5:1 Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: 1 “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them! 5:2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 5:3 He 2 did not make this covenant with our ancestors 3 but with us, we who are here today, all of us living now. 5:4 The Lord spoke face to face with you at the mountain, from the middle of the fire. 5:5 (I was standing between the Lord and you at that time to reveal to you the message 4 of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain.) He said:
5:6 “I am the Lord your God, he who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the place of slavery. 5:7 You must not have any other gods 5 besides me. 6 5:8 You must not make for yourself an image 7 of anything in heaven above, on earth below, or in the waters beneath. 8 5:9 You must not worship or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. I punish 9 the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject 10 me, 11 5:10 but I show covenant faithfulness 12 to the thousands 13 who choose 14 me and keep my commandments. 5:11 You must not make use of the name of the Lord your God for worthless purposes, 15 for the Lord will not exonerate anyone who abuses his name that way. 16 5:12 Be careful to observe 17 the Sabbath day just as the Lord your God has commanded you. 5:13 You are to work and do all your tasks in six days, 5:14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath 18 of the Lord your God. On that day you must not do any work, you, your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, your ox, your donkey, any other animal, or the foreigner who lives with you, 19 so that your male and female slaves, like yourself, may have rest. 5:15 Recall that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there by strength and power. 20 That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe 21 the Sabbath day. 5:16 Honor 22 your father and your mother just as the Lord your God has commanded you to do, so that your days may be extended and that it may go well with you in the land that he 23 is about to give you. 5:17 You must not murder. 24 5:18 You must not commit adultery. 5:19 You must not steal. 5:20 You must not offer false testimony against another. 25 5:21 You must not desire 26 another man’s 27 wife, nor should you crave his 28 house, his field, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, or anything else he owns.” 29
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. 30 Then he inscribed the words 31 on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 5:23 Then, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness while the mountain was ablaze, all your tribal leaders and elders approached me. 5:24 You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his great glory 32 and we have heard him speak from the middle of the fire. It is now clear to us 33 that God can speak to human beings and they can keep on living. 5:25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the Lord our God we will die! 5:26 Who is there from the entire human race 34 who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the middle of the fire as we have, and has lived? 5:27 You go near so that you can hear everything the Lord our God is saying and then you can tell us whatever he 35 says to you; then we will pay attention and do it.” 5:28 When the Lord heard you speaking to me, he 36 said to me, “I have heard what these people have said to you – they have spoken well. 5:29 If only it would really be their desire to fear me and obey 37 all my commandments in the future, so that it may go well with them and their descendants forever. 5:30 Go and tell them, ‘Return to your tents!’ 5:31 But as for you, remain here with me so I can declare to you all the commandments, 38 statutes, and ordinances that you are to teach them, so that they can carry them out in the land I am about to give them.” 39 5:32 Be careful, therefore, to do exactly what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn right or left! 5:33 Walk just as he 40 has commanded you so that you may live, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long 41 in the land you are going to possess.
6:1 Now these are the commandments, 42 statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed 43 6:2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments 44 that I am giving 45 you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days. 6:3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number 46 – as the Lord, God of your ancestors, 47 said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.
6:4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 48 6:5 You must love 49 the Lord your God with your whole mind, 50 your whole being, 51 and all your strength. 52
6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach 53 them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 54 as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm 55 and fasten them as symbols 56 on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. 57
6:10 Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you – a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 6:11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – and you eat your fill, 6:12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery. 58 6:13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 6:14 You must not go after other gods, those 59 of the surrounding peoples, 6:15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God and his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land. 60
6:16 You must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 61 6:17 Keep his 62 commandments very carefully, 63 as well as the stipulations and statutes he commanded you to observe. 6:18 Do whatever is proper 64 and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he 65 promised your ancestors, 6:19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said.
6:20 When your children 66 ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 6:21 you must say to them, 67 “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. 68 6:22 And he 69 brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on his whole family 70 before our very eyes. 6:23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our ancestors. 6:24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him 71 so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day. 6:25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments 72 before the Lord our God, just as he demands.” 73
7:1 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, 74 Girgashites, 75 Amorites, 76 Canaanites, 77 Perizzites, 78 Hivites, 79 and Jebusites, 80 seven 81 nations more numerous and powerful than you – 7:2 and he 82 delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate 83 them. Make no treaty 84 with them and show them no mercy! 7:3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 7:4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you. 7:5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, 85 cut down their sacred Asherah poles, 86 and burn up their idols. 7:6 For you are a people holy 87 to the Lord your God. He 88 has chosen you to be his people, prized 89 above all others on the face of the earth.
7:7 It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you – for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples. 7:8 Rather it is because of his 90 love 91 for you and his faithfulness to the promise 92 he solemnly vowed 93 to your ancestors 94 that the Lord brought you out with great power, 95 redeeming 96 you from the place of slavery, from the power 97 of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 7:9 So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, 98 the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully 99 with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 7:10 but who pays back those who hate 100 him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore 101 those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve! 7:11 So keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that I today am commanding you to do.
