Reading the Text
Deuteronomy 1:39
“Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.”
Word Study
1. Knowledge
Hebrew:
da’ath
(דַּעַת)
Meaning:
- Knowledge
- Understanding
- Discernment
- Awareness
In Deuteronomy 1:39, God describes the children as those who have “no knowledge of good and evil.”
The emphasis is not on intelligence but on moral understanding and accountability.
Key Truth
God recognizes the difference between possessing life and possessing moral accountability.
2. Child
Hebrew:
taph
(טַף)
Meaning:
- Little ones
- Young children
- Dependents
The word emphasizes helplessness, dependence, and the need for care and protection.
Key Truth
Children are presented in Scripture as dependent upon the care of others and ultimately under the care of God.
3. Mercy
Hebrew:
racham
(רָחַם)
Meaning:
- Compassion
- Tender mercy
- Deep parental affection