2 Chronicles 9:25

9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses ¹  and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. ² 

Deuteronomy 17:16

17:16 Moreover, he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so, ³  for the Lord has said you must never again return that way.

Deuteronomy 17:1

17:1 You must not sacrifice to him ⁴  a bull or sheep that has a blemish or any other defect, because that is considered offensive ⁵  to the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 4:26

4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you ⁶  today that you will surely and swiftly be removed ⁷  from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be ⁸  annihilated.

Deuteronomy 10:16

10:16 Therefore, cleanse ⁹  your heart and stop being so stubborn! ¹⁰ 

Deuteronomy 10:1

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. ¹¹ 

¹ tc The parallel text of 1 Kgs 10:26 reads “fourteen hundred chariots.”

² tn Heb “he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”

³ tn Heb “in order to multiply horses.” The translation uses “do so” in place of “multiply horses” to avoid redundancy (cf. NAB, NIV).

⁴ tn Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

⁵ tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “an abomination”; cf. NAB) describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25.

⁶ sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the Lord’s covenant with them (see Deut 30:19; Isa 1:2; 3:13; Jer 2:9). Since court proceedings required the testimony of witnesses, the Lord here summons heaven and earth (that is, all creation) to testify to his faithfulness, Israel’s disobedience, and the threat of judgment.

⁷ tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”

⁸ tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.

⁹ tn Heb “circumcise the foreskin of” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). Reference to the Abrahamic covenant prompts Moses to recall the sign of that covenant, namely, physical circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). Just as that act signified total covenant obedience, so spiritual circumcision (cleansing of the heart) signifies more internally a commitment to be pliable and obedient to the will of God (cf. Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:26).

¹⁰ tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.

¹¹ tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.