John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. Understand therefore this day , etc.] Or be it known to you for your encouragement, and believe it: that the Lord thy God [is] he which goeth over before thee as a consuming fire : did not only go before them over the river Jordan, in a pillar of cloud and fire, to guide and direct them, and was a wall of fire around them to protect and defend them, but as a consuming fire, before which there is no standing, to destroy their enemies; (see Deuteronomy 4:24 Hebrews 12:29), he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face ; be they as great and as mighty, as large and as tall as they may, they will not be able to stand before the Lord, but will soon be made low, and be easily brought down to the earth by him, and to utter destruction; which would be done in a public and visible manner, so as that the hand of the Lord would be seen in it by the Israelites: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee ; that is, the far greater part of them, and so many as to make room for the Israelites, and which was quickly done. The Jews commonly say f97 , that they were seven years in subduing the land; otherwise they were not to be driven out and destroyed at once, but by little and little: (see Deuteronomy 7:22).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Moses represents the strength of the enemies they were now to encounter. This was to drive them to God, and engage their hope in him He assures them of victory, by the presence of God with them. He cautions them not to have the least thought of their own righteousness as if that procured this favour at God's hand. In Christ we have bot righteousness and strength; in Him we must glory, not in ourselves, no in any sufficiency of our own. It is for the wickedness of thes nations that God drives them out. All whom God rejects, are rejecte for their own wickedness; but none whom he accepts are accepted for their own righteousness. Thus boasting is for ever done away: see Ep 2:9, 11, 12.
Original Hebrew וידעת3045 היום3117 כי3588 יהוה3068 אלהיך430 הוא1931 העבר5674 לפניך6440 אשׁ784 אכלה398 הוא1931 ישׁמידם8045 והוא1931 יכניעם3665 לפניך6440 והורשׁתם3423 והאבדתם6 מהר4118 כאשׁר834 דבר1696 יהוה׃3068
