The Meaning of Deuteronomy 9:2 Explained

Deuteronomy 9:2

KJV: A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!

YLT: a people great and tall, sons of Anakim, whom thou -- thou hast known, (and thou -- thou hast heard: Who doth station himself before sons of Anak?)

Darby: a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the sons of Anak!

ASV: a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the sons of Anak?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A people  great  and tall,  the children  of the Anakims,  whom thou knowest,  and [of whom] thou hast heard  [say], Who can stand  before  the children  of Anak! 

What does Deuteronomy 9:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 9:1-14 - Offending The Righteous God
Who can read this chapter without emotion and admiration for its sublime eloquence! It is one of the most striking and moving chapters in this book!
Moses sets himself to convince the people that they must not suppose that their easy entrance to Canaan was due to conspicuous virtue, but rather to God's covenant with their fathers, and also to the sinful practices of the Canaanites. Compare Deuteronomy 9:5 with Genesis 15:16. The contagion of these sins might have infected and poisoned humanity; therefore they had to be extirpated. Whatever we enjoy is due, not to our merit, but to the infinite grace of God in Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:10.
Ah, my soul, ponder this, for this is true of thee also! All thy past has been filled with failure and rebellion. If thou art still used for God's service, and art credited with a good name among His people, remember the reason is in the sovereign grace of Jehovah!
"A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing." [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 9

1  Moses dissuades them from the opinion of their own righteousness
7  Moses reminds them of the golden calf

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 9:2 mean?

a people great and tall the descendants of the Anakim whom you know and [of whom] you heard [it said] who can stand before the descendants of Anak
עַֽם־ גָּד֥וֹל וָרָ֖ם בְּנֵ֣י עֲנָקִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתָּ֤ה יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ וְאַתָּ֣ה שָׁמַ֔עְתָּ מִ֣י יִתְיַצֵּ֔ב לִפְנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י ! עֲנָֽק

עַֽם־  a  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
גָּד֥וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וָרָ֖ם  and  tall 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרוּם 
Sense: to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted.
בְּנֵ֣י  the  descendants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עֲנָקִ֑ים  of  the  Anakim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֲנָק  
Sense: a race of giants, descendants of Anak, which dwelled in southern Canaan.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
וְאַתָּ֣ה  and  [of  whom]  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
שָׁמַ֔עְתָּ  heard  [it  said] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
יִתְיַצֵּ֔ב  can  stand 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָצַב 
Sense: to place, set, stand, set or station oneself, present oneself.
לִפְנֵ֖י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בְּנֵ֥י  the  descendants  of 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
! עֲנָֽק  Anak 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֲנׄוק  
Sense: progenitor of a family, tribe, or race of giant people in Canaan.