Deuteronomy 31 is the chapter where Moses hands leadership to Joshua, gives Israel a written law to be read aloud every seven years, and records God’s warning that the people will turn away after Moses dies. Readers come to it looking for a clear summary of the chapter’s flow and a grasp of why a farewell speech ends with a song and a warning. The chapter is short, but it holds some of the most personal and sobering moments in the whole Pentateuch.
Deuteronomy 31 Summary
The chapter opens with Moses telling all Israel that he is 120 years old and will not cross the Jordan. He reassures the people that the LORD himself will go before them and drive out the nations, and he commissions Joshua in front of everyone with the same words of courage. Moses then gives the law to the priests and elders and orders it read publicly every seven years at the Feast of Tents.
The middle of the chapter moves into a private scene in the Tent of Meeting, where the LORD speaks to Moses about Israel’s future unfaithfulness. God tells Moses that the people will break the covenant, and he instructs him to write a song that will serve as a witness against them when trouble comes. Moses writes the song that day and teaches it to the people.
The chapter closes with Moses placing the book of the law beside the ark and speaking the song in the hearing of the whole assembly. His final words are sober: he knows the people’s stubbornness, and he expects rebellion after his death. The chapter ends on that note of warning rather than triumph.
Background and Setting
Deuteronomy means “second law” and presents itself as Moses’ final addresses to Israel on the plains of Moab, just before they enter Canaan. Tradition credits Moses as its author, though most scholars see the book as shaped over time by later editors, and they date its final form to the seventh century BC or later. Whatever its editorial history, the book is written as Moses’ own farewell.
Chapter 31 falls near the end of the book, after the great sermons of chapters 5 through 30 and before the song of Moses in chapter 32 and the blessing in chapter 33. It marks the formal transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua and the placing of the law where future generations can find it. The original audience is the generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt’s children, poised to cross the river.
Deuteronomy 31 Section by Section
Verses 1-8: Courage Before the Crossing
Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (WEB)
Moses begins by telling Israel that his age has limited his ability to lead them further. He does not dwell on his own departure. Instead he directs the people’s attention to the LORD, who will cross the Jordan ahead of them and clear the way. The repeated call to be strong and courageous is grounded in God’s presence rather than in Israel’s own strength.
When Moses turns to Joshua, the same message is spoken privately and publicly. The commission is not a personal pep talk but a public handover, witnessed by the whole nation. Joshua is told that he will lead the people into the promised land, and the promise that the LORD will not fail or forsake them is repeated as the foundation of his task.
Verses 9-13: The Written Law Read to All
Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your 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…
Deuteronomy 31:12 (WEB)
Moses gives the written law to the priests and elders and commands that it be read aloud every seven years at the Feast of Tents. The reading is for everyone: men, women, children, and the foreigners living among the people. The purpose is that all will hear, learn, and fear the LORD, and that the next generation, who did not witness the wilderness events, will also be taught.
This public reading shows that God’s law was meant to shape the whole community, not only its leaders. Regular hearing is how a people remembers who they are and whom they serve. The command also underlines that Israel’s faithfulness depends on continued instruction, not on a single moment of commitment.
Verses 14-18: The Warning in the Tent of Meeting
16 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land, where 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 come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ 18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:16-18 (WEB)
The LORD summons Moses and Joshua to the Tent of Meeting and appears in a pillar of cloud. God tells Moses plainly that the people will turn to other gods after he dies and break the covenant. The consequences are described honestly: God’s anger will burn, he will hide his face, and trouble will follow. The passage does not soften the reality of covenant unfaithfulness.
This is a difficult scene, and it is meant to be. It shows that the LORD knows the future of the people and does not pretend otherwise. The warning is spoken to prepare Moses and the nation for what lies ahead, and it sets up the role of the song that follows.
Verses 19-22: A Song as Witness
19 “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to 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 have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. 21 It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.”
