Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 1:6--4:40
Context1:6 The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, “You have stayed 1 in the area of this mountain long enough. 1:7 Get up now, 2 resume your journey, heading for 3 the Amorite hill country, to all its areas 4 including the arid country, 5 the highlands, the Shephelah, 6 the Negev, 7 and the coastal plain – all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates. 1:8 Look! I have already given the land to you. 8 Go, occupy the territory that I, 9 the Lord, promised 10 to give to your ancestors 11 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.” 12 1:9 I also said to you at that time, “I am no longer able to sustain you by myself. 1:10 The Lord your God has increased your population 13 to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. 14 1:11 Indeed, may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you 15 just as he said he would! 1:12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? 1:13 Select wise and practical 16 men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.” 1:14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. 1:15 So I chose 17 as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials. 1:16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they 18 should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens 19 and judge fairly, 20 whether between one citizen and another 21 or a citizen and a resident foreigner. 22 1:17 They 23 must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly 24 and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing.
1:18 So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do. 1:19 Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense, forbidding wilderness that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the Lord our God had commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea. 1:20 Then I said to you, “You have come to the Amorite hill country which the Lord our God is about to give 25 us. 1:21 Look, he 26 has placed the land in front of you! 27 Go up, take possession of it, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!” 1:22 So all of you approached me and said, “Let’s send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there.” 1:23 I thought this was a good idea, 28 so I sent 29 twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 1:24 They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, 30 which they scouted out. 1:25 Then they took 31 some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying, “The land that the Lord our God is about to give us is good.”
1:26 You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the Lord your God. 32 1:27 You complained among yourselves privately 33 and said, “Because the Lord hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us! 1:28 What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage 34 by describing people who are more numerous 35 and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven 36 itself! Moreover, they said they saw 37 Anakites 38 there.” 1:29 So I responded to you, “Do not be terrified 39 of them! 1:30 The Lord your God is about to go 40 ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt 41 1:31 and in the desert, where you saw him 42 carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place.” 1:32 However, through all this you did not have confidence in the Lord your God, 1:33 the one who was constantly going before you to find places for you to set up camp. He appeared by fire at night and cloud by day, to show you the way you ought to go.
1:34 When the Lord heard you, he became angry and made this vow: 43 1:35 “Not a single person 44 of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors! 1:36 The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh; 45 he will see it and I will give him and his descendants the territory on which he has walked, because he has wholeheartedly followed me.” 46 1:37 As for me, the Lord was also angry with me on your account. He said, “You also will not be able to go there. 1:38 However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, 47 will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 48 1:39 Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, 49 and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad, 50 will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it. 1:40 But as for you, 51 turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea.” 52
1:41 Then you responded to me and admitted, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will now go up and fight as the Lord our God has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country. 1:42 But the Lord told me: “Tell them this: ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.’” 1:43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the Lord 53 and recklessly went up to the hill country. 1:44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area 54 confronted 55 you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah. 56 1:45 Then you came back and wept before the Lord, but he 57 paid no attention to you whatsoever. 58 1:46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time – indeed, for the full time. 59
2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea 60 just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time. 2:2 At this point the Lord said to me, 2:3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north. 2:4 Instruct 61 these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives 62 the descendants of Esau, 63 who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully. 2:5 Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir 64 as an inheritance for Esau. 2:6 You may purchase 65 food to eat and water to drink from them. 2:7 All along the way I, the Lord your God, 66 have blessed your every effort. 67 I have 68 been attentive to 69 your travels through this great wasteland. These forty years I have 70 been with you; you have lacked for nothing.’”
2:8 So we turned away from our relatives 71 the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the desert route, 72 from Elat 73 and Ezion Geber, 74 and traveling the way of the Moab wastelands. 2:9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have given Ar 75 to the descendants of Lot 76 as their possession. 2:10 (The Emites 77 used to live there, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. 2:11 These people, as well as the Anakites, are also considered Rephaites; 78 the Moabites call them Emites. 2:12 Previously the Horites 79 lived in Seir but the descendants of Esau dispossessed and destroyed them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land it came to possess, the land the Lord gave them.) 80 2:13 Now, get up and cross the Wadi Zered.” 81 So we did so. 82 2:14 Now the length of time it took for us to go from Kadesh Barnea to the crossing of Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, time for all the military men of that generation to die, just as the Lord had vowed to them. 2:15 Indeed, it was the very hand of the Lord that eliminated them from within 83 the camp until they were all gone.