7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you 102 as he promised 103 your ancestors. 7:13 He will love and bless you, and make you numerous. He will bless you with many children, 104 with the produce of your soil, your grain, your new wine, your oil, the offspring of your oxen, and the young of your flocks in the land which he promised your ancestors to give you. 7:14 You will be blessed beyond all peoples; there will be no barrenness 105 among you or your livestock. 7:15 The Lord will protect you from all sickness, and you will not experience any of the terrible diseases that you knew in Egypt; instead he will inflict them on all those who hate you.
7:16 You must destroy 106 all the people whom the Lord your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them or worship 107 their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 7:17 If you think, “These nations are more numerous than I – how can I dispossess them?” 7:18 you must not fear them. You must carefully recall 108 what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt, 7:19 the great judgments 109 you saw, the signs and wonders, the strength and power 110 by which he 111 brought you out – thus the Lord your God will do to all the people you fear. 7:20 Furthermore, the Lord your God will release hornets 112 among them until the very last ones who hide from you 113 perish. 7:21 You must not tremble in their presence, for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a great and awesome God. 7:22 He, 114 the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you. 7:23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great panic 115 until they are destroyed. 7:24 He will hand over their kings to you and you will erase their very names from memory. 116 Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them. 7:25 You must burn the images of their gods, but do not covet the silver and gold that covers them so much that you take it for yourself and thus become ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent 117 to the Lord your God. 7:26 You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house and thereby become an object of divine wrath 118 along with it. 119 You must absolutely detest 120 and abhor it, 121 for it is an object of divine wrath.
8:1 You must keep carefully all these commandments 122 I am giving 123 you today so that you may live, increase in number, 124 and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. 125 8:2 Remember the whole way by which he 126 has brought you these forty years through the desert 127 so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it within you to keep his commandments or not. 8:3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. 128 He did this to teach you 129 that humankind 130 cannot live by bread 131 alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. 132 8:4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years. 8:5 Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, 133 the Lord your God disciplines you. 8:6 So you must keep his 134 commandments, live according to his standards, 135 and revere him. 8:7 For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks, 136 springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills, 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, 8:9 a land where you may eat food 137 in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron 138 and from whose hills you can mine copper. 8:10 You will eat your fill and then praise the Lord your God because of the good land he has given you.
8:11 Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 8:12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 8:13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, 8:14 be sure 139 you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, 8:15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents 140 and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow 141 from a flint rock and 8:16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you 142 and eventually bring good to you. 8:17 Be careful 143 not to say, “My own ability and skill 144 have gotten me this wealth.” 8:18 You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, 145 even as he has to this day. 8:19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all 146 and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated. 8:20 Just like the nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you 147 because you would not obey him. 148
9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. 149 9:2 They include the Anakites, 150 a numerous 151 and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” 9:3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he 152 has told you. 9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, 153 that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he 154 made on oath to your ancestors, 155 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 9:6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn 156 people!
9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget 157 – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. 158 9:8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9:9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there 159 forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger 160 of God, and on them was everything 161 he 162 said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 9:11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 9:12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.” 163 9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn 164 lot! 9:14 Stand aside 165 and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, 166 and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”
9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it 167 was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 9:16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; 168 you had quickly turned aside from the way he 169 had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, 170 and shattered them before your very eyes. 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger 171 that threatened to destroy you. But he 172 listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him 173 too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing 174 that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, 175 ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, 176 Massah, 177 and Kibroth-Hattaavah. 178 9:23 And when he 179 sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God 180 and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him 181 from the very first day I knew you!
9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, 182 for he 183 had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: 184 O, Lord God, 185 do not destroy your people, your valued property 186 that you have powerfully redeemed, 187 whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. 188 9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 9:28 Otherwise the people of the land 189 from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.” 190 9:29 They are your people, your valued property, 191 whom you brought out with great strength and power. 192
10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. 193 10:2 I will write on the tablets the same words 194 that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” 10:3 So I made an ark of acacia 195 wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 10:4 The Lord 196 then wrote on the tablets the same words, 197 the ten commandments, 198 which he 199 had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he 200 gave them to me. 10:5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made – they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.
10:6 “During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan 201 to Moserah. 202 There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 10:7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, 203 and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, 204 a place of flowing streams. 10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi 205 to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings 206 in his name, as they do to this very day. 10:9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance 207 among his brothers; 208 the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him. 10:10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The Lord listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you. 10:11 Then he 209 said to me, “Get up, set out leading 210 the people so they may go and possess 211 the land I promised to give to their ancestors.” 212
10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, 213 to obey all his commandments, 214 to love him, to serve him 215 with all your mind and being, 216 10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving 217 you today for your own good? 10:14 The heavens – indeed the highest heavens – belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 10:15 However, only to your ancestors did he 218 show his loving favor, 219 and he chose you, their descendants, 220 from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse 221 your heart and stop being so stubborn! 222 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, 10:18 who justly treats 223 the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 10:19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10:20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him and take oaths only in his name. 10:21 He is the one you should praise; 224 he is your God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for you that you have seen. 10:22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky. 225
11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 226 at all times. 11:2 Bear in mind today that I am not speaking 227 to your children who have not personally experienced the judgments 228 of the Lord your God, which revealed 229 his greatness, strength, and power. 230 11:3 They did not see 231 the awesome deeds he performed 232 in the midst of Egypt against Pharaoh king of Egypt and his whole land, 11:4 or what he did to the army of Egypt, including their horses and chariots, when he made the waters of the Red Sea 233 overwhelm them while they were pursuing you and he 234 annihilated them. 235 11:5 They did not see 236 what he did to you in the desert before you reached this place, 11:6 or what he did to Dathan and Abiram, 237 sons of Eliab the Reubenite, 238 when the earth opened its mouth in the middle of the Israelite camp 239 and swallowed them, their families, 240 their tents, and all the property they brought with them. 241 11:7 I am speaking to you 242 because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of the Lord!
