Deuteronomy 12:2

12:2 You must by all means destroy ¹  all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods – on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. ² 

Deuteronomy 12:18

12:18 Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he ³  chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites ⁴  in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor. ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 16:11

16:11 You shall rejoice before him ⁶  – you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, ⁷  the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you – in the place where the Lord chooses to locate his name.

Deuteronomy 16:2

16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal ⁸  (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he ⁹  chooses to locate his name.

Deuteronomy 6:21

6:21 you must say to them, ¹⁰  “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. ¹¹ 

Psalms 68:3

68:3 But the godly ¹²  are happy;

they rejoice before God

and are overcome with joy. ¹³ 

Psalms 96:12-13

96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!

Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹⁴ 

and the nations in accordance with his justice. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 98:8-9

98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands!

Let the mountains sing in unison

98:9 before the Lord!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹⁶ 

and the nations in a just manner.

¹ tn Heb “destroying you must destroy”; KJV “Ye shall utterly (surely ASV) destroy”; NRSV “must demolish completely.” The Hebrew infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by the words “by all means.”

² sn Every leafy tree. This expression refers to evergreens which, because they keep their foliage throughout the year, provided apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan. The deity particularly in view is Asherah, wife of the great god El, who was considered the goddess of fertility and whose worship frequently took place at shrines near or among clusters (groves) of such trees (see also Deut 7:5). See J. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:569-70; J. DeMoor, TDOT 1:438-44.

³ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

⁴ tn See note at Deut 12:12.

⁵ tn Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”

⁶ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

⁷ tn Heb “gates.”

⁸ tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in the previous verse.

¹⁰ tn Heb “to your son.”

¹¹ tn Heb “by a strong hand.” The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The Lord is commonly depicted as a divine warrior in the Book of Deuteronomy (cf. 5:15; 7:8; 9:26; 26:8).

¹² tn By placing the subject first the psalmist highlights the contrast between God’s ecstatic people and his defeated enemies (vv. 1-2).

¹³ tn Heb “and they are happy with joy” (cf. NEB). Some translate the prefixed verbal forms of v. 3 as jussives, “Let the godly be happy, let them rejoice before God, and let them be happy with joy!” (Cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV; note the call to praise in v. 4.)

¹⁴ tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”

¹⁶ tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).