2:16 So it was that after all the military men had been eliminated from the community, 84 2:17 the Lord said to me, 2:18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar. 85 2:19 But when you come close to the Ammonites, do not harass or provoke them because I am not giving you any of the Ammonites’ land as your possession; I have already given it to Lot’s descendants 86 as their possession.
2:20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites. 87 The Rephaites lived there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites. 88 2:21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaites 89 in advance of the Ammonites, 90 so they dispossessed them and settled down in their place. 2:22 This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and settle in their area to this very day. 2:23 As for the Avvites 91 who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtorites 92 who came from Crete 93 destroyed them and settled down in their place.)
2:24 Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, 94 and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war! 2:25 This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the earth 95 with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.” 96
2:26 Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth 97 Desert to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace: 2:27 “Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the roadway. 98 I will not turn aside to the right or the left. 2:28 Sell me food for cash 99 so that I can eat and sell me water to drink. 100 Just allow me to go through on foot, 2:29 just as the descendants of Esau who live at Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 2:30 But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because the Lord our 101 God had made him obstinate 102 and stubborn 103 so that he might deliver him over to you 104 this very day. 2:31 The Lord said to me, “Look! I have already begun to give over Sihon and his land to you. Start right now to take his land as your possession.” 2:32 When Sihon and all his troops 105 emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz, 106 2:33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with his sons 107 and everyone else. 108 2:34 At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of them 109 under divine judgment, 110 including even the women and children; we left no survivors. 2:35 We kept only the livestock and plunder from the cities for ourselves. 2:36 From Aroer, 111 which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi), 112 all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us – the Lord our God gave them all to us. 2:37 However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok, 113 the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the Lord our God.
3:1 Next we set out on 114 the route to Bashan, 115 but King Og of Bashan and his whole army 116 came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. 117 3:2 The Lord, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army, 118 and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.” 3:3 So the Lord our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole army and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left. 119 3:4 We captured all his cities at that time – there was not a town we did not take from them – sixty cities, all the region of Argob, 120 the dominion of Og in Bashan. 3:5 All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars; 121 in addition there were a great many open villages. 122 3:6 We put all of these under divine judgment 123 just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon – every occupied city, 124 including women and children. 3:7 But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves. 3:8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon 125 3:9 (the Sidonians 126 call Hermon Sirion 127 and the Amorites call it Senir), 128 3:10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah 129 and Edrei, 130 cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 3:11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy 131 that his sarcophagus 132 was made of iron. 133 Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath 134 of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet 135 long and six feet 136 wide according to standard measure.) 137
3:12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer 138 by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites. 139 3:13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. 140 (All the region of Argob, 141 that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim. 3:14 Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with the Geshurites 142 and Maacathites 143 (namely Bashan) and called it by his name, Havvoth-Jair, 144 which it retains to this very day.) 3:15 I gave Gilead to Machir. 145 3:16 To the Reubenites and Gadites I allocated the territory extending from Gilead as far as Wadi Arnon (the exact middle of the wadi was a boundary) all the way to the Wadi Jabbok, the Ammonite border. 3:17 The Arabah and the Jordan River 146 were also a border, from the sea of Chinnereth 147 to the sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea), 148 beneath the watershed 149 of Pisgah 150 to the east.
3:18 At that time I instructed you as follows: “The Lord your God has given you this land for your possession. You warriors are to cross over before your fellow Israelites 151 equipped for battle. 3:19 But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you. 3:20 You must fight 152 until the Lord gives your countrymen victory 153 as he did you and they take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory that I have given you.” 3:21 I also commanded Joshua at the same time, “You have seen everything the Lord your God did to these two kings; he 154 will do the same to all the kingdoms where you are going. 155 3:22 Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will personally fight for you.”
3:23 Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the Lord, 3:24 “O, Lord God, 156 you have begun to show me 157 your greatness and strength. 158 (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?) 3:25 Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River – this good hill country and the Lebanon!” 159 3:26 But the Lord was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me. Instead, he 160 said to me, “Enough of that! 161 Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 3:27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south, and east, 162 for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan. 3:28 Commission 163 Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.” 3:29 So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor. 164
4:1 Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances 165 I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 166 is giving you. 4:2 Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to 167 you. 4:3 You have witnessed what the Lord did at Baal Peor, 168 how he 169 eradicated from your midst everyone who followed Baal Peor. 170 4:4 But you who remained faithful to the Lord your God are still alive to this very day, every one of you. 4:5 Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord my God told me to do, so that you might carry them out in 171 the land you are about to enter and possess. 4:6 So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding 172 to the people who will learn of all these statutes and say, “Indeed, this great nation is a very wise 173 people.” 4:7 In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? 4:8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just 174 as this whole law 175 that I am about to share with 176 you today?