11:8 Now pay attention to all the commandments 243 I am giving 244 you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed, 245 11:9 and that you may enjoy long life in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors 246 and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 11:10 For the land where you are headed 247 is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by hand 248 like a vegetable garden. 11:11 Instead, the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy 249 is one of hills and valleys, a land that drinks in water from the rains, 250 11:12 a land the Lord your God looks after. 251 He is constantly attentive to it 252 from the beginning to the end of the year. 253 11:13 Now, if you pay close attention 254 to my commandments that I am giving you today and love 255 the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being, 256 11:14 then he promises, 257 “I will send rain for your land 258 in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, 259 so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil. 11:15 I will provide pasture 260 for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”
11:16 Make sure you do not turn away to serve and worship other gods! 261 11:17 Then the anger of the Lord will erupt 262 against you and he will close up the sky 263 so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will soon be removed 264 from the good land that the Lord 265 is about to give you. 11:18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, 266 and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbols 267 on your forehead. 11:19 Teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 268 as you lie down, and as you get up. 11:20 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates 11:21 so that your days and those of your descendants may be extended in the land which the Lord promised to give to your ancestors, like the days of heaven itself. 269 11:22 For if you carefully observe all of these commandments 270 I am giving you 271 and love the Lord your God, live according to his standards, 272 and remain loyal to him, 11:23 then he 273 will drive out all these nations ahead of you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. 11:24 Every place you set your foot 274 will be yours; your border will extend from the desert to Lebanon and from the River (that is, the Euphrates) as far as the Mediterranean Sea. 275 11:25 Nobody will be able to resist you; the Lord your God will spread the fear and terror of you over the whole land on which you walk, just as he promised you.
11:26 Take note – I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 276 11:27 the blessing if you take to heart 277 the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, 11:28 and the curse if you pay no attention 278 to his 279 commandments and turn from the way I am setting before 280 you today to pursue 281 other gods you have not known. 11:29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are to possess, you must pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 282 11:30 Are they not across the Jordan River, 283 toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal 284 near the oak 285 of Moreh? 11:31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to possess the land the Lord your God is giving you, and you will possess and inhabit it. 11:32 Be certain to keep all the statutes and ordinances that I am presenting to you today.
1 tn Heb “and Moses called to all Israel and he said to them”; NAB, NASB, NIV “Moses summoned (convened NRSV) all Israel.”
2 tn Heb “the
3 tn Heb “fathers.”
4 tn Or “word” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); NRSV “words.”
5 tn Heb “there must not be for you other gods.” The expression “for you” indicates possession.
6 tn Heb “upon my face,” or “before me” (עַל־פָּנָיַ, ’al-panaya). Some understand this in a locative sense: “in my sight.” The translation assumes that the phrase indicates exclusion. The idea is that of placing any other god before the
7 tn Heb “an image, any likeness.”
8 tn Heb “under the earth” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV); NCV “below the land.”
9 tn In the Hebrew text the form is a participle, which is subordinated to what precedes. For the sake of English style, the translation divides this lengthy verse into two sentences.
10 tn Heb “who hate” (so NAB, NIV, NLT). Just as “to love” (אָהַב, ’ahav) means in a covenant context “to choose, obey,” so “to hate” (שָׂנֵא, sane’) means “to reject, disobey” (cf. the note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37; see also 5:10).
11 tn Heb “visiting the sin of fathers upon sons and upon a third (generation) and upon a fourth (generation) of those who hate me.” God sometimes punishes children for the sins of a father (cf. Num 16:27, 32; Josh 7:24-25; 2 Sam 21:1-9). On the principle of corporate solidarity and responsibility in OT thought see J. Kaminsky, Corporate Responsibility in the Hebrew Bible (JSOTSup). In the idiom of the text, the father is the first generation and the “sons” the second generation, making grandsons the third and great-grandsons the fourth. The reference to a third and fourth generation is a way of emphasizing that the sinner’s punishment would last throughout his lifetime. In this culture, where men married and fathered children at a relatively young age, it would not be unusual for one to see his great-grandsons. In an Aramaic tomb inscription from Nerab dating to the seventh century b.c., Agbar observes that he was surrounded by “children of the fourth generation” as he lay on his death bed (see ANET 661). The language of the text differs from Exod 34:7, the sons are the first generation, the grandsons (literally, “sons of the sons”) the second, great-grandsons the third, and great-great-grandsons the fourth. One could argue that formulation in Deut 5:9 (see also Exod 20:50) is elliptical/abbreviated or that it suffers from textual corruption (the repetition of the words “sons” would invite accidental omission).