Deuteronomy 31:19-21 (WEB)
God instructs Moses to write a song and teach it to Israel so that it will testify against them when evil comes. The song will not be forgotten; it will live in the mouths of their descendants. Moses writes it that same day and passes it on, making memory itself a witness to the covenant.
The song works as a kind of conscience built into the nation’s speech. When the people face hardship, its words will call them back to what they once heard. Its purpose is redemptive as well as warning, since a people who remember their failures are better placed to return.
Verses 23-30: The Law Beside the Ark and Moses’ Final Words
26 “Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death?
Deuteronomy 31:26-27 (WEB)
Moses finishes writing the law in a book and commands the Levites to place it beside the ark of the covenant as a witness against the people. He speaks candidly: he knows their rebellion and stiff neck, and he expects it to grow worse after his death. He calls the elders and officers together so that he can speak his words directly to them.
The chapter ends with Moses speaking the words of the song in the hearing of the whole assembly. His honesty about the nation’s future is paired with the fact that the law and the song remain in their midst. Israel has been warned, and the means of returning to God have been left in their hands.
Key Themes in Deuteronomy 31
- Divine presence: The chapter repeatedly grounds courage in the promise that the LORD himself goes before his people and will not fail or forsake them.
- Leadership transition: Moses hands his role to Joshua in a public commissioning that ties the new leader to the same divine promise.
- Public instruction: The law is to be read to everyone, so that each generation hears, learns, and fears the LORD.
- Covenant faithfulness and failure: God speaks openly about Israel’s coming unfaithfulness and the consequences that will follow.
- Memory as witness: The written law and the song are placed among the people as lasting reminders of what they were called to be.
Lessons From Deuteronomy 31 for Today
Many people face a change in leadership at work, in a church, or in a family, and they feel the same mix of loss and uncertainty Israel felt. Chapter 31 suggests that the basis for courage in a transition is not the strength of the new leader or the comfort of the old routine, but the continuing faithfulness of God. A believer leaving a role or entering one can take the same words of encouragement into a new season.
The public reading of the law reminds modern readers that faith is sustained by regular hearing. A busy parent who makes time for scripture at the kitchen table, or a small group that reads a passage together each week, is doing what Israel was commanded to do. Consistent instruction keeps a household or congregation anchored when pressures mount.
The honest warning of Moses and God also offers a model for facing one’s own tendency to drift. A person who admits that they tend to wander, and who builds habits of remembering God’s words, is following the logic of the song. Memory of God’s faithfulness becomes a witness that calls us back when we forget.
Questions for Reflection
- Where in your life do you need to be reminded that the LORD goes before you, and how might you name that promise aloud this week?
- How does a public reading of scripture shape a community differently than private reading alone?
- What songs, hymns, or sayings from your past function as a witness that calls you back to faithfulness?
- When you think about your own future failures, does God’s honesty about Israel’s warning comfort you, unsettle you, or both?
A Prayer From Deuteronomy 31
Lord, you go before me in every season, even the ones I cannot see clearly. When I face change, help me remember that you do not fail or forsake the people who trust you. Keep your words near me the way Israel kept the law beside the ark, so that they speak to me when I drift. Give me courage that rests in your presence, and make me faithful to pass your truth on to those who come after me. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens in Deuteronomy 31?
Moses tells Israel he will not cross the Jordan and commissions Joshua to lead them. He commands that the law be read publicly every seven years, and he receives God’s warning that the people will turn away after his death. The chapter ends with a song written as a witness and the law placed beside the ark.
Why does God tell Moses to write a song in Deuteronomy 31?
The song is meant to testify against Israel when they face trouble caused by their unfaithfulness. Because it will be taught and remembered, it will keep the covenant in their minds even when they wander. It serves as both a warning and a means of calling them back.
Who is Joshua in Deuteronomy 31?
Joshua is the son of Nun and Moses’ appointed successor. In this chapter he is publicly commissioned to lead Israel into the promised land. He is told that the LORD will be with him, just as the LORD goes before the people.
