Deuteronomy 4:32

The Uniqueness of Israel’s God

4:32 Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind ¹  on the earth, and ask ²  from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a rumor of it.

Deuteronomy 5:24

5:24 You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his great glory ³  and we have heard him speak from the middle of the fire. It is now clear to us ⁴  that God can speak to human beings and they can keep on living.

Deuteronomy 20:19

20:19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, ⁵  you must not chop down its trees, ⁶  for you may eat fruit ⁷  from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it! ⁸ 

¹ tn The Hebrew term אָדָם (’adam) may refer either to Adam or, more likely, to “man” in the sense of the human race (“mankind,” “humankind”). The idea here seems more universal in scope than reference to Adam alone would suggest.

² tn The verb is not present in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification. The challenge has both temporal and geographical dimensions. The people are challenged to (1) inquire about the entire scope of past history and (2) conduct their investigation on a worldwide scale.

³ tn Heb “his glory and his greatness.”

⁴ tn Heb “this day we have seen.”

⁵ tn Heb “to fight against it to capture it.”

⁶ tn Heb “you must not destroy its trees by chopping them with an iron” (i.e., an ax).

⁷ tn Heb “you may eat from them.” The direct object is not expressed; the word “fruit” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “to go before you in siege.”