12 tn This theologically rich term (חֶסֶד, khesed) describes God’s loyalty to those who keep covenant with him. Sometimes it is used synonymously with בְּרִית (bÿrit, “covenant”; Deut 7:9), and sometimes interchangeably with it (Deut 7:12). See H.-J. Zobel, TDOT 5:44-64.
13 tc By a slight emendation (לַאֲלּוּפִים [la’allufim] for לַאֲלָפִים [la’alafim]) “clans” could be read in place of the MT reading “thousands.” However, no
14 tn Heb “love.” See note on the word “reject” in v. 9.
15 tn Heb “take up the name of the Lord your God to emptiness”; KJV “take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The idea here is not cursing or profanity in the modern sense of these terms but rather the use of the divine Name for unholy, mundane purposes, that is, for meaningless (the Hebrew term is שָׁוְא) and empty ends. In ancient Israel this would include using the Lord’s name as a witness in vows one did not intend to keep.
16 tn Heb “who takes up his name to emptiness.”
17 tn Heb “to make holy,” that is, to put to special use, in this case, to sacred purposes (cf. vv. 13-15).
18 tn There is some degree of paronomasia (wordplay) here: “the seventh (הַשְּׁבִיעִי, hashÿvi’i) day is the Sabbath (שַׁבָּת, shabbat).” Otherwise, the words have nothing in common, since “Sabbath” is derived from the verb שָׁבַת (shavat, “to cease”).
19 tn Heb “in your gates”; NRSV, CEV “in your towns”; TEV “in your country.”
20 tn Heb “by a strong hand and an outstretched arm,” the hand and arm symbolizing divine activity and strength. Cf. NLT “with amazing power and mighty deeds.”
21 tn Or “keep” (so KJV, NRSV).
22 tn The imperative here means, literally, “regard as heavy” (כַּבֵּד, kabbed). The meaning is that great importance must be ascribed to parents by their children.
23 tn Heb “the
24 tn Traditionally “kill” (so KJV, ASV, RSV, NAB). The verb here (רָצַח, ratsakh) is generic for homicide but in the OT both killing in war and capital punishment were permitted and even commanded (Deut 13:5, 9; 20:13, 16-17), so the technical meaning here is “murder.”
25 tn Heb “your neighbor.” Clearly this is intended generically, however, and not to be limited only to those persons who live nearby (frequently the way “neighbor” is understood in contemporary contexts). So also in v. 20.
26 tn The Hebrew verb used here (חָמַד, khamad) is different from the one translated “crave” (אָוַה, ’avah) in the next line. The former has sexual overtones (“lust” or the like; cf. Song of Sol 2:3) whereas the latter has more the idea of a desire or craving for material things.
27 tn Heb “your neighbor’s.” See note on the term “fellow man” in v. 19.
28 tn Heb “your neighbor’s.” The pronoun is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
29 tn Heb “or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
30 tn Heb “and he added no more” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NLT “This was all he said at that time.”
31 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the words spoken by the
32 tn Heb “his glory and his greatness.”
33 tn Heb “this day we have seen.”
34 tn Heb “who is there of all flesh.”
35 tn Heb “the
36 tn Heb “the
37 tn Heb “keep” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
38 tn Heb “commandment.” The MT actually has the singular (הַמִּצְוָה, hammitsvah), suggesting perhaps that the following terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) are in epexegetical apposition to “commandment.” That is, the phrase could be translated “the entire command, namely, the statutes and ordinances.” This would essentially make מִצְוָה (mitsvah) synonymous with תּוֹרָה (torah), the usual term for the whole collection of law.
39 tn Heb “to possess it” (so KJV, ASV); NLT “as their inheritance.”
40 tn Heb “the
41 tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”
42 tn Heb “commandment.” The word מִצְוָה (mitsvah) again is in the singular, serving as a comprehensive term for the whole stipulation section of the book. See note on the word “commandments” in 5:31.
43 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”
44 tn Here the terms are not the usual חֻקִּים (khuqqim) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim; as in v. 1) but חֻקֹּת (khuqqot, “statutes”) and מִצְוֹת (mitsot, “commandments”). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.
45 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
46 tn Heb “may multiply greatly” (so NASB, NRSV); the words “in number” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
47 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 18, 23).
48 tn Heb “the
49 tn The verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the
50 tn Heb “heart.” In OT physiology the heart (לֵב, לֵבָב; levav, lev) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect, so that one could think with one’s heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.
51 tn Heb “soul”; “being.” Contrary to Hellenistic ideas of a soul that is discrete and separate from the body and spirit, OT anthropology equated the “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) as “being” or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.
52 sn For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.
53 tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.
54 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
55 sn Tie them as a sign on your forearm. Later Jewish tradition referred to the little leather containers tied to the forearms and foreheads as tefillin. They were to contain the following passages from the Torah: Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:5-9; 11:13-21. The purpose was to serve as a “sign” of covenant relationship and obedience.
