Deuteronomy 19:1
When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,
When the LORD your God has cut off the nations

The LORD’s removal of the Canaanite peoples displayed His sovereign judgment upon nations whose iniquity had become full (Genesis 15:16). Israel did not conquer Canaan by its own strength or righteousness, but by God’s faithfulness to His covenant and His judgment against entrenched idolatry, violence, and sexual immorality (Deuteronomy 9:4–6). The conquest also required Israel to remain separate from Canaanite worship, lest the people who received judgment become a source of spiritual corruption for God’s covenant people.

Deu 7:1-2 When the LORD your God brings you into the land…
Exo 23:23 For My angel will go before you, and bring you into the land…
Jos 23:9-10 The LORD has driven out great and powerful nations…

whose land He is giving you,

Canaan belonged ultimately to the LORD, who assigned its possession to Israel according to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 17:8; Deuteronomy 4:37–38). The land was an undeserved inheritance, received by grace and sustained by covenant obedience. Its vineyards, houses, cities, and fields testified that God provides for His people beyond what they can establish for themselves.

Deu 1:8 See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess…
Jos 1:2-3 Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise…
Num 34:2 Command the Israelites and say to them:…

and when you have driven them out

Israel was called to carry out God’s command with faith and obedience. Divine promise did not remove human responsibility; the LORD gave victory, while Israel was required to enter, fight, and remove the idolatrous nations. Their failure to complete this work would later expose Israel to the very practices God had condemned and eventually bring covenant discipline upon the land.

Jos 13:6 All the inhabitants of the hill country…
Jos 3:10 He continued, “This is how you will know that the living God…
Num 33:52-53 you must drive out before you all the inhabitants…

and settled in their cities and houses,

Settlement in Canaan marked the end of Israel’s wilderness wandering and the beginning of rest in the inheritance God had prepared. The cities and homes they received were signs of God’s tangible faithfulness, yet they also created the setting in which Israel had to administer justice faithfully. The instructions that follow concerning cities of refuge show that life in the promised land was to reflect the character of the LORD, who judges evil while providing protection for the innocent and a just hearing for the accused.

Neh 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land…
Jos 24:13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil……
Deu 6:10-11 And when the LORD your God brings you into the land…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who is actively involved in the history and destiny of His people.

2. The Israelites
The chosen people of God, who are being led into the Promised Land.

3. The Nations
The inhabitants of the land that God is giving to the Israelites, who are to be driven out.

4. The Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham and his descendants.

5. Cities and Houses
The established settlements in the Promised Land that the Israelites will inhabit after driving out the nations.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Faithfulness
God is sovereign over nations and history. His promises are sure, and He is faithful to fulfill them.

Obedience and Trust
The Israelites are called to trust in God's plan and obey His commands as they enter the land. This requires faith and action.

Spiritual Warfare
Just as the Israelites were to drive out the nations, believers are called to actively resist sin and spiritual opposition in their lives.

Inheritance and Rest
The Promised Land is a type of the spiritual inheritance and rest that believers have in Christ. We are called to live in the fullness of this inheritance.

Community and Stewardship
As the Israelites settle in the land, they are to establish a community that honors God. Believers are called to build communities that reflect God's kingdom values.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the promise of the land to the Israelites demonstrate God's faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham?

2. In what ways can the process of driving out the nations be seen as a metaphor for dealing with sin in our lives?

3. How does the concept of entering the Promised Land relate to the New Testament idea of entering God's rest?

4. What are some practical ways we can build communities that reflect God's kingdom values today?

5. How can we apply the principles of obedience and trust in God's promises in our current life situations?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 12
God's promise to Abraham about giving his descendants the land of Canaan.

Exodus 23
Instructions about driving out the inhabitants of the land and not making covenants with them.

Joshua 1
The commissioning of Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Hebrews 4
The concept of entering God's rest, which can be seen as a spiritual parallel to entering the Promised Land.
The Cities of RefugeD. Davies Deuteronomy 19:1-10
Cities of RefugeDean Goulburn.Deuteronomy 19:1-13
Cities of RefugeJ. Orr Deuteronomy 19:1-13
No Refuge for a Man HaterJ. Parker, D. D.Deuteronomy 19:1-13
The Cities of RefugeR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 19:1-13
The Cities of Refuge as TypesJ. Orr Deuteronomy 19:1-13
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor
Topics
Cities, Cut, Cuts, Dispossess, Dispossessed, Driven, Dwell, Dwellest, Dwelt, Gives, Giveth, Giving, Hast, Houses, Nations, Settle, Settled, Succeed, Succeeded, Succeedest, Towns
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 19:1-10

     7346   death penalty
     8307   moderation

Deuteronomy 19:1-13

     5256   city
     5490   refuge
     7338   cities of refuge

Library
The Cities of Refuge
'The Lord also spake unto Joshua, saying, 2. Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: 3. That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Messianic Claims Met by Attempt to Stone Jesus.
(Jerusalem. October, a.d. 29.) ^D John VIII. 12-59. ^d 12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. [The metaphor of light was common, and signified knowledge and life; darkness is opposed to light, being the symbol of ignorance and death.] 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true. [They perhaps recalled the words of Jesus
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Doctrine of Non-Resistance to Evil by Force Has Been Professed by a Minority of Men from the Very Foundation of Christianity. Of the Book "What
CHAPTER I. THE DOCTRINE OF NON-RESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE HAS BEEN PROFESSED BY A MINORITY OF MEN FROM THE VERY FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY. Of the Book "What I Believe"--The Correspondence Evoked by it-- Letters from Quakers--Garrison's Declaration--Adin Ballou, his Works, his Catechism--Helchitsky's "Net of Faith"--The Attitude of the World to Works Elucidating Christ's Teaching--Dymond's Book "On War"--Musser's "Non-resistance Asserted"--Attitude of the Government in 1818 to Men who Refused to
Leo Tolstoy—The Kingdom of God is within you

What the Ruler's Discrimination Should be Between Correction and Connivance, Between Fervour and Gentleness.
It should be known too that the vices of subjects ought sometimes to be prudently connived at, but indicated in that they are connived at; that things, even though openly known, ought sometimes to be seasonably tolerated, but sometimes, though hidden, be closely investigated; that they ought sometimes to be gently reproved, but sometimes vehemently censured. For, indeed, some things, as we have said, ought to be prudently connived at, but indicated in that they are connived at, so that, when the
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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