4:9 Again, however, pay very careful attention, 177 lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren. 4:10 You 178 stood before the Lord your God at Horeb and he 179 said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I can tell them my commands. 180 Then they will learn to revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their children.” 4:11 You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it 181 and yet dark with a thick cloud. 182 4:12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but you could not see anything – only a voice was heard. 183 4:13 And he revealed to you the covenant 184 he has commanded you to keep, the ten commandments, 185 writing them on two stone tablets. 4:14 Moreover, at that same time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to keep in the land which you are about to enter and possess. 186
4:15 Be very careful, 187 then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire. 4:16 I say this 188 so you will not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the form of any kind of figure. This includes the likeness of a human male or female, 4:17 any kind of land animal, any bird that flies in the sky, 4:18 anything that crawls 189 on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters of the earth. 190 4:19 When you look up 191 to the sky 192 and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation 193 – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, 194 for the Lord your God has assigned 195 them to all the people 196 of the world. 197 4:20 You, however, the Lord has selected and brought from Egypt, that iron-smelting furnace, 198 to be his special people 199 as you are today. 4:21 But the Lord became angry with me because of you and vowed that I would never cross the Jordan nor enter the good land that he 200 is about to give you. 201 4:22 So I must die here in this land; I will not cross the Jordan. But you are going over and will possess that 202 good land. 4:23 Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he has made with you, and that you do not make an image of any kind, just as he 203 has forbidden 204 you. 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God. 205
4:25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, 206 if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind 207 and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, 208 4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you 209 today that you will surely and swiftly be removed 210 from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be 211 annihilated. 4:27 Then the Lord will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few of you 212 among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 4:28 There you will worship gods made by human hands – wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. 4:29 But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. 213 4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, 214 if you return to the Lord your God and obey him 215 4:31 (for he 216 is a merciful God), he will not let you down 217 or destroy you, for he cannot 218 forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.
4:32 Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind 219 on the earth, and ask 220 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. 4:33 Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it? 4:34 Or has God 221 ever before tried to deliver 222 a nation from the middle of another nation, accompanied by judgments, 223 signs, wonders, war, strength, power, 224 and other very terrifying things like the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 4:35 You have been taught that the Lord alone is God – there is no other besides him. 4:36 From heaven he spoke to you in order to teach you, and on earth he showed you his great fire from which you also heard his words. 225 4:37 Moreover, because he loved 226 your ancestors, he chose their 227 descendants who followed them and personally brought you out of Egypt with his great power 4:38 to dispossess nations greater and stronger than you and brought you here this day to give you their land as your property. 228 4:39 Today realize and carefully consider that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below – there is no other! 4:40 Keep his statutes and commandments that I am setting forth 229 today so that it may go well with you and your descendants and that you may enjoy longevity in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you as a permanent possession.
[1:6] 1 tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.”
[1:7] 2 tn Heb “turn”; NAB “Leave here”; NIV, TEV “Break camp.”
[1:7] 4 tn Heb “its dwelling places.”
[1:7] 5 tn Heb “the Arabah” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:7] 6 tn Heb “lowlands” (so TEV) or “steppes”; NIV, CEV, NLT “the western foothills.”
[1:7] 7 sn The Hebrew term Negev means literally “desert” or “south” (so KJV, ASV). It refers to the area south of Beer Sheba and generally west of the Arabah Valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.
[1:8] 8 tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.”
[1:8] 9 tn Heb “the
[1:8] 10 tn Heb “swore” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to God’s promise, made by solemn oath, to give the patriarchs the land.
[1:8] 11 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35).
[1:8] 12 tn Heb “their seed after them.”
[1:10] 13 tn Heb “multiplied you.”
[1:10] 14 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[1:11] 15 tn Heb “may he bless you.”
[1:13] 16 tn The Hebrew verb נְבֹנִים (nÿvonim, from בִּין [bin]) is a Niphal referring to skill or intelligence (see T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:652-53).
[1:15] 17 tn Or “selected”; Heb “took.”