56 sn Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note) or phylacteries (from the Greek term). These box-like containers, like those on the forearms, held the same scraps of the Torah. It was the hypocritical practice of wearing these without heartfelt sincerity that caused Jesus to speak scathingly about them (cf. Matt 23:5).
57 sn The Hebrew term מְזוּזֹת (mÿzuzot) refers both to the door frames and to small cases attached on them containing scripture texts (always Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21; and sometimes the decalogue; Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; and Num 10:35-36). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 443-44.
58 tn Heb “out of the house of slavery” (so NASB, NRSV).
59 tn Heb “from the gods.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
60 tn Heb “lest the anger of the
61 sn The place name Massah (מַסָּה, massah) derives from a root (נָסָה, nasah) meaning “to test; to try.” The reference here is to the experience in the Sinai desert when Moses struck the rock to obtain water (Exod 17:1-2). The complaining Israelites had, thus, “tested” the
62 tn Heb “the commandments of the
63 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb to emphasize the statement. The imperfect verbal form is used here with an obligatory nuance that can be captured in English through the imperative. Cf. NASB, NRSV “diligently keep (obey NLT).”
64 tn Heb “upright.”
65 tn Heb “the
66 tn Heb “your son.”
67 tn Heb “to your son.”
68 tn Heb “by a strong hand.” The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The
69 tn Heb “the
70 tn Heb “house,” referring to the entire household.
71 tn Heb “the
72 tn The term “commandment” (מִצְוָה, mitsvah), here in the singular, refers to the entire body of covenant stipulations.
73 tn Heb “as he has commanded us” (so NIV, NRSV).
74 sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200
75 sn Girgashites. These cannot be ethnically identified and are unknown outside the OT. They usually appear in such lists only when the intention is to have seven groups in all (see also the note on the word “seven” later in this verse).
76 sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200
77 sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000
78 sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
79 sn Hivites. These are usually thought to be the same as the Hurrians, a people well-known in ancient Near Eastern texts. They are likely identical to the Horites (see note on the term “Horites” in Deut 2:12).
80 sn Jebusites. These inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).
81 sn Seven. This is an ideal number in the OT, one symbolizing fullness or completeness. Therefore, the intent of the text here is not to be precise and list all of Israel’s enemies but simply to state that Israel will have a full complement of foes to deal with. For other lists of Canaanites, some with fewer than seven peoples, see Exod 3:8; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut 20:17; Josh 3:10; 9:1; 24:11. Moreover, the “Table of Nations” (Gen 10:15-19) suggests that all of these (possibly excepting the Perizzites) were offspring of Canaan and therefore Canaanites.
82 tn Heb “the
83 tn In the Hebrew text the infinitive absolute before the finite verb emphasizes the statement. The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here. Cf. ASV “shalt (must NRSV) utterly destroy them”; CEV “must destroy them without mercy.”
84 tn Heb “covenant” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “alliance.”
85 sn Sacred pillars. The Hebrew word (מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) denotes a standing pillar, usually made of stone. Its purpose was to mark the presence of a shrine or altar thought to have been visited by deity. Though sometimes associated with pure worship of the
86 sn Sacred Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
87 tn That is, “set apart.”
88 tn Heb “the
89 tn Or “treasured” (so NIV, NRSV); NLT “his own special treasure.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4-6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224.
90 tn Heb “the
91 tn For the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) as a term of choice or election, see note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
92 tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
93 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
94 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).
95 tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
96 sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the
97 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
98 tn Heb “the God.” The article here expresses uniqueness; cf. TEV “is the only God”; NLT “is indeed God.”
99 tn Heb “who keeps covenant and loyalty.” The syndetic construction of בְּרִית (bÿrit) and חֶסֶד (khesed) should be understood not as “covenant” plus “loyalty” but as an adverbial construction in which חֶסֶד (“loyalty”) modifies the verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “keeps”).
100 tn For the term “hate” as synonymous with rejection or disobedience see note on the word “reject” in Deut 5:9 (cf. NRSV “reject”).
101 tn Heb “he will not hesitate concerning.”
102 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
103 tn Heb “which he swore on oath.” The relative pronoun modifies “covenant,” so one could translate “will keep faithfully the covenant (or promise) he made on oath to your ancestors.”
104 tn Heb “will bless the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
105 sn One of the ironies about the promises to the patriarchs concerning offspring was the characteristic barrenness of the wives of the men to whom these pledges were made (cf. Gen 11:30; 25:21; 29:31). Their affliction is in each case described by the very Hebrew word used here (עֲקָרָה, ’aqarah), an affliction that will no longer prevail in Canaan.
106 tn Heb “devour” (so NRSV); KJV, NAB, NASB “consume.” The verbal form (a perfect with vav consecutive) is understood here as having an imperatival or obligatory nuance (cf. the instructions and commands that follow). Another option is to take the statement as a continuation of the preceding conditional promises and translate “and you will destroy.”
107 tn Or “serve” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).
108 tn Heb “recalling, you must recall.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis. Cf. KJV, ASV “shalt well remember.”
109 tn Heb “testings” (so NAB), a reference to the plagues. See note at 4:34.
