or rather by the side, of the ark, is again related. The song which follows in the next chapter is delivered to Moses, and by him to the people. He wrote it first, as the Holy Spirit taught him; and then spake it in the hearing of all the people. Moses tells them plainly, I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves. Many a sad thought, no doubt, it occasioned to this good man; but his comfort was, that he had done his duty, and that God would be glorified in their dispersion, if not in their settlement, for the foundation of God stands sure.

And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge,.... It may be a question who gave this charge, the Lord or Moses; according to the connection of the words with the preceding, it seems to be the latter; for the immediate antecedent to the relative he is Moses, and so the Septuagint interpreters understand it; but then they are obliged to read some following clauses different from the original, as, instead of "I swear", they read "the Lord sware"; and the last clause they read, "and he shall be with thee"; but Aben Ezra gives the same sense without departing from the common and genuine reading, supposing that Moses gave the charge in the name and by the authority of the Lord; his words are,"he gave charge by the commandment of the Lord, therefore he saith, "which I sware unto them";''but it seems best to understand this of the Lord himself, since he ordered Moses and Joshua to present themselves before him, that he might give the latter a charge, Deuteronomy 31:14 ; and the language of the following clauses best agrees with him: and said, be strong and of a good courage; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:6; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:7, for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:7; and I will be with thee; See Gill on Deuteronomy 31:8; the Targum of Jonathan is,"my Word shall be thy help.''

(23) And he ( Jehovah ) gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge. —This is the first record of God’s direct communion with Joshua. He was with Moses on the mount during the first forty days, and “departed not out of the Tabernacle” when they came down ( Exodus 24:13 ; Exodus 33:11 ). But we have no note of any Divine communication made to Joshua apart from Moses before this. It ratifies Joshua’s appointment as leader of Israel. Be strong . . .—Comp. Joshua 1:2; Joshua 1:6.

19. Now therefore write ye this song—National songs take deep hold of the memories and have a powerful influence in stirring the deepest feelings of a people. In accordance with this principle in human nature, a song was ordered to be composed by Moses, doubtless under divine inspiration, which was to be learnt by the Israelites themselves and to be taught to their children in every age, embodying the substance of the preceding addresses, and of a strain well suited to inspire the popular mind with a strong sense of God's favor to their nation.

23 . The immediate continuation of 14 f., which we have seen reasons for assigning to E. And he gave ] The subject is not Moses, as the present context of this v . suggests, but must be Jehovah, as in Deuteronomy 31:15 ; this is quite certain. from the following I sware unto them and I will be with thee . Song of Solomon of Nun ] Deuteronomy 1:38 . Be strong and of a good courage ] As in Deuteronomy 31:6-7 ; only found in Deut., and the deuteron. Joshua 1:6 ; Joshua 1:9 ; Joshua 1:18 ; Joshua 10:25 ; but possibly derived from E. children of Israel ] Not deuteronomic (see on Deuteronomy 4:44 ), but a frequent term for the people in E, Exodus 3:9-11 ; Exodus 3:13-15 ; Exodus 9:35 ; Exodus 10:20 ; Exodus 10:23 ; Exodus 13:18 f., Deuteronomy 14:10 , Deut 20:22, Deuteronomy 24:5 , Deuteronomy 32:20 , Deuteronomy 33:5 ; and also found in J and P. bring into the land ] So in E, Joshua 24:8 , Exodus 13:5 ; Exodus 13:11 . I will be with thee ] So in E, Exodus 3:12 , but also in J and in Deut.

Moses and Joshua were to write the song, because they were both of them to strive to prevent the apostasy of the people; and Moses, as the author, was to teach it to the children of Israel, to make them learn it, that it might be a witness for the Lord (for Me) against the children of Israel. "This" is defined still further in Deuteronomy 31:20 , Deuteronomy 31:21 : if Israel, through growing satisfied and fat in its land, which was so rich in costly good, should turn to other gods, and the Lord should visit it in consequence with grievous evils and troubles, the song was to answer before Israel as a witness; i.e., not only serve the Lord as a witness to the people that He had foretold all the evil consequences of apostasy, and had given Israel proper warning (Knobel), but to serve, as we may see from Deuteronomy 31:20 , Deuteronomy 31:21 , and from the contents of the song, as a witness, on the one hand, that the Lord had conferred upon the people so many benefits and bestowed upon them such abundant blessings of His grace, that apostasy from Him was the basest ingratitude, for which they would justly be punished; and, on the other hand, that the Lord had not rejected His people in spite of the punishments inflicted upon them, but would once more have compassion upon them and requite their foes, and thus would sanctify and glorify Himself as the only true God by His judgments upon Israel and the nations.