[1:16] 18 tn Or “you.” A number of English versions treat the remainder of this verse and v. 17 as direct discourse rather than indirect discourse (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:16] 19 tn Heb “brothers.” The term “brothers” could, in English, be understood to refer to siblings, so “fellow citizens” has been used in the translation.
[1:16] 20 tn The Hebrew word צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “fairly”) carries the basic idea of conformity to a norm of expected behavior or character, one established by God himself. Fair judgment adheres strictly to that norm or standard (see D. Reimer, NIDOTTE 3:750).
[1:16] 21 tn Heb “between a man and his brother.”
[1:16] 22 tn Heb “his stranger” or “his sojourner”; NAB, NIV “an alien”; NRSV “resident alien.” The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) commonly means “foreigner.”
[1:17] 23 tn Heb “you,” and throughout the verse (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[1:17] 24 tn Heb “the small,” but referring to social status, not physical stature.
[1:20] 25 tn The Hebrew participle has an imminent future sense here, although many English versions treat it as a present tense (“is giving us,” NAB, NIV, NRSV) or a predictive future (“will give us,” NCV).
[1:21] 26 tn Heb “the
[1:21] 27 tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:23] 28 tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.”
[1:23] 29 tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.”
[1:24] 30 tn Or “the Wadi Eshcol” (so NAB).
[1:25] 31 tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style.
[1:26] 32 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[1:27] 33 tn Heb “in your tents,” that is, privately.
[1:28] 34 tn Heb “have caused our hearts to melt.”
[1:28] 35 tn Heb “greater.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “stronger,” NAB, NIV, NRSV; “bigger,” NASB).
[1:28] 36 tn Or “as the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[1:28] 37 tn Heb “we have seen.”
[1:28] 38 tn Heb “the sons of the Anakim.”
[1:29] 39 tn Heb “do not tremble and do not be afraid.” Two synonymous commands are combined for emphasis.
[1:30] 40 tn The Hebrew participle indicates imminent future action here, though some English versions treat it as a predictive future (“will go ahead of you,” NCV; cf. also TEV, CEV).
[1:30] 41 tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”
[1:31] 42 tn Heb “the
[1:34] 43 tn Heb “and swore,” i.e., made an oath or vow.
[1:35] 44 tn Heb “Not a man among these men.”
[1:36] 45 sn Caleb had, with Joshua, brought back to Israel a minority report from Canaan urging a conquest of the land, for he was confident of the
[1:36] 46 tn Heb “the
[1:38] 47 tn Heb “the one who stands before you”; NAB “your aide”; TEV “your helper.”
[1:38] 48 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:39] 49 tn Heb “would be a prey.”
[1:39] 50 sn Do not know good from bad. This is a figure of speech called a merism (suggesting a whole by referring to its extreme opposites). Other examples are the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9), the boy who knows enough “to reject the wrong and choose the right” (Isa 7:16; 8:4), and those who “cannot tell their right hand from their left” (Jonah 4:11). A young child is characterized by lack of knowledge.
[1:40] 51 tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, as are the following verbs, indicating that Moses and the people are addressed (note v. 41).
[1:40] 52 tn Heb “the Reed Sea.” “Reed” is a better translation of the Hebrew סוּף (suf), traditionally rendered “red.” The name “Red Sea” is based on the LXX which referred to it as ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης (eruqra" qalassh", “red sea”). Nevertheless, because the body of water in question is known in modern times as the Red Sea, this term was used in the translation. The part of the Red Sea in view here is not the one crossed in the exodus but its eastern arm, now known as the Gulf of Eilat or Gulf of Aqaba.
[1:43] 53 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[1:44] 54 tn Heb “in that hill country,” repeating the end of v. 43.
[1:44] 55 tn Heb “came out to meet.”
[1:44] 56 sn Hormah is probably Khirbet el-Meshash, 5.5 mi (9 km) west of Arad and 7.5 mi (12 km) SE of Beer Sheba. Its name is a derivative of the verb חָרָם (kharam, “to ban; to exterminate”). See Num 21:3.
[1:45] 57 tn Heb “the
[1:45] 58 tn Heb “did not hear your voice and did not turn an ear to you.”
[1:46] 59 tn Heb “like the days which you lived.” This refers to the rest of the forty-year period in the desert before Israel arrived in Moab.
[2:1] 60 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.
[2:4] 61 tn Heb “command” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “charge the people as follows.”
