Deuteronomy 29:19-21

Context
29:19 When such a person¹ hears the words of this oath he secretly² blesses himself³ and says, “I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.”⁴ This will destroy⁵ the watered ground with the parched.⁶ 29:20 The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger⁷ will rage⁸ against that man; all the curses⁹ written in this scroll will fall upon him¹⁰ and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory.¹¹ 29:21 The Lord will single him out¹² for judgment¹³ from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law.

[29:19] ¹tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:19] ²tn Heb “in his heart.”

[29:19] ³tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.

[29:19] ⁴tn Heb “heart.”

[29:19] ⁵tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.

[29:19] ⁶tn 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.”

[29:20] ⁷tn Heb “the wrath of the Lord and his zeal.” The expression is a hendiadys, a figure in which the second noun becomes adjectival to the first.

[29:20] ⁸tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”

[29:20] ⁹tn Heb “the entire oath.”

[29:20] ¹⁰tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”

[29:20] ¹¹tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”

[29:21] ¹²tn Heb “set him apart.”

[29:21] ¹³tn Heb “for evil”; NAB “for doom”; NASB “for adversity”; NIV “for disaster”; NRSV “for calamity.”