New King James Version
Deuteronomy 9:5
5It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 9:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- New International Version (NIV)It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
- New Living Translation (NLT)It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Context of Deuteronomy 9:5
3Therefore understand today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said to you. 4“Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6Therefore 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. 7“Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.
Read all of Deuteronomy 9Deuteronomy 9:5 word by word
לֹ֣א בְצִדְקָתְךָ֗ וּבְיֹ֙שֶׁר֙ לְבָ֣בְךָ֔ אַתָּ֥ה בָ֖א לָרֶ֣שֶׁת אֶת־אַרְצָ֑ם כִּ֞י בְּרִשְׁעַ֣ת׀ הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֗לֶּה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם מִפָּנֶ֔יךָ וּלְמַ֜עַן הָקִ֣ים אֶת־הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָה֙ לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Not for thy righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
- or for the uprightnessיֹ֫שֶׁרyôsher · uprightnessH3476
- of thine heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- dost thou goבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to possessיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
- their landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- but for the wickednessרִשְׁעָהrish‛âh · wickednessH7564
- of these nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- from beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- thee, and that he may performקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
- the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- swareשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- unto thy fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- Abrahamאַבְרָהָם'abrâhâm · AbrahamH85
- Isaacיִצְחָקyitschâq · IsaacH3327
- and Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 9:5
- Genesis 12:7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
- Genesis 13:15for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
- Genesis 15:7Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
- Genesis 17:8Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
- Genesis 26:4And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
- Genesis 28:13And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
- Exodus 32:13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”
- Ezekiel 20:14But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
- Luke 1:54He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
- Acts 3:25You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
- Acts 13:32And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers.
- Romans 11:28Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
- Romans 15:8Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 9:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For the wickedness of these nations - So then it was not by any sovereign act of God that these people were cast out, but for their wickedness; they had transgressed the law of their Creator; they had resisted his Spirit, and could no longer be tolerated. The Israelites were to possess their land, not because they deserved it, but first, because they were less wicked than the others; and secondly, because God thus chose to begin the great work of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5to keep the promise: In the covenant promises made to the patriarchs, God swore that their descendants would inherit the land of Canaan (Genesis 13:14–17; 15:18–21; see Deuteronomy 1:8; 8:18).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 9:5
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries