Deuteronomy 31:5

The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, concluding his final charge before they cross the Jordan. He declares that Yahweh will hand over the Canaanite nations to their control.

The words — The Hebrew verb נְתָנָם (neṯānām) means "he will deliver up" or "hand over," highlighting divine initiative in granting victory. The phrase כְּכָל־הַמִּצְוָה (kəḵāl-hammīṣwāh) translates literally as "according to all the commandment," stressing strict adherence to prior instructions.

The thread — The text explicitly commands total eradication, which matches the directives in Deuteronomy 7:2, Exodus 23:32, and Deuteronomy 20:16. These passages collectively establish a consistent mandate to refuse covenants and destroy idolatrous populations in the promised land.

Why it lands — The verse demands immediate, unhesitating obedience to specific divine war instructions rather than reliance on human strategy. It requires readers to accept that military success is contingent solely on executing God's exact commands.

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

וּנְתָנָ֥םu./ne.ta.Na/mand/ he will deliver up/ them יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahweh לִפְנֵיכֶ֑םli/f.nei./Khem<to>/ before/ you וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֣םva./'a.si.Temand/ you will doלָהֶ֔םla./Hemto <the>/ themכְּכָל־ke./khol-according to/ all הַמִּצְוָ֔הha./mitz.Vahthe/ commandment אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhich צִוִּ֖יתִיtzi.Vi.tiI have commanded אֶתְכֶֽם׃'et./Khem<obj.>/ you

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 7:2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
Exodus 23:32 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
Deuteronomy 20:16 However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
Exodus 34:12 Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.
Numbers 33:52 you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
Deuteronomy 7:18 But do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt:
Deuteronomy 7:23 But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.