(ד) אַל־תֹּאמַ֣ר בִּלְבָבְךָ֗ בַּהֲדֹ֣ף יְהֹוָה֩ אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ אֹתָ֥ם ׀ מִלְּפָנֶ֘יךָ֮ לֵאמֹר֒ בְּצִדְקָתִי֙ הֱבִיאַ֣נִי יְהֹוָ֔ה לָרֶ֖שֶׁת אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את וּבְרִשְׁעַת֙ הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהֹוָ֖ה מוֹרִישָׁ֥ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ (ה) לֹ֣א בְצִדְקָתְךָ֗ וּבְיֹ֙שֶׁר֙ לְבָ֣בְךָ֔ אַתָּ֥ה בָ֖א לָרֶ֣שֶׁת אֶת־אַרְצָ֑ם כִּ֞י בְּרִשְׁעַ֣ת ׀ הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֗לֶּה יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם מִפָּנֶ֔יךָ וּלְמַ֜עַן הָקִ֣ים אֶת־הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ לַאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ (ו) וְיָדַעְתָּ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֤א בְצִדְקָֽתְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱ֠לֹהֶ֠יךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֜ אֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ הַטּוֹבָ֛ה הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף אָֽתָּה׃
And when the LORD your God has thrust them from your path, say not to yourselves, “The LORD has enabled us to possess this land because of our virtues”; it is rather because of the wickedness of those nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you. It is not because of your virtues and your rectitude that you will be able to possess their country; but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is dispossessing those nations before you, and in order to fulfill the oath that the LORD made to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Know, then, that it is not for any virtue of yours that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess; for you are a stiffnecked people.
(ח) כִּי֩ מֵאַֽהֲבַ֨ת יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶתְכֶ֗ם וּמִשׇּׁמְר֤וֹ אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע֙ לַאֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם הוֹצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֑ה וַֽיִּפְדְּךָ֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים מִיַּ֖ד פַּרְעֹ֥ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרָֽיִם׃
but it was because the LORD favored you and kept the oath He made to your fathers that the LORD freed you with a mighty hand and rescued you from the house of bondage, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
(א) אל תאמר בלבבך אחרי שהזהיר שלא תחשוב כחי ועוצם ידי עשה לי רק שתדע כי הנצוחים במלחמה השם נתן להם הכח ההוא והתקיפים שבהם והערים הבצורות אשר תלכדו השם בכבודו עשה לכם כן בנס מפורסם מאתו חזר והזכיר לא תחשוב כי עשה ה' עמך כל זה בצדקתך כי לא עשה לכם כן רק ברשעת הגוים האלה והנה זה טעם באבדן הגוים ההם ולא נתן להם טעם ברשת ישראל את הארץ על כן חזר ובאר לא בצדקתך שתהיה צדיק במעשה ולא אפילו בלב ישר שהיה לך רק ברשעת הגוים אבדו הם ובעבור שבועת אבותיך ירשת אותה הארץ כי אין החטא שלך יכול לבטל המתנה שנתן לאבותיך כי בשבועה נתנה להם ורש"י כתב (רש"י על דברים ט׳:ד׳) אל תאמר בלבבך צדקתי ורשעת הגוים גרמה לי לא בצדקתך ואיננו נכון ויש על השואל לשאול שהרי אמר (דברים ז׳:ח׳) כי מאהבת ה' אתכם והנה הם אהובים למעלה והשם לא יאהב רק את הטובים כי רשע ואוהב חמס שנאה נפשו אם כן גם בצדקתם ירשו ארץ והתשובה כי שם ידבר עם ישראל בכללם וכאן יוכיח הדור ההוא שהיו ממרים את ה' מיום היותם במדבר:
(1) SPEAK NOT THOU IN THY HEART. After cautioning that you should not think ‘my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.’119Above, 8:17. but instead you are to know that the power over the vanquished was given to you by G-d, and that [the victory over] their mighty ones and fortified cities that you will have conquered [was made possible by] G-d in His Glory Who did it for you in a generally known miracle from Him, he further warned them, “Do not think that G-d did all this for you because of your righteousness; rather, He has done so for you only because of the wickedness of these nations.”120Verse 5. Now this is a cause for the destruction of these nations, but he gave no reason for Israel’s possession of the Land. Therefore he reverted and explained, Not for thy righteousness120Verse 5. that you will be righteous in conduct, nor even because of the upright heart that you will have, but only because of the wickedness of these nations will they be destroyed, and because of [His] oath to your fathers will you possess the Land, for your sin cannot annul the gift He gave to your fathers since He gave it to them by an oath. And Rashi wrote: “Speak not thou in thy heart — my righteousness and the wickedness of these nations caused me [to possess the Land]. Not for thy righteousness.” But this is not correct.121Rashi explained that they were not to think that a combination of their righteousness and the wickedness of the nations was a cause of one thing — their coming into the possession of the Land. On this Ramban comments that the verses indicate instead that there are two separate warnings here: “Do not think that because of your righteousness you are coming to possess the Land, and do not think that because of the wickedness of these nations they are driven out from it” (Mizrachi).
Now one should ask, “Has he not said, But because the Eternal loved you,122Above, 7:8. thus establishing that they are beloved on high, and, [as we know], G-d loves only those who are good, for the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth,123Psalms 11:5. and if so, [it is justifiable that] they come to possess the Land also for their [own] righteousness [so, how can he say here Not for thy righteousness, etc.]?” The answer is that there he speaks of Israel in general, and here he reproves that particular generation that has been rebellious against the Eternal from the day they were in the wilderness.
Now one should ask, “Has he not said, But because the Eternal loved you,122Above, 7:8. thus establishing that they are beloved on high, and, [as we know], G-d loves only those who are good, for the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth,123Psalms 11:5. and if so, [it is justifiable that] they come to possess the Land also for their [own] righteousness [so, how can he say here Not for thy righteousness, etc.]?” The answer is that there he speaks of Israel in general, and here he reproves that particular generation that has been rebellious against the Eternal from the day they were in the wilderness.