[2:4] 62 tn Heb “brothers”; NAB “your kinsmen.”
[2:4] 63 sn The descendants of Esau (Heb “sons of Esau”; the phrase also occurs in 2:8, 12, 22, 29). These are the inhabitants of the land otherwise known as Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. Jacob’s brother Esau had settled there after his bitter strife with Jacob (Gen 36:1-8). “Edom” means “reddish,” probably because of the red sandstone of the region, but also by popular etymology because Esau, at birth, was reddish (Gen 25:25).
[2:5] 64 sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.
[2:6] 65 tn Heb includes “with silver.”
[2:7] 66 tn The Hebrew text does not have the first person pronoun; it has been supplied for purposes of English style (the Lord is speaking here).
[2:7] 67 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
[2:7] 68 tn Heb “he has.” This has been converted to first person in the translation in keeping with English style.
[2:7] 69 tn Heb “known” (so ASV, NASB); NAB “been concerned about.”
[2:7] 70 tn Heb “the
[2:8] 71 tn Or “brothers”; NRSV “our kin.”
[2:8] 72 tn Heb “the way of the Arabah” (so ASV); NASB, NIV “the Arabah road.”
[2:8] 73 sn Elat was a port city at the head of the eastern arm of the Red Sea, that is, the Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilat). Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28), Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22), and Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:5-6) used it as a port but eventually it became permanently part of Edom. It may be what is known today as Tell el-Kheleifeh. Modern Eilat is located further west along the northern coast. See G. Pratico, “Nelson Glueck’s 1938-1940 Excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh: A Reappraisal,” BASOR 259 (1985): 1-32.
[2:8] 74 sn Ezion Geber. A place near the Gulf of Aqaba, Ezion-geber must be distinguished from Elat (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 2 Chr 8:17-18). It was, however, also a port city (1 Kgs 22:48-49). It may be the same as the modern site Gezirat al-Fauran, 15 mi (24 km) south-southwest from Tell el-Kheleifah.
[2:9] 75 sn Ar was a Moabite city on the Arnon River east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned elsewhere in the “Book of the Wars of Yahweh” (Num 21:15; cf. 21:28; Isa 15:1). Here it is synonymous with the whole land of Moab.
[2:9] 76 sn The descendants of Lot. Following the destruction of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, as God’s judgment, Lot fathered two sons by his two daughters, namely, Moab and Ammon (Gen 19:30-38). Thus, these descendants of Lot in and around Ar were the Moabites.
[2:10] 77 sn Emites. These giant people, like the Anakites (Deut 1:28), were also known as Rephaites (v. 11). They appear elsewhere in the narrative of the invasion of the kings of the east where they are said to have lived around Shaveh Kiriathaim, perhaps 9 to 11 mi (15 to 18 km) east of the north end of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:5).
[2:11] 78 sn Rephaites. The earliest reference to this infamous giant race is, again, in the story of the invasion of the eastern kings (Gen 14:5). They lived around Ashteroth Karnaim, probably modern Tell Ashtarah (cf. Deut 1:4), in the Bashan plateau east of the Sea of Galilee. Og, king of Bashan, was a Rephaite (Deut 3:11; Josh 12:4; 13:12). Other texts speak of them or their kinfolk in both Transjordan (Deut 2:20; 3:13) and Canaan (Josh 11:21-22; 14:12, 15; 15:13-14; Judg 1:20; 1 Sam 17:4; 1 Chr 20:4-8). They also appear in extra-biblical literature, especially in connection with the city state of Ugarit. See C. L’Heureux, “Ugaritic and Biblical Rephaim,” HTR 67 (1974): 265-74.
[2:12] 79 sn Horites. Most likely these are the same as the well-known people of ancient Near Eastern texts described as Hurrians. They were geographically widespread and probably non-Semitic. Genesis speaks of them as the indigenous peoples of Edom that Esau expelled (Gen 36:8-19, 31-43) and also as among those who confronted the kings of the east (Gen 14:6).
[2:12] 80 tn Most modern English versions, beginning with the ASV (1901), regard vv. 10-12 as parenthetical to the narrative.
[2:13] 81 sn Wadi Zered. Now known as Wadi el-H£esa, this valley marked the boundary between Moab to the north and Edom to the south.
[2:13] 82 tn Heb “we crossed the Wadi Zered.” This has been translated as “we did so” for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[2:15] 83 tn Heb “from the middle of.” Although many recent English versions leave this expression untranslated, the point seems to be that these soldiers did not die in battle but “within the camp.”
[2:16] 84 tn Heb “and it was when they were eliminated, all the men of war, to die from the midst of the people.”
[2:18] 85 sn Ar. See note on this word in Deut 2:9.
[2:19] 86 sn Lot’s descendants. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:9.
[2:20] 87 sn Rephaites. See note on this word in Deut 2:11.
[2:20] 88 sn Zamzummites. Just as the Moabites called Rephaites by the name Emites, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (or Zazites; Gen 14:5).
[2:21] 89 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Rephaites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:21] 90 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Ammonites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:23] 91 sn Avvites. Otherwise unknown, these people were probably also Anakite (or Rephaite) giants who lived in the lower Mediterranean coastal plain until they were expelled by the Caphtorites.
[2:23] 92 sn Caphtorites. These peoples are familiar from both the OT (Gen 10:14; 1 Chr 1:12; Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7) and ancient Near Eastern texts (Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:37-38; ANET 138). They originated in Crete (OT “Caphtor”) and are identified as the ancestors of the Philistines (Gen 10:14; Jer 47:4).
[2:23] 93 tn Heb “Caphtor”; the modern name of the island of Crete is used in the translation for clarity (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
[2:24] 94 sn Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tell Hesba„n, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south southwest of Amman, Jordan). Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26-30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
[2:25] 95 tn Heb “under heaven” (so NIV, NRSV).
[2:25] 96 tn Heb “from before you.”
[2:26] 97 sn Kedemoth. This is probably Aleiyan, about 8 mi (13 km) north of the Arnon and between Dibon and Mattanah.
[2:27] 98 tn Heb “in the way in the way” (בַּדֶּרֶךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, baderekh baderekh). The repetition lays great stress on the idea of resolute determination to stick to the path. IBHS 116 §7.2.3c.
[2:28] 100 tn Heb “and water for silver give to me so that I may drink.”
[2:30] 101 tc The translation follows the LXX in reading the first person pronoun. The MT, followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”
[2:30] 102 tn Heb “hardened his spirit” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “made his spirit stubborn.”
[2:30] 103 tn Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “made his heart defiant.”
[2:30] 104 tn Heb “into your hand.”
[2:32] 106 sn Jahaz. This is probably Khirbet el-Medeiyineh. See J. Dearman, “The Levitical Cities of Reuben and Moabite Toponymy,” BASOR 276 (1984): 55-57.
[2:33] 107 tc The translation follows the Qere or marginal reading; the Kethib (consonantal text) has the singular, “his son.”
[2:33] 108 tn Heb “all his people.”
[2:34] 109 tn Heb “every city of men.” This apparently identifies the cities as inhabited.
[2:34] 110 tn Heb “under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). The verb employed is חָרַם (kharam, usually in the Hiphil) and the associated noun is חֵרֶם (kherem). See J. Naudé, NIDOTTE, 2:276-77, and, for a more thorough discussion, Susan Niditch, War in the Hebrew Bible, 28-77.
[2:36] 111 sn Aroer. Now known as àAraáir on the northern edge of the Arnon river, Aroer marked the southern limit of Moab and, later, of the allotment of the tribe of Reuben (Josh 13:9, 16).
[2:36] 112 tn Heb “the city in the wadi.” This enigmatic reference may refer to Ar or, more likely, to Aroer itself. Epexegetically the text might read, “From Aroer…, that is, the city in the wadi.” See D. L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–11 (WBC), 49.
[2:37] 113 sn Wadi Jabbok. Now known as the Zerqa River, this is a major tributary of the Jordan that normally served as a boundary between Ammon and Gad (Deut 3:16).
[3:1] 114 tn Heb “turned and went up.”
[3:1] 115 sn Bashan. This plateau country, famous for its oaks (Isa 2:13) and cattle (Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1), was north of Gilead along the Yarmuk River.
[3:1] 117 sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).
[3:3] 119 tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.
[3:4] 120 sn Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.
[3:5] 121 tn Or “high walls and barred gates” (NLT); Heb “high walls, gates, and bars.” Since “bars” could be understood to mean “saloons,” the qualifying adjective “locking” has been supplied in the translation.
[3:5] 122 tn The Hebrew term פְּרָזִי (pÿraziy) refers to rural areas, at the most “unwalled villages” (KJV, NASB “unwalled towns”).
