New King James Version
Deuteronomy 1:28
28Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’
Deuteronomy 1:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
- New International Version (NIV)Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."'
- New Living Translation (NLT)Where can we go? Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, “The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there—the descendants of Anak!”’
Context of Deuteronomy 1:28
26“Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; 27and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’ 29“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
Read all of Deuteronomy 1Deuteronomy 1:28 word by word
אָנָ֣ה׀ אֲנַ֣חְנוּ עֹלִ֗ים אַחֵינוּ֩ הֵמַ֨סּוּ אֶת־לְבָבֵ֜נוּ לֵאמֹ֗ר עַ֣ם גָּד֤וֹל וָרָם֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ עָרִ֛ים גְּדֹלֹ֥ת וּבְצוּרֹ֖ת בַּשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְגַם־בְּנֵ֥י עֲנָקִ֖ים רָאִ֥ינוּ שָֽׁם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Whither shall we go upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- our brethrenאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
- have discouragedמָסַסmâsas · to meltH4549
- our heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- The peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- greaterגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- and tallerרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
- than we; the citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and walled upבָּצַרbâtsar · to gather/restrain/fortifyH1219
- to heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and moreover we have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of the Anakimsעֲנָקִי‛ănâqîy · AnakimH6062
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 1:28
- Deuteronomy 20:8“The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’
- Exodus 15:15Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.
- Joshua 2:9and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
- Joshua 14:8Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.
- Isaiah 13:7Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt,
- Ezekiel 21:7And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”
- Deuteronomy 9:1“Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven,
- Numbers 13:28Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
- Deuteronomy 9:2a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?’
- Joshua 11:22None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.
- Joshua 15:14Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
- Judges 1:10Then Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron. (Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kirjath Arba.) And they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
- 2 Samuel 21:16Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 1:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28Cities - walled up to heaven - That is, with very high walls which could not be easily scaled. High walls around houses, etc., in these parts of Arabia are still deemed a sufficient defense against the Arabs, who scarcely ever attempt any thing in the way of plunder but on horseback. The monastery on Mount Sinai is surrounded with very high walls without any gate; in the upper part of the wall there is a sort of window, or opening, from which a basket is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-46Verses 19-46 Moses reminds the Israelites of their march from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, through that great and terrible wilderness. He shows how near they were to a happy settlement in Canaan. It will aggravate the eternal ruin of hypocrites, that they were not far from the kingdom of God. As if it were not enough that they were sure of their God before them, they would send men before them. Never any looked into the Holy Land, but they must own it to be a…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28Anak was known as a man of very large size (2:10, 21; 9:2; Numbers 13:33). Goliath may have been one of Anak’s descendants (1 Samuel 17:4). Some of Anak’s family moved to the Philistine coastal plain (Deuteronomy 2:23; Joshua 11:21–23; 15:14; 1 Chronicles 20:4–8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-3322-33. ye came ... and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land--The proposal to despatch spies emanated from the people through unbelief; but Moses, believing them sincere, gave his cordial assent to this measure, and God on being consulted permitted them to follow the suggestion (see on Nu 13:1). The issue proved disastrous to them, only through their own sin and folly.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 1:28
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 1
- 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries