Text -- Deuteronomy 31:24-30 (NET)

Anticipation of Disobedience

31:24 When Moses finished writing on a scroll the words of this law in their entirety, 31:25 he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, 31:26 “Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. It will remain there as a witness against you, 31:27 for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness. Indeed, even while I have been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the Lord; you will be even more rebellious after my death! 31:28 Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 31:29 For I know that after I die you will totally corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions.” 31:30 Then Moses recited the words of this song from start to finish in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Deu 31:25

¹ tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

NET Notes: Deu 31:27

¹ tn Heb “stiffness of neck” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.

² tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.

NET Notes: Deu 31:29

¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”

² tn Heb “do the evil.”

³ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”