[3:6] 123 tn Heb “we put them under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). See note at 2:34.
[3:6] 124 tn Heb “city of men.”
[3:8] 125 sn Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range known today as Jebel es-Sheik.
[3:9] 126 sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
[3:9] 127 sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See UT 495.
[3:9] 128 sn Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see ANET 280).
[3:10] 129 sn Salecah. Today this is known as Salkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
[3:10] 130 sn Edrei. See note on this term in 3:1.
[3:11] 131 tn Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[3:11] 132 tn The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (’eres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, “King Og’s Iron Bed: Fact or Fancy?” BR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt”; TEV, CEV “his coffin.”
[3:11] 133 tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.
[3:11] 134 sn Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means “great [one],” probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus “still remain[ed]” there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
[3:11] 135 tn Heb “nine cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 in (45 cm) for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long.
[3:11] 136 tn Heb “four cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.
[3:11] 137 tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).
[3:12] 138 tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[3:12] 139 sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
[3:13] 140 sn Half the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans, with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39-42; Josh 17:1-13).
[3:13] 141 sn Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.
[3:14] 142 sn Geshurites. Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere northeast of Bashan (cf. Josh 12:5 ; 13:11, 13). One of David’s wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur and mother of Absalom (cf. 2 Sam 13:37; 15:8; 1 Chr 3:2).
[3:14] 143 sn Maacathites. These were the people of a territory southwest of Mount Hermon on the Jordan River. The name probably has nothing to do with David’s wife from Geshur (see note on “Geshurites” earlier in this verse).
[3:14] 144 sn Havvoth-Jair. The Hebrew name means “villages of Jair,” the latter being named after a son (i.e., descendant) of Manasseh who took the area by conquest.
[3:15] 145 sn Machir was the name of another descendant of Manasseh (cf. Num 32:41; 1 Chr 7:14-19). Eastern Manasseh was thus divided between the Jairites and the Machirites.
[3:17] 146 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).
[3:17] 147 tn Heb “from Chinnereth.” The words “the sea of” have been supplied in the translation as a clarification.
[3:17] 148 sn The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).
[3:17] 149 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term אַשְׁדֹּת (’ashdot) is unclear. It is usually translated either “slopes” (ASV, NAB, NIV) or “watershed” (NEB).
[3:17] 150 sn Pisgah. This appears to refer to a small range of mountains, the most prominent peak of which is Mount Nebo (Num 21:20; 23:14; Deut 3:27; cf. 34:1).
[3:18] 151 tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”
[3:20] 152 tn The words “you must fight” are not present in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[3:20] 153 tn Heb “gives your brothers rest.”
[3:21] 154 tn Heb “the
[3:21] 155 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there.”
[3:24] 156 tn Heb “Lord
[3:24] 157 tn Heb “your servant.” The pronoun is used in the translation to clarify that Moses is speaking of himself, since in contemporary English one does not usually refer to oneself in third person.
[3:24] 158 tn Heb “your strong hand” (so NIV), a symbol of God’s activity.
[3:25] 159 tn The article is retained in the translation (“the Lebanon,” cf. also NAB, NRSV) to indicate that a region (rather than the modern country of Lebanon) is referred to here. Other recent English versions accomplish this by supplying “mountains” after “Lebanon” (TEV, CEV, NLT).
[3:26] 160 tn Heb “the
[3:26] 161 tn Heb “much to you” (an idiom).
[3:27] 162 tn Heb “lift your eyes to the west, north, south, and east and see with your eyes.” The translation omits the repetition of “your eyes” for stylistic reasons.
[3:28] 163 tn Heb “command”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “charge Joshua.”
[3:29] 164 sn Beth Peor. This is probably the spot near Pisgah where Balaam attempted to curse the nation Israel (Num 23:28). The Moabites also worshiped Baal there by the name “Baal [of] Peor” (Num 25:1-5).
[4:1] 165 tn These technical Hebrew terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) occur repeatedly throughout the Book of Deuteronomy to describe the covenant stipulations to which Israel had been called to subscribe (see, in this chapter alone, vv. 1, 5, 6, 8). The word חֻקִּים derives from the verb חֹק (khoq, “to inscribe; to carve”) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim) from שָׁפַט (shafat, “to judge”). They are virtually synonymous and are used interchangeably in Deuteronomy.
[4:1] 166 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 37).
[4:2] 167 tn Heb “commanding.”
