For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
The Amalekites and Canaanites are waiting there ahead of you, and you will be killed in battle. Because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.
God is warning that because the Israelites have rejected Him, He won't protect them in the upcoming battle and they will be defeated.
📚 Historical Context
This warning comes after the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land despite God's command, following the discouraging report from ten of the twelve spies. Moses is speaking to those who now want to attack on their own after God has decreed they must wander in the wilderness for 40 years. The Amalekites and Canaanites were the hostile nations occupying the land God had promised to Israel.
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