21:15 Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other, 17 and they both 18 bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less loved wife.
33:7 And this is the blessing 25 to Judah. He said,
Listen, O Lord, to Judah’s voice,
and bring him to his people.
May his power be great,
and may you help him against his foes.
33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,
for the portion of the ruler 26 is set aside 27 there;
he came with the leaders 28 of the people,
he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord
and his ordinances with Israel.
1 tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
2 tn Or “pure”; or “fair”; Heb “righteous.”
3 tn The Hebrew phrase הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (hattorah hazzo’t), in this context, refers specifically to the Book of Deuteronomy. That is, it is the collection of all the חֻקִּים (khuqqim, “statutes,” 4:1) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “ordinances,” 4:1) to be included in the covenant text. In a full canonical sense, of course, it pertains to the entire Pentateuch or Torah.
4 tn Heb “place before.”
3 tn A כּוּר (kur) was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19); cf. NAB “that iron foundry, Egypt.” The term is a metaphor for intense heat. Here it refers to the oppression and suffering Israel endured in Egypt. Since a crucible was used to burn away impurities, it is possible that the metaphor views Egypt as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.
4 tn Heb “to be his people of inheritance.” The Lord compares his people to valued property inherited from one’s ancestors and passed on to one’s descendants.
4 sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the
5 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
5 tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”
6 sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.
6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the indentured servant introduced in v. 12) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “go out from.” The imperfect verbal form indicates the desire of the subject here.
7 tn Or “instruction.” The LXX reads here τὸ δευτερονόμιον τοῦτο (to deuteronomion touto, “this second law”). From this Greek phrase the present name of the book, “Deuteronomy” or “second law” (i.e., the second giving of the law), is derived. However, the MT’s expression מִשְׁנֶה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (mishneh hattorah hazzo’t) is better rendered “copy of this law.” Here the term תּוֹרָה (torah) probably refers only to the book of Deuteronomy and not to the whole Pentateuch.
8 tn The Hebrew term סֵפֶר (sefer) means a “writing” or “document” and could be translated “book” (so KJV, ASV, TEV). However, since “book” carries the connotation of a modern bound book with pages (an obvious anachronism) it is preferable to render the Hebrew term “scroll” here and elsewhere.
8 tn Heb “his neighbor.”
9 tn Heb “rises against him and strikes him fatally.”
9 tn Heb “one whom he loves and one whom he hates.” For the idea of שָׂנֵא (sane’, “hate”) meaning to be rejected or loved less (cf. NRSV “disliked”), see Gen 29:31, 33; Mal 1:2-3. Cf. A. Konkel, NIDOTTE 3:1256-60.
10 tn Heb “both the one whom he loves and the one whom he hates.” On the meaning of the phrase “one whom he loves and one whom he hates” see the note on the word “other” earlier in this verse. The translation has been simplified for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
10 tn Or “a person born of an illegitimate marriage.”
11 tn Heb “enter the assembly of the
11 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “by all means.”
12 tn Or “righteous” (so NIV, NLT).
12 tn Heb “the commandments of the
13 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
13 tn The words “the blessing” are supplied in the translation for clarity and stylistic reasons.
14 tn The Hebrew term מְחֹקֵק (mÿkhoqeq; Poel participle of חָקַק, khaqaq, “to inscribe”) reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments (the “ruler”) is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 444-45.
15 tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).
16 tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).