Deuteronomy 1:1

The Covenant Setting

1:1 This is what ¹  Moses said to the assembly of Israel ²  in the Transjordanian ³  wastelands, the arid country opposite ⁴  Suph, ⁵  between ⁶  Paran ⁷  and Tophel, ⁸  Laban, ⁹  Hazeroth, ¹⁰  and Di Zahab ¹¹ 

Deuteronomy 4:9

Reminder of the Horeb Covenant

4:9 Again, however, pay very careful attention, ¹²  lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 5:22

The Narrative of the Sinai Revelation and Israel’s Response

5:22 The Lord said these things to your entire assembly at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the cloud, and the darkness with a loud voice, and that was all he said. ¹³  Then he inscribed the words ¹⁴  on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

Deuteronomy 9:10

9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger ¹⁵  of God, and on them was everything ¹⁶  he ¹⁷  said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly.

Deuteronomy 10:4

10:4 The Lord ¹⁸  then wrote on the tablets the same words, ¹⁹  the ten commandments, ²⁰  which he ²¹  had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he ²²  gave them to me.

Deuteronomy 12:28

12:28 Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 30:1

The Results of Covenant Reaffirmation

30:1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses ²³  I have set before you, you will reflect upon them ²⁴  in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you.

Deuteronomy 32:46

32:46 he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of this law.

¹ tn Heb “These are the words.”

² tn Heb “to all Israel.”

³ tn Heb “on the other side of the Jordan.” This would appear to favor authorship by someone living on the west side of the Jordan, that is, in Canaan, whereas the biblical tradition locates Moses on the east side (cf. v. 5). However the Hebrew phrase בְּעֵבֶר הַיּרְדֵּן (bÿ’ever hayyrÿden) is a frozen form meaning “Transjordan,” a name appropriate from any geographical vantage point. To this day, one standing east of the Jordan can describe himself as being in Transjordan.

⁴ tn The Hebrew term מוֹל (mol) may also mean “in front of” or “near” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

⁵ sn This place is otherwise unattested and its location is unknown. Perhaps it is Khirbet Sufah, 4 mi (6 km) SSE of Madaba, Jordan.

⁶ tn The Hebrew term בֵּין (ben) may suggest “in the area of.”

⁷ sn Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Num 10:12; 12:16).

⁸ sn Tophel refers possibly to et£-T£afîleh, 15 mi (25 km) SE of the Dead Sea, or to Da‚bîlu, another name for Paran. See H. Cazelles, “Tophel (Deut. 1:1),” VT 9 (1959): 412-15.

⁹ sn Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Num 33:20).

¹⁰ sn Hazeroth. This probably refers to àAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200.

¹¹ sn Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the eastern Sinai coast.

¹² tn Heb “watch yourself and watch your soul carefully.”

²³ tn Heb “and he added no more” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NLT “This was all he said at that time.”

²⁴ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the words spoken by the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁴ sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself – not Moses in any way – was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).

³⁵ tn Heb “according to all the words.”

³⁶ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise at the beginning of vv. 12, 13). See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁴⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁶ tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.

⁴⁷ tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”

⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁴⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” earlier in this verse.

⁵⁶ tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”

⁵⁷ tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”