4:44 This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites. 2 4:45 These are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that Moses spoke to the Israelites after he had brought them out of Egypt,
6:1 Now these are the commandments, 7 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 8 6:2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments 9 that I am giving 10 you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days.
12:32 (13:1) 11 You 12 must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! 13
12:1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 14 has given you to possess. 15
19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 22
and make one joyful. 23
The Lord’s commands 24 are pure 25
and give insight for life. 26
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 27
and endure forever. 28
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 29
19:10 They are of greater value 30 than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight 31 than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; 32
those who obey them receive a rich reward. 33
105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,
and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 34
105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 35 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31).
2 tn Heb “the sons of Israel” (likewise in the following verse).
3 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.
4 tn Heb “to possess it” (so KJV, ASV); NLT “as their inheritance.”
5 tn Heb “the
6 tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”
7 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.
8 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”
9 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.
10 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
11 sn Beginning with 12:32, the verse numbers through 13:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 12:32 ET = 13:1 HT, 13:1 ET = 13:2 HT, 13:2 ET = 13:3 HT, etc., through 13:18 ET = 13:19 HT. With 14:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
12 tn This verse highlights a phenomenon found throughout Deuteronomy, but most especially in chap. 12, namely, the alternation of grammatical singular and plural forms of the pronoun (known as Numeruswechsel in German scholarship). Critical scholarship in general resolves the “problem” by suggesting varying literary traditions – one favorable to the singular pronoun and the other to the plural – which appear in the (obviously rough) redacted text at hand. Even the ancient versions were troubled by the lack of harmony of grammatical number and in this verse, for example, offered a number of alternate readings. The MT reads “Everything I am commanding you (plural) you (plural) must be careful to do; you (singular) must not add to it nor should you (singular) subtract form it.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate suggest singular for the first two pronouns but a few Smr
13 sn Do not add to it or subtract from it. This prohibition makes at least two profound theological points: (1) This work by Moses is of divine origination (i.e., it is inspired) and therefore can tolerate no human alteration; and (2) the work is complete as it stands (i.e., it is canonical).
14 tn Heb “fathers.”
15 tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the
16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 tn Heb “in his heart.”
18 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
19 tn Heb “heart.”
20 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
21 tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches – “the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
22 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
23 tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.
24 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
25 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
26 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
27 tn Heb “the fear of the
28 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
29 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
30 tn Heb “more desirable.”
31 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
32 tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”
33 tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”
34 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”
35 tn Heb “guard.”