Part of Bible Verses Explained: famous verses read in context, in two public-domain translations.
Deuteronomy 31:6 in the BSB and WEB
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (BSB)
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.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (WEB)
What does Deuteronomy 31:6 mean in short?
Moses, now 120 and barred from crossing the Jordan, tells all Israel to be strong and courageous. The leader is changing, but God is not. The LORD goes with them and will never leave or forsake them. Moses then repeats the same promise to Joshua, his successor.
What is the context of Deuteronomy 31:6?
- Speaker
- Moses, in his farewell address
- First heard by
- All Israel, camped east of the Jordan in the land of Moab
- Situation
- Set at the end of the wilderness years, just before the entry into Canaan; traditionally attributed to Moses, while many scholars date the book’s final form to later centuries
The book of Deuteronomy is presented as Moses’ final speeches to Israel on the plains of Moab (Deuteronomy 1:1–5). He retells their journey, restates the law and calls the people to love and obey God in the land ahead. Jewish and Christian tradition has long credited the book to Moses. Many modern scholars think it took its final shape much later, with connections to the reforms of King Josiah. Either way, the book presents itself as Moses’ farewell.
Chapter 31 is about transition. In Deuteronomy 31:2 Moses says he is 120 years old and that God has told him he will not cross the Jordan. Deuteronomy 31:3 makes the key point: the LORD will cross ahead of them, and Joshua will lead. The verses mention the defeat of Sihon and Og, kings Israel had already faced east of the Jordan.
Our verse is spoken to the whole nation. Then in Deuteronomy 31:7–8 Moses calls Joshua forward and repeats almost the same words to him in front of everyone. Later, in Deuteronomy 31:23, God commissions Joshua directly with the same charge. The book of Joshua opens by echoing it once more in Joshua 1:9.
Read it with the verses around it
Joshua to Succeed Moses
1 When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel,
2 he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’
3 The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said.
4 And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
5 The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.
6 Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
7 Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
8 The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:1–8 (BSB). Section headings are from the Berean Standard Bible.
What does Deuteronomy 31:6 mean, phrase by phrase?
“Be strong and courageous”
In Hebrew these commands are plural here, addressed to the whole people. In Deuteronomy 31:7 the same words switch to singular, spoken to Joshua. Courage is asked of everyone, not only the leader.
“do not be afraid or terrified of them”
Them refers to the nations in Canaan mentioned in Deuteronomy 31:3–5. Israel had once refused to enter the land out of fear, as Deuteronomy 1:26–28 recalls. This generation is being asked not to repeat that.
“for it is the LORD your God who goes with you”
The reason for courage follows immediately. The emphasis falls on God personally going with them. Moses was about to leave, but the one who had led them out of Egypt would stay.
“He will never leave you nor forsake you”
The two verbs together stress complete faithfulness: God will not let go and will not abandon. The phrase becomes a refrain, repeated to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:8, again in Joshua 1:5 and quoted in Hebrews 13:5.
What does Deuteronomy 31:6 not mean?
Misreading: Be strong and courageous is a command to rely on personal toughness.
In context: The verse gives its reason with the word for: God goes with them. Courage is the response to God’s presence, not a quality people must summon on their own.
Misreading: The verse was spoken only to Joshua.
In context: Deuteronomy 31:6 is addressed to all Israel. Moses then repeats the charge to Joshua personally in verses 7 and 8. Both the people and their new leader receive the promise.
Misreading: Never leave you means life will be free of danger or loss.
In context: Israel still faced battles and hardship in the land. The promise is God’s continued presence through what lay ahead, not the absence of struggle.
How do different Jewish and Christian traditions read Deuteronomy 31:6?
- Jewish readers: Read the verse within Moses’ farewell and the covenant renewal of Deuteronomy, a promise to the people of Israel tied to the land and to faithful obedience.
- Many Christian readers: Hear the promise through Hebrews 13:5, which applies never leave you to believers, and connect it with Jesus’ words that he is with his followers always.
- Readers across traditions: Often wrestle honestly with the conquest setting of Deuteronomy 31:3–5 and read the verse’s lasting message as one of God’s faithful presence in times of change.
How can you apply Deuteronomy 31:6 today?
- When a leader, mentor or familiar season is ending, read Deuteronomy 31:1–8 and notice what stays the same when people change.
- Write the reason clause, the LORD your God goes with you, next to a decision you are afraid to make.
- Encourage someone facing a transition the way Moses encouraged Joshua, publicly and specifically.
- Trace the refrain through Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5 as part of your verse reading.
Which verses connect to Deuteronomy 31:6?
7Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:7–8 BSB
Moses repeats the same charge and promise to Joshua in front of all Israel.
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 BSB
God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous because the LORD is with him wherever he goes.
No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:5 BSB
God promises Joshua, As I was with Moses, so will I be with you.
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.
1 Chronicles 28:20 BSB
David passes the same encouragement to Solomon before the temple is built.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 BSB
The New Testament quotes the promise never to leave or forsake, applying it to contentment.
and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 BSB
Jesus promises to be with his followers always, to the end of the age.
Questions for reflection
- What change or ending are you facing that makes this verse feel relevant?
- Where do you look for courage when the people you relied on are no longer there?
- Who could you encourage this week the way Moses encouraged Joshua?
Can you remember it?
Read it out loud twice, then cover it and fill the gap.
Fill in the missing word
Be strong and __________; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (BSB)
Show the answer
courageous
More drills: 50 memory verses by theme and seven ways to memorize Scripture.
In summary
- Moses spoke Deuteronomy 31:6 to all Israel shortly before his death.
- The people were entering Canaan under a new leader, Joshua.
- The command to be strong rests on the promise that God goes with them.
- Never leave you nor forsake you became a refrain repeated across the Bible.
- The promise is God’s presence in change, not a life without struggle.