Deuteronomy 9:14 Meaning and Explanation
“Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God offers to destroy Israel and raise up a nation from Moses instead, testing Moses's intercession.
The Context of Deuteronomy 9:14
God tests Moses by offering to destroy Israel and make a great nation of Moses instead.
What Does Deuteronomy 9:14 Mean?
God's offer to Moses is shocking: destroy this stiffnecked people and begin anew with Moses as the patriarch of a new nation. The offer itself—to 'blot out their name from under heaven'—shows the severity of Israel's transgression. Complete annihilation and replacement is what justice would seem to demand.
Yet this offer also becomes a test for Moses. Will he accept the inheritance for himself, or will he intercede for the people? The offer reveals what God might have been fully entitled to do given Israel's rebellion, but it also creates space for Moses's prayer to become crucial to Israel's salvation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Deuteronomy 9:14
What does Deuteronomy 9:14 mean?
God offers to destroy Israel and raise up a nation from Moses instead, testing Moses's intercession.
What is the context of Deuteronomy 9:14?
God tests Moses by offering to destroy Israel and make a great nation of Moses instead.