God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 9:6
6So understand this: It’s not because you’ve been living right that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess. You are impossible to deal with!
Deuteronomy 9:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
- New International Version (NIV)Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.
Context of Deuteronomy 9:6
4When the Lord your God expels these people in front of you, don’t say to yourselves, “Because we’ve been living right, the Lord brought us here to take possession of this land.” No, it’s because these nations are so wicked that the Lord is forcing them out of your way. 5It’s not because you’ve been living right or because you’re so honest that you’re entering to take possession of their land. It’s because these people are so wicked that the Lord your God is forcing them out of your way. It’s also because the Lord wants to confirm the promise he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So understand this: It’s not because you’ve been living right that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess. You are impossible to deal with! 7Never forget how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. You’ve rebelled against the Lord from the day you left Egypt until you came here. 8Even at Mount Horeb you made the Lord so angry that he wanted to destroy you.
Read all of Deuteronomy 9Deuteronomy 9:6 word by word
וְיָדַעְתָּ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֤א בְצִדְקָֽתְךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֠לֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֜ אֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ הַטּוֹבָ֛ה הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף אָֽתָּה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Understandיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- therefore, that the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- givethנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- thee not this goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- to possessיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
- it for thy righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
- a stiffneckedקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
- a stiffneckedעֹ֫רֶף‛ôreph · neckH6203
- peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 9:6
- Deuteronomy 9:3Realize today that the Lord your God is the one who is going ahead of you like a raging fire. He will wipe them out and will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as the Lord promised you.
- Ezekiel 20:44Then you will know that I am the Lord, because I will deal with you for the sake of my name. I will not deal with you based on the evil and corrupt things that you have done, nation of Israel, declares the Almighty Lord.’ ”
- Deuteronomy 9:13The Lord also said to me, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with.
- Deuteronomy 10:16So circumcise your uncircumcised hearts, and don’t be impossible to deal with any longer.
- Deuteronomy 31:27I know how rebellious you are. You are impossible to deal with. While I am alive and still with you, you are rebelling against the Lord. How much more rebellious will you be after I die?
- Exodus 32:9The Lord added, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with.
- Exodus 33:3Go to that land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not be with you, because you are impossible to deal with, and I would destroy you on the way.”
- Exodus 34:9Then he said, “Lord, please go with us! Even though we are impossible to deal with, forgive our sin and the wrong we have done, and accept us as your own people.”
- 2 Chronicles 30:8Don’t be impossible to deal with like your ancestors. Reach out for the Lord. Come to his holy place that he made holy forever. Serve the Lord your God, and he will turn his burning anger away from you.
- 2 Chronicles 36:13Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had made Zedekiah swear an oath of allegiance to him in God’s name. But Zedekiah became so stubborn and so impossible to deal with that he refused to turn back to the Lord God of Israel.
- Psalms 78:8Then they will not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation. Their hearts were not loyal. Their spirits were not faithful to God.
- Isaiah 48:3From the beginning I revealed to you what would happen. These words came out of my mouth, and I made them known. Suddenly, I acted, and they happened.
- Ezekiel 2:4I am sending you to these defiant and stubborn children. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says.’
- Zechariah 7:11“But people refused to pay attention. They shrugged their shoulders at me and shut their ears so that they couldn’t hear.
- Acts 7:51“How stubborn can you be? How can you be so heartless and disobedient? You’re just like your ancestors. They always opposed the Holy Spirit, and so do you!
- Romans 5:20The laws in Moses’ Teachings were added to increase the failure. But where sin increased, God’s kindness increased even more.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 9:6
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6stiff-necked: This describes a work animal that refuses to bend its neck to accept a yoke (a wooden bar placed on animals to guide and control them; Exodus 32:9; 33:3, 5; Isaiah 48:4). The word describes someone who refuses to obey or change direction. Sadly, Israel was not stubborn only at certain times. Stubbornness became the nation’s usual attitude and way of acting.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-64-6. Speak not thou in thine heart, ... saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land--Moses takes special care to guard his countrymen against the vanity of supposing that their own merits had procured them the distinguished privilege. The Canaanites were a hopelessly corrupt race, and deserved extermination; but history relates many remarkable instances in which God punished corrupt and guilty nations by the…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 9:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries