Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

Key words in Deuteronomy are "fear" (afraid, etc.) and "the Lord will," both of which occur in Deuteronomy 31:6. 

6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you." ESV

Another translation has (ICB)

"Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t be frightened. The Lord< your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you."

The phrase God "will never leave you" means that He will never forsake you. Moses was 120 years old when he wrote this as an exhortation to the Israelites who were about to enter the Promised Land. The only problem there was that they were about to face a formidable foe, the Canaanites! But Moses encouraged them by reminding them of God recently destroying Sihon and Og, kings who were enemies of Israel. God will do it again! You just have to trust him to do it, Israel, Moses was bolstering them. 

The command not to fear is based on the fact that the Lord will not LEAVE them. It is this word in Hebrew: רָפה verb sink, relax. It is used of hands, with מִן Nehemiah 6:9 their hands will drop from the work (in fear). "Yahweh will not 'loosen His grip' on His people. The word choice heightens the contrast between God’s unwavering commitment and Israel’s frequent tendency to 'let go' of obedience. 

'He will never leave you nor forsake you' means this:

This is a covenant guarantee. God’s faithfulness is not fickle: 'As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.' (Joshua 1:5). Hebrews 13:5-6 quotes our verse to reinforce contentment and courage: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'

• 'Never' rules out every circumstance; nothing can cancel His commitment (Lamentations 3:22-23).

• 'Leave' speaks of absence; 'forsake' speaks of abandonment. God promises neither will happen.

Therefore present trials cannot sever believers from His steadfast love (Romans 8:38-39). 

In short, Deuteronomy 31:6 rallies God’s people to fearless obedience. Strength and courage are possible because the Lord personally accompanies and permanently commits Himself to His own. When His presence is prized above every threat, fear fades, faith stands, and the future opens to obedient conquest." biblehub

Almost the very same thought is expressed again in Deuteronomy 31:8 (just 2 verses later) -- NIRV
"The Lord himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you. So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.” It is repeated. Repetition in the Bible (as well as elsewhere) indicates emphasis. This is important!

Dt 31:6 does relate to Psalm 97:10 but only the last half of Psa 97:10 --

Psalm 97:10
New King James Version
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

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