110 tn Heb “the strong hand and outstretched arm.” See 4:34.
111 tn Heb “the
112 tn The meaning of the term translated “hornets” (צִרְעָה, tsir’ah) is debated. Various suggestions are “discouragement” (HALOT 1056-57 s.v.; cf. NEB, TEV, CEV “panic”; NCV “terror”) and “leprosy” (J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [JPSTC], 360, n. 33; cf. NRSV “the pestilence”), as well as “hornet” (BDB 864 s.v.; cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT). The latter seems most suitable to the verb שָׁלַח (shalakh, “send”; cf. Exod 23:28; Josh 24:12).
113 tn Heb “the remnant and those who hide themselves.”
114 tn Heb “the
115 tn Heb “he will confuse them (with) great confusion.” The verb used here means “shake, stir up” (see Ruth 1:19; 1 Sam 4:5; 1 Kgs 1:45; Ps 55:2); the accompanying cognate noun refers to confusion, unrest, havoc, or panic (1 Sam 5:9, 11; 14:20; 2 Chr 15:5; Prov 15:16; Isa 22:5; Ezek 7:7; 22:5; Amos 3:9; Zech 14:13).
116 tn Heb “you will destroy their name from under heaven” (cf. KJV); NRSV “blot out their name from under heaven.”
117 tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abhorrent; detestable”) describes anything detestable to the
118 tn Heb “come under the ban” (so NASB); NRSV “be set apart for destruction.” The same phrase occurs again at the end of this verse.
119 tn Or “like it is.”
120 tn This Hebrew verb (שָׁקַץ, shaqats) is essentially synonymous with the next verb (תָעַב, ta’av; cf. תּוֹעֵבָה, to’evah; see note on the word “abhorrent” in v. 25), though its field of meaning is more limited to cultic abomination (cf. Lev 11:11, 13; Ps 22:25).
121 tn Heb “detesting you must detest and abhorring you must abhor.” Both verbs are preceded by a cognate infinitive absolute indicating emphasis.
122 tn The singular term (מִצְוָה, mitsvah) includes the whole corpus of covenant stipulations, certainly the book of Deuteronomy at least (cf. Deut 5:28; 6:1, 25; 7:11; 11:8, 22; 15:5; 17:20; 19:9; 27:1; 30:11; 31:5). The plural (מִצְוֹת, mitsot) refers to individual stipulations (as in vv. 2, 6).
123 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11).
124 tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.”
125 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18).
126 tn Heb “the
127 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NRSV, NLT); likewise in v. 15.
128 tn Heb “manna which you and your ancestors did not know.” By popular etymology the word “manna” comes from the Hebrew phrase מָן הוּא (man hu’), i.e., “What is it?” (Exod 16:15). The question remains unanswered to this very day. Elsewhere the material is said to be “white like coriander seed” with “a taste like honey cakes” (Exod 16:31; cf. Num 11:7). Modern attempts to associate it with various desert plants are unsuccessful for the text says it was a new thing and, furthermore, one that appeared and disappeared miraculously (Exod 16:21-27).
129 tn Heb “in order to make known to you.” In the Hebrew text this statement is subordinated to what precedes, resulting in a very long sentence in English. The translation makes this statement a separate sentence for stylistic reasons.
130 tn Heb “the man,” but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race (“mankind” or “humankind”).
131 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. CEV).
132 sn Jesus quoted this text to the devil in the midst of his forty-day fast to make the point that spiritual nourishment is incomparably more important than mere physical bread (Matt 4:4; cf. Luke 4:4).
133 tn Heb “just as a man disciplines his son.” The Hebrew text reflects the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
134 tn Heb “the commandments of the
135 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.” The “ways” of the Lord refer here to his moral standards as reflected in his commandments. The verb “walk” is used frequently in the Bible (both OT and NT) for one’s moral and ethical behavior.
136 tn Or “wadis.”
137 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. NASB, NCV, NLT) or “bread” in particular (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
138 sn A land whose stones are iron. Since iron deposits are few and far between in Palestine, the reference here is probably to iron ore found in mines as opposed to the meteorite iron more commonly known in that area.
139 tn The words “be sure” are not in the Hebrew text; vv. 12-14 are part of the previous sentence. For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation and the words “be sure” repeated from v. 11 to indicate the connection.
140 tn Heb “flaming serpents”; KJV, NASB “fiery serpents”; NAB “saraph serpents.” This figure of speech (metonymy) probably describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire (שָׂרָף, saraf).
141 tn Heb “the one who brought out for you water.” In the Hebrew text this continues the preceding sentence, but the translation begins a new sentence here for stylistic reasons.
142 tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2.
143 tn For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 17 in the translation and the words “be careful” supplied to indicate the connection.
144 tn Heb “my strength and the might of my hand.”
145 tc Smr and Lucian add “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the standard way of rendering this almost stereotypical formula (cf. Deut 1:8; 6:10; 9:5, 27; 29:13; 30:20; 34:4). The MT’s harder reading presumptively argues for its originality, however.
146 tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).
147 tn Heb “so you will perish.”
148 tn Heb “listen to the voice of the
149 tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.
