Deuteronomy 31:6 tells you to be strong and courageous when you face something frightening, because the LORD your God goes with you and will never abandon you. Moses speaks these words to the people of Israel as they stand on the edge of the promised land, about to enter a country full of peoples they have never fought.
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 Deuteronomy 31:6 Means
The verse begins with a command: “be strong and courageous.” Courage here is not a feeling you must manufacture. It is a stance you take because of what is true about God. The next phrase, “don’t be afraid or scared of them,” names the fear directly. Moses does not pretend the enemy is harmless. He acknowledges real danger and tells the people not to let that danger govern them.
The reason for courage comes in the final clause: “for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you.” The word “himself” matters. Moses is not offering a general hope that things will work out. He is pointing to a specific Person who will personally accompany them. The verse ends with two promises, that God “will not fail you nor forsake you.” It does not promise that the battles will be easy, that no one will be hurt, or that the people will never make mistakes. It promises that God will not walk away.
The Context of Deuteronomy 31:6
Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of Moses. In it, Moses gives a long farewell address to Israel on the plains of Moab, reviewing the years in the wilderness and calling the people back to faithfulness before they cross the Jordan. Chapter 31 marks a turning point. Moses is about to die and will not enter Canaan himself, so he passes leadership to Joshua and charges the people to trust the LORD rather than their own strength.
Read in that setting, the verse carries weight. Just before it, Moses reminds the people that God will go over before them and drive out the nations, just as he did to Sihon and Og. Just after it, Moses turns to Joshua and repeats nearly the same encouragement in front of all Israel. The repetition shows that this promise is the foundation of the whole transition, not a passing comfort.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 31:6
Joshua 1:9
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
(WEB)
This verse comes from the moment God commissions Joshua to lead Israel after Moses. It echoes the same call to strength and courage and grounds it in the promise that God will be with Joshua wherever he goes. Reading it alongside Deuteronomy 31:6 shows how the same command was passed from one generation of leaders to the next.
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
(WEB)
Isaiah speaks to a people facing a much later kind of fear, the threat of exile and a seemingly silent God. The reassurance that God is present and will strengthen his people reflects the same confidence found in Deuteronomy 31:6. Both verses show that God’s presence is the answer to fear in every age.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 31:6
Lord, you know the fears I carry today, the ones I have named and the ones I have tried to hide. I do not want to pretend they are not real. Yet I ask you to help me be strong and courageous, not because I am strong on my own, but because you are going with me. Walk ahead of me into whatever this day holds, and stay close when my heart feels weak. Thank you that you will not fail me or forsake me. Amen.
