Deuteronomy 1:41

“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.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Moses relays the Israelites' response to his report of God's command to turn back toward the wilderness and the Red Sea. The people declare their repentance and resolve to attack the hill country despite the prior divine instruction.

The words — The Hebrew terms חָטָאנוּ (chatanu) and נַעֲלֶה (na'aleh) record the people's admission of sin followed immediately by their decision to go up. These verbs frame a sudden shift from contrition to self-directed military action.

The thread — This pattern of immediate action following confession appears in Numbers 14:39, where the people mourn after hearing the judgment, and contrasts with Proverbs 19:3, which notes how human folly ultimately directs the course of action.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that verbal repentance without alignment to divine timing results in futile effort. It requires the reader to distinguish between human initiative and commanded obedience.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַֽתַּעֲנ֣וּ׀va./ta.'a.Nuand/ you answered וַתֹּאמְר֣וּva./to.me.Ruand/ you said אֵלַ֗י'e.La/ito/ me חָטָאנוּ֮cha.ta.Nuwe have sinned לַֽיהוָה֒la./Yah.wehto/ Yahweh אֲנַ֤חְנוּ'a.Nach.nuwe נַעֲלֶה֙na.'a.Lehwe will go up וְנִלְחַ֔מְנוּve./nil.Cham.nuand/ we will fight כְּכֹ֥לke./Kholaccording to/ all אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-that צִוָּ֖נוּtzi.Va./nuhe has commanded/ us יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ'e.lo.Hei./nuGod/ our וַֽתַּחְגְּר֗וּva./tach.ge.Ruand/ you girded on אִ֚ישׁ'isheveryone אֶת־'et-<obj.>כְּלֵ֣יke.Lei[the] weapons of מִלְחַמְתּ֔וֹmil.cham.T/owar/ his וַתָּהִ֖ינוּva./ta.Hi.nuand/ you regarded as easy לַעֲלֹ֥תla./'a.Lotto/ go up הָהָֽרָה׃ha./Ha.ra/hthe/ hill country/ towards

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.

Cross-references

Numbers 14:39 And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.
Numbers 22:34 “I have sinned,” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”
Proverbs 19:3 A man’s own folly subverts his way, yet his heart rages against the LORD.