150 sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.
151 tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
152 tn Heb “the
153 tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the
154 tn Heb “the
155 tn Heb “fathers.”
156 tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
157 tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
158 tn Heb “the
159 tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
160 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).
161 tn Heb “according to all the words.”
162 tn Heb “the
163 tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some
164 tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.
165 tn Heb “leave me alone.”
166 tn Heb “from under heaven.”
167 tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
168 tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.
169 tn Heb “the
170 tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
171 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).
172 tn Heb “the
173 tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
174 tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).
175 tn Heb “burned it with fire.”
176 sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the
177 sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.
178 sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).
179 tn Heb “the
180 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.
181 tn Heb “the
182 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
183 tn Heb “the
184 tn Heb “the
185 tn Heb “Lord
186 tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.
187 tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”
188 tn Heb “by your strong hand.”
189 tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (’am, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
190 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
191 tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.
192 tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”
193 tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.
194 sn The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the
195 sn Acacia wood (Heb “shittim wood”). This is wood from the acacia, the most common timber tree of the Sinai region. Most likely it is the species Acacia raddiana because this has the largest trunk. See F. N. Hepper, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.
196 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
197 tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.
198 tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”
199 tn Heb “the
200 tn Heb “the
201 sn Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan. This Hebrew name could be translated “the wells of Bene-Yaaqan” or “the wells of the sons of Yaaqan,” a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).
202 sn Moserah. Since Aaron in other texts (Num 20:28; 33:38) is said to have died on Mount Hor, this must be the Arabah region in which Hor was located.
203 sn Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).
204 sn Jotbathah. This place, whose Hebrew name can be translated “place of wadis,” is possibly modern Ain Tabah, just north of Eilat, or Tabah, 6.5 mi (11 km) south of Eilat on the west shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.
205 sn The
206 sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.
207 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
208 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
209 tn Heb “the
210 tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”
211 tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.
212 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).
213 tn Heb “the
214 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”
215 tn Heb “the
216 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
217 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
218 tn Heb “the
219 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
220 tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.
221 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).
222 tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
223 tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”
224 tn Heb “your praise.” The pronoun is subjective and the noun “praise” is used here metonymically for the object of their praise (the Lord).
225 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
226 tn This collocation of technical terms for elements of the covenant text lends support to its importance and also signals a new section of paraenesis in which Moses will exhort Israel to covenant obedience. The Hebrew term מִשְׁמָרוֹת (mishmarot, “obligations”) sums up the three terms that follow – חֻקֹּת (khuqot), מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishppatim), and מִצְוֹת (mitsot).
227 tn Heb “that not.” The words “I am speaking” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
228 tn Heb “who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord.” The collocation of the verbs “know” and “see” indicates that personal experience (knowing by seeing) is in view. The term translated “discipline” (KJV, ASV “chastisement”) may also be rendered “instruction,” but vv. 2b-6 indicate that the referent of the term is the various acts of divine judgment the Israelites had witnessed.
229 tn The words “which revealed” have been supplied in the translation to show the logical relationship between the terms that follow and the divine judgments. In the Hebrew text the former are in apposition to the latter.
230 tn Heb “his strong hand and his stretched-out arm.”
231 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 2-7 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the English translation divides the passage into three sentences. To facilitate this stylistic decision the words “They did not see” are supplied at the beginning of both v. 3 and v. 5, and “I am speaking” at the beginning of v. 7.
232 tn Heb “his signs and his deeds which he did” (NRSV similar). The collocation of “signs” and “deeds” indicates that these acts were intended to make an impression on observers and reveal something about God’s power (cf. v. 2b). The word “awesome” has been employed to bring out the force of the word “signs” in this context.
233 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
234 tn Heb “the
235 tn Heb “and the Lord destroyed them to this day” (cf. NRSV); NLT “he has kept them devastated to this very day.” The translation uses the verb “annihilated” to indicate the permanency of the action.
236 tn See note on these same words in v. 3.
237 sn Dathan and Abiram. These two (along with others) had challenged Moses’ leadership in the desert with the result that the earth beneath them opened up and they and their families disappeared (Num 16:1-3, 31-35).
238 tn Or “the descendant of Reuben”; Heb “son of Reuben.”
239 tn Heb “in the midst of all Israel” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB “among all Israel.” In the Hebrew text these words appear at the end of the verse, but they are logically connected with the verbs. To make this clear the translation places the phrase after the first verb.
240 tn Heb “their houses,” referring to all who lived in their household. Cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “households.”
241 tn Heb “and all the substance which was at their feet.”
242 tn On the addition of these words in the translation see note on “They did not see” in v. 3.
243 tn Heb “the commandment.” The singular מִצְוָה (mitsvah, “commandment”) speaks here as elsewhere of the whole corpus of covenant stipulations in Deuteronomy (cf. 6:1, 25; 7:11; 8:1).
244 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in vv. 13, 27).
245 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
246 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 21).
247 tn Heb “you are going there to possess it”; NASB “into which you are about to cross to possess it”; NRSV “that you are crossing over to occupy.”
