Deuteronomy 10:15-17

10:15 However, only to your ancestors did he ¹  show his loving favor, ²  and he chose you, their descendants, ³  from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse ⁴  your heart and stop being so stubborn! ⁵  10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe,

¹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

² tn Heb “take delight to love.” Here again the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”), juxtaposed with בָחַר (bakhar, “choose”), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the Lord’s initiative in calling the patriarchal ancestors to be the founders of a people special to him (cf. the note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37).

³ tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.

⁴ 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).

⁵ tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.