Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
- KJV Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
- BSB So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
- NASB So Moses wrote down this song on the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.
- NLT So that very day Moses wrote down the words of the song and taught it to the Israelites.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses writes the song that same day and teaches it to Israel. It matters because Moses faithfully and promptly carries out God's command.
Overview
Moses' immediate obedience models the faithful response God seeks from His people. By both writing and teaching the song, he ensures it is preserved and learned. His diligence in transmitting God's word stands in contrast to the unfaithfulness God has just predicted, and reflects the careful stewardship of revelation that runs through Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Deut 31:19“Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
- Deut 31:9Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 31:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.