Deuteronomy 31:6

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"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

New Covenant Meaning

The Courage Is Grounded in a Fact, Not a Feeling

Moses does not tell the people to feel courageous. He tells them to be strong and courageous and then immediately provides the basis: for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. The courage is not summoned from within. It is grounded in an external reality: God is with them. This is the consistent pattern of divine courage commands throughout Scripture. Joshua 1:9 repeats the same structure. The command to be courageous is always followed by the reason: God's presence. Courage is the appropriate response to the presence of God, not the precondition for it.

He Will Not Leave You Nor Forsake You

The promise is absolute: He will not leave you nor forsake you. This is quoted directly in Hebrews 13:5-6 as the foundation for New Covenant contentment. The author applies it to the fear of financial lack: "Be content with what you have, for He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" The promise given to Israel entering the Promised Land is explicitly applied to New Covenant believers. The presence of God is the same foundation for courage in every age.

The context of Deuteronomy 31:6 is Moses speaking to the entire assembly of Israel at the edge of the Promised Land. Moses himself is about to die (v. 2). Joshua will lead them. The nations they are about to face are stronger and more numerous (Deuteronomy 7:1). The human situation is inadequate for the task. The divine promise transforms the calculus: the Lord goes with you. The same God who brought them through Egypt and the wilderness will go with them into the land. The presence of God does not make the enemies disappear. It makes their opposition irrelevant to the outcome.

Application for Your Life

God Goes Before You Into Every Situation

Whatever you are facing — a difficult conversation, a job challenge, a health crisis, a season of uncertainty — the Lord your God goes with you. He does not send you ahead while He watches from a distance. He goes. He is present in your Promised Land battles the same way He was present in the wilderness. The New Covenant makes this even more specific: He is in you (Colossians 1:27). You do not face anything without the God of the universe present inside you.

Settle the Abandonment Question

Many believers carry a deep fear that God will eventually give up on them — that they will fail enough times or sin deeply enough that He will leave. Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5 answer that directly: He will not leave you nor forsake you. The two verbs in the Hebrew are emphatic: He will absolutely not abandon you, He will absolutely not leave you. Settle this question from His word, not your feelings. You are not going to be abandoned.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, You said You will not leave me nor forsake me. I hold onto that promise today. You go with me into everything I face. I am not alone. I am not abandoned. The same God who parted the Red Sea and walked with Israel through the wilderness is with me right now. I receive the courage that comes from knowing You are present. I am strong and courageous not because I feel strong but because You are with me. In Jesus' name. Amen.