Deuteronomy 31:9

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7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ^a“Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.

8 And the Lord, ^aHe is the One who goes before you. ^bHe will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

The Law to Be Read Every Seven Years

9 So Moses wrote this law ^aand delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, ^bwho bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the ^ayear of release, ^bat the Feast of Tabernacles,

11 when all Israel comes to ^aappear before the Lord your God in the ^bplace which He chooses, ^cyou shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

12 ^aGather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law,

13 and that their children, ^awho have not known it, ^bmay hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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Deuteronomy 31:9

Moses wrote this law - Not the whole Pentateuch, but either the discourses and precepts mentioned in the preceding chapters, or the book of Deuteronomy, which is most likely.

Some of the rabbins have pretended that Moses wrote thirteen copies of the whole Pentateuch; that he gave one to each of the twelve tribes, and the thirteenth was laid up by the ark. This opinion deserves little credit. Some think that he wrote two copies, one of which he gave to the priests and Levites for general use, according to what is said in this verse, the other to be laid up beside the ark as a standard copy for reference, and to be a witness against the people should they break it or become idolatrous. This second copy is supposed to be intended Deuteronomy 31:26. As the law was properly a covenant or contract between God and the people, it is natural to suppose there were two copies of it, that each of the contracting parties might have one: therefore one was laid up beside the ark, this was the Lord' s copy; another was given to the priests and Levites, this was the people' s copy.

**Other Adam Clarke entries containing Deuteronomy 31:9:**

Exodus 31:18
Deuteronomy 31:26

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Deuteronomy 31:10 >>

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