Deuteronomy 4:38 tells Israel that the LORD was going to drive out powerful nations before them and give them their land as an inheritance, and that this was already taking shape as they listened to Moses. Moses spoke these words to the people of Israel on the plains of Moab, just before they crossed the Jordan River into the land God had promised to their ancestors.
To drive out nations from before you greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today.
Deuteronomy 4:38 (WEB)
What Deuteronomy 4:38 Means
The verse begins with the claim that the nations living in Canaan were “greater and mightier” than Israel. Moses does not hide this. The people had seen the size of those peoples and knew they had no military strength of their own to match them. The point is that Israel would not win the land by its own power.
The phrase “to drive out” tells you who does the work. The LORD removes those nations, and Israel receives what remains. “To bring you in” and “to give you their land for an inheritance” describe the same act from two angles: entry into the land and its full possession. The closing words, “as it is today,” tie the promise to the present moment, so the people could see it as something already moving forward.
What the verse does not promise is an easy or instant conquest, or that Israel would never struggle afterward. The surrounding chapters are full of warnings about disobedience. The promise rests on God’s faithfulness to his word, not on Israel’s ability to earn it.
The Context of Deuteronomy 4:38
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Torah, presented as a series of speeches Moses gave to the second generation of Israelites who had grown up in the wilderness. Their parents had refused to enter the land decades earlier and had died in the desert. The book is addressed to this new group, who were about to take up the task their parents had left undone. Tradition attributes the book to Moses, though the closing chapter describes his death and is usually understood as added by a later hand.
Verses 35 to 37 just before this one explain the reason. The LORD revealed himself on Sinai so that Israel would know he is the only God, and he chose their ancestors and brought them out of Egypt because he loved them. Verse 38 follows naturally: the same God who delivered them from Egypt will also give them the land. Read this way, the verse is less about military strength and more about a God who keeps the commitments he made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 4:38
Joshua 1:9
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
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Joshua 1:9 is spoken to Joshua as he takes over leadership and prepares to cross into the land. It echoes the same theme of God’s presence as the source of courage when the task is daunting, and it shows how the promise in Deuteronomy was carried forward into the next generation.
Exodus 14:14
The LORD will fight for you, and you shall be still.”
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In Exodus 14:14, Moses assures the frightened people at the Red Sea that the LORD will fight for them. This verse connects directly to Deuteronomy 4:38 by showing the same pattern: God acts on behalf of his people when they face powers they cannot overcome by themselves.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 4:38
Lord, you know how often I face situations that feel bigger than I am. I am tempted to measure my chances only by my own strength and resources. Remind me, as you reminded Israel, that you go before your people and clear the way. Help me to take honest stock of what lies ahead, and then to trust that you are already at work in it. Give me the courage to take the next faithful step today. Amen.
