Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Deuteronomy 31 Bible study: He will not forsake you
"He will not fail you nor forsake you" (31:6) and "This people… will forsake me" (31:16) stand ten verses apart, with the same Hebrew verb. The LORD knew what they would do (31:21), and still the chapter holds the promise that he goes with them, and gives them a song and a book of the law as witnesses (31:19, 31:26).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them, for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Deuteronomy 31, before naming Joshua, Moses says the LORD himself will go over the Jordan before the people.”
Is that in Deuteronomy 31, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Moses stays; the LORD goes over
"Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel" (31:1). He begins with himself: "I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in" (31:2), and the LORD's word to him, "You shall not go over this Jordan" (31:2; see 3:27). Then, in the next verse, who will go over instead: "The LORD your God himself will go over before you", and "Joshua will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken" (31:3). Moses can't cross, and the chapter's first answer is not Joshua but the LORD himself. "Go out and come in" are the words Moses used when he asked for a leader, one "who may go out before them, and who may come in before them" (Numbers 27:17); in Hebrew they are the same two verbs.
Where it leads to Jesus
I will never forsake you
Deuteronomy 31:6leads toHebrews 13:5-8
Moses tells Israel, "He will not fail you nor forsake you" (31:6), and Joshua the same (31:8); after Moses dies the LORD says it to Joshua himself: "I will not fail you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). Hebrews gives its readers a promise in words close to these: "for he has said, ‘I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you’" (Hebrews 13:5), and goes on, "So that with good courage we say, ‘The Lord is my helper. I will not fear’" (Hebrews 13:6). Hebrews doesn’t say which verse it gives, and doesn’t name Jesus in 13:5, so joining this promise to Jesus is a reading. Some read it with what Hebrews says three verses later, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8): the promise given long ago still holds for Hebrews’ readers, who belong to Jesus, and he does not change. Others read 13:8 with the verse just before it, "Remember your leaders… imitate their faith" (Hebrews 13:7), and take 13:5 as God’s promise brought over to the readers, without making 13:8 its landing.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Deuteronomy 31
That was a taste
The rest of Deuteronomy 31 is waiting in Favor
- "Be strong and courageous", three times
- Forsake, both ways
- Written, read aloud, sung
- Horeb's words, every seven years
- The LORD at the Tent
- Beside the ark, not in it
- 11 questions as you read
- 11 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Deuteronomy 31 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
עָזַבazavsay a-ZAV
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "leave, forsake, loose". Strong's: "to loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc.". It comes four times in this chapter, both ways. The LORD "will not fail you nor forsake you" (31:6, 31:8). The people "will forsake me and break my covenant" (31:16). And then, "I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them" (31:17). Deuteronomy uses the verb nine times; four are here. Earlier it warned of curses "because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me" (28:20). Through Isaiah the LORD says, "For a small moment I have forsaken you, but I will gather you with great mercies" (Isaiah 54:7).
For your group
Deuteronomy 31 Bible study questions
- 1"Be strong and courageous… for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you" (31:6). What are you facing right now that needs courage, and what difference does "goes with you" make to it?
- 2The law was read so "that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn" (31:13). Who in your life hasn't yet heard, and what is one way you could help them hear?
- 3The LORD gave a song, "Put it in their mouths" (31:19), because "it will not be forgotten" (31:21). What words of Scripture have stayed with you because you learned them by heart or in song, and when did they come back to you?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Deuteronomy 31 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Deuteronomy 31 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Deuteronomy 31 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Deuteronomy 31
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home