Deuteronomy 31:8 (ASV)

Passage

And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and unto all the elders of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of [every] seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "doth", "before", "thee", "fail", and "neither". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "doth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And Moses called unto Joshua and said..." into verse 9's "And Moses wrote this law and delivered...", so "jehovah" and "doth" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.