248 tn Heb “with your foot” (so NASB, NLT). There is a two-fold significance to this phrase. First, Egypt had no rain so water supply depended on human efforts at irrigation. Second, the Nile was the source of irrigation waters but those waters sometimes had to be pumped into fields and gardens by foot-power, perhaps the kind of machinery (Arabic shaduf) still used by Egyptian farmers (see C. Aldred, The Egyptians, 181). Nevertheless, the translation uses “by hand,” since that expression is the more common English idiom for an activity performed by manual labor.
249 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
250 tn Heb “rain of heaven.”
251 tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.
252 tn Heb “the eyes of the
253 sn From the beginning to the end of the year. This refers to the agricultural year that was marked by the onset of the heavy rains, thus the autumn. See note on the phrase “the former and the latter rains” in v. 14.
254 tn Heb “if hearing, you will hear.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute to emphasize the verbal idea. The translation renders this emphasis with the word “close.”
255 tn Again, the Hebrew term אָהַב (’ahav) draws attention to the reciprocation of divine love as a condition or sign of covenant loyalty (cf. Deut 6:5).
256 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
257 tn The words “he promises” do not appear in the Hebrew text but are needed in the translation to facilitate the transition from the condition (v. 13) to the promise and make it clear that the Lord is speaking the words of vv. 14-15.
258 tn Heb “the rain of your land.” In this case the genitive (modifying term) indicates the recipient of the rain.
259 sn The autumn and the spring rains. The “former” (יוֹרֶה, yoreh) and “latter” (מַלְקוֹשׁ, malqosh) rains come in abundance respectively in September/October and March/April. Planting of most crops takes place before the former rains fall and the harvests follow the latter rains.
260 tn Heb “grass in your field.”
261 tn Heb “Watch yourselves lest your heart turns and you turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
262 tn Heb “will become hot”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “will be kindled”; NAB “will flare up”; NIV, NLT “will burn.”
263 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
264 tn Or “be destroyed”; NAB, NIV “will soon perish.”
265 tn Heb “the
266 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
267 tn On the Hebrew term טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “reminders”), cf. Deut 6:4-9.
268 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
269 tn Heb “like the days of the heavens upon the earth,” that is, forever.
270 tn Heb “this commandment.” See note at Deut 5:30.
271 tn Heb “commanding you to do it.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation and “to do it” has been left untranslated.
272 tn Heb “walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV); TEV “do everything he commands.”
273 tn Heb “the
274 tn Heb “the sole of your foot walks.” The placing of the foot symbolizes conquest and dominion, especially on land or on the necks of enemies (cf. Deut 1:36; Ps 7:13; Isa 63:3 Hab 3:19; Zech 9:13). See E. H. Merrill, NIDOTTE 1:992.
275 tn Heb “the after sea,” that is, the sea behind one when one is facing east, which is the normal OT orientation. Cf. ASV “the hinder sea.”
276 sn A blessing and a curse. Every extant treaty text of the late Bronze Age attests to a section known as the “blessings and curses,” the former for covenant loyalty and the latter for covenant breach. Blessings were promised rewards for obedience; curses were threatened judgments for disobedience. In the Book of Deuteronomy these are fully developed in 27:1–28:68. Here Moses adumbrates the whole by way of anticipation.
277 tn Heb “listen to,” that is, obey.
278 tn Heb “do not listen to,” that is, do not obey.
279 tn Heb “the commandments of the
280 tn Heb “am commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
281 tn Heb “walk after”; NIV “by following”; NLT “by worshiping.” This is a violation of the first commandment, the most serious of the covenant violations (Deut 5:6-7).
282 sn Mount Gerizim…Mount Ebal. These two mountains are near the ancient site of Shechem and the modern city of Nablus. The valley between them is like a great amphitheater with the mountain slopes as seating sections. The place was sacred because it was there that Abraham pitched his camp and built his first altar after coming to Canaan (Gen 12:6). Jacob also settled at Shechem for a time and dug a well from which Jesus once requested a drink of water (Gen 33:18-20; John 4:5-7). When Joshua and the Israelites finally brought Canaan under control they assembled at Shechem as Moses commanded and undertook a ritual of covenant reaffirmation (Josh 8:30-35; 24:1, 25). Half the tribes stood on Mt. Gerizim and half on Mt. Ebal and in antiphonal chorus pledged their loyalty to the
283 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
284 sn Gilgal. From a Hebrew verb root גָלַל (galal, “to roll”) this place name means “circle” or “rolling,” a name given because God had “rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (Josh 5:9). It is perhaps to be identified with Khirbet el-Metjir, 1.2 mi (2 km) northeast of OT Jericho.
285 tc The MT plural “oaks” (אֵלוֹנֵי, ’eloney) should probably be altered (with many Greek texts) to the singular “oak” (אֵלוֹן, ’elon; cf. NRSV) in line with the only other occurrence of the phrase (Gen 12:6). The Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J. read mmrá, confusing this place with the “oaks of Mamre” near Hebron (Gen 13:18). Smr also appears to confuse “Moreh” with “Mamre” (reading mwr’, a combined form), adding the clarification mwl shkm (“near Shechem”) apparently to distinguish it from Mamre near Hebron.