Deuteronomy 31:16

“And the Lord said unto Moses, etc.] Out of the pillar of cloud: behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; a phrase expressive of death, frequently used both of good and bad men, which serves to render death easy and familiar, and less formidable; and to assure and lead into an expectation of an awaking out of it, or a resurrection from it: and this people will rise up; in their posterity; for not till after Joshua’s death, and the death of the elders of Israel, did they revolt to idolatry, (<062431>Joshua 24:31); and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go [to be] amongst them; that is, after the gods of the Canaanites, who though at this time the…”

“the Lord said unto Moses, . . . this people will rise up--In this remarkable interview, Moses was distinctly apprised of the infidelity of Israel, their corruptions of the true religion through intercourse with the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan (Amo 5:26), and their chastisements in consequence of those national defections.”

“The transaction recorded in these verses may be regarded as the solemn inauguration of Joshua to the office to which he had some time before Numbers 27:22 been called, and his recognition in it by God, which were manifested by his being summoned into the tabernacle with Moses while the Lord appeared in the pillar of cloud (compare Numbers 11:25; Numbers 12:5). Deuteronomy 31:16 The future apostasy of the people is announced in the presence of Joshua that the latter might be fully aware of the danger and strive in his day to avert it. This he faithfully did (compare Joshua 24:31); but we find him in his own last address to Israel repeating Joshua 23:15-16 the self-same prediction and warning.…”

“The strangers of the land - That is, of the Canaanites, who will be turned out of their possessions, and become as strangers in their own land. This aggravates their folly to worship such gods as could neither preserve their friends, nor annoy their enemies. Deuteronomy 31:17”

“thou shalt: Gen 25:8; Sa2 7:12; Isa 57:2; Act 13:36 sleep: Heb. lie down, Shochaiv, "lying down:" it signifies to rest, take rest in sleep, and metaphorically, to die. Though much stress cannot be safely laid upon this expression to prove the immortality of the soul, or that the people, in the time of Moses, had a distinct notion of its separate existence; yet is was understood in this sense by Jonathan, who paraphrases the words thus: "Thou shalt lie down in the dust with thy fathers; and thy soul (nishmatoch) shall be laid up in the treasury of the life to come, with thy fathers." Job 20:11 and go a: Exo 32:6, Exo 34:15; Lev 20:3-6; Jdg 2:17-20; Psa 73:27, Psa 106:39; Isa 57:3-8; Jer…”