And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

DEUTERONOMY 11:9KJV
Know the Bible

Deuteronomy 11:9 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 11:9 mean?

Deuteronomy 11:9 promises that the people of Israel will have long lives in the land God swore to give their ancestors, describing it as a land flowing with milk and honey. The verse connects the enjoyment of this good land with God’s faithfulness to earlier promises.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter Canaan. He reminds them that their continued life in the land depends on God’s covenant, which was first made with their ancestors. The phrase “a land that floweth with milk and honey” paints a picture of abundance and fertility, highlighting the goodness of what God is giving them.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 11:9

  • The word “prolong” (אָרַךְ, ’arak, H748) means to lengthen or extend, emphasizing that their time in the land is not just about arrival but about lasting blessing and stability.
  • “Land” appears twice with different Hebrew words: אֲדָמָה (’adamah, H127) and אֶרֶץ (’erets, H776). ’Adamah often refers to soil or ground, while ’erets can mean a broader territory or country, suggesting both the physical ground and the larger promised territory.
  • “Floweth” (זוּב, zuv, H2100) carries the sense of something gushing or overflowing, which adds to the image of the land as rich and plentiful, not just barely sufficient.
  • “Milk” (חָלָב, chalav, H2461) and “honey” (דְּבַשׁ, devash, H1706) are both symbols of nourishment and sweetness, reinforcing the idea of the land as a place of well-being and delight.

Why Deuteronomy 11:9 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the promise of the land is not just about possession but about a lasting, good life there, tied to God’s ongoing faithfulness.
  • The use of both ’adamah and ’erets shows that God’s promise covers both the specific soil they will work and the broader territory they will inhabit.
  • By describing the land as “flowing with milk and honey,” the verse connects to earlier promises and reminds the people of the richness they are about to receive, encouraging gratitude and trust in God’s provision.

Where else these words appear

“prolong” Hebrew H748 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
  • Deuteronomy 25:15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
  • Proverbs 28:2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

“floweth” Hebrew H2100 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

“milk” Hebrew H2461 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
  • Deuteronomy 14:21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
  • Proverbs 30:33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

“honey” Hebrew H1706 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 43:11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
  • Deuteronomy 31:20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
  • Psalms 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!