[4:3] 168 tc The LXX and Syriac read “to Baal Peor,” that is, the god worshiped at that place; see note on the name “Beth Peor” in Deut 3:29.
[4:3] 169 tn Heb “the
[4:3] 170 tn Or “
[4:5] 171 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so ASV).
[4:6] 172 tn Heb “it is wisdom and understanding.”
[4:6] 173 tn Heb “wise and understanding.”
[4:8] 174 tn Or “pure”; or “fair”; Heb “righteous.”
[4:8] 175 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.
[4:8] 176 tn Heb “place before.”
[4:9] 177 tn Heb “watch yourself and watch your soul carefully.”
[4:10] 178 tn The text begins with “(the) day (in) which.” In the Hebrew text v. 10 is subordinate to v. 11, but for stylistic reasons the translation treats v. 10 as an independent clause, necessitating the omission of the subordinating temporal phrase at the beginning of the verse.
[4:10] 179 tn Heb “the
[4:10] 180 tn Heb “my words.” See v. 13; in Hebrew the “ten commandments” are the “ten words.”
[4:11] 181 tn Heb “a mountain burning with fire as far as the heart of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[4:11] 182 tn Heb “darkness, cloud, and heavy cloud.”
[4:12] 183 tn The words “was heard” are supplied in the translation to avoid the impression that the voice was seen.
[4:13] 184 sn This is the first occurrence of the word בְּרִית (bÿrit, “covenant”) in the Book of Deuteronomy but it appears commonly hereafter (4:23, 31; 5:2, 3; 7:9, 12; 8:18; 9:9, 10, 11, 15; 10:2, 4, 5, 8; 17:2; 29:1, 9, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 25; 31:9, 16, 20, 25, 26; 33:9). Etymologically, it derives from the notion of linking or yoking together. See M. Weinfeld, TDOT 2:255.
[4:13] 185 tn Heb “the ten words.”
[4:14] 186 tn Heb “to which you are crossing over to possess it.”
[4:15] 187 tn Heb “give great care to your souls.”
[4:16] 188 tn The words “I say this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 16 is subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.
[4:18] 189 tn Heb “creeping thing.”
[4:18] 190 tn Heb “under the earth.”
[4:19] 191 tn Heb “lest you lift up your eyes.” In the Hebrew text vv. 16-19 are subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.
[4:19] 192 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[4:19] 193 tn Heb “all the host of heaven.”
[4:19] 194 tn In the Hebrew text the verbal sequence in v. 19 is “lest you look up…and see…and be seduced…and worship them…and serve them.” However, the first two actions are not prohibited in and of themselves. The prohibition pertains to the final three actions. The first two verbs describe actions that are logically subordinate to the following actions and can be treated as temporal or circumstantial: “lest, looking up…and seeing…, you are seduced.” See Joüon 2:635 §168.h.
[4:19] 197 tn Heb “under all the heaven.”
[4:20] 198 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.
[4:20] 199 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.
[4:21] 200 tn Heb “the
[4:21] 201 tn The Hebrew text includes “(as) an inheritance,” or “(as) a possession.”
[4:22] 202 tn Heb “this.” The translation uses “that” to avoid confusion; earlier in the verse Moses refers to Transjordan as “this land.”
[4:23] 203 tn Heb “the
[4:23] 204 tn Heb “commanded.”
[4:24] 205 tn The juxtaposition of the Hebrew terms אֵשׁ (’esh, “fire”) and קַנָּא (qanna’, “jealous”) is interesting in light of Deut 6:15 where the
[4:25] 206 tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.
[4:25] 207 tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”
[4:25] 208 tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.
[4:26] 209 sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the
[4:26] 210 tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”
[4:26] 211 tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.
[4:27] 212 tn Heb “you will be left men (i.e., few) of number.”
[4:29] 213 tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.
[4:30] 214 sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.
[4:30] 215 tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.
[4:31] 216 tn Heb “the
[4:31] 217 tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[4:31] 218 tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.
[4:32] 219 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.
[4:32] 220 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.
[4:34] 221 tn The translation assumes the reference is to Israel’s God in which case the point is this: God’s intervention in Israel’s experience is unique in the sense that he has never intervened in such power for any other people on earth. The focus is on the uniqueness of Israel’s experience. Some understand the divine name here in a generic sense, “a god,” or “any god.” In this case God’s incomparability is the focus (cf. v. 35, where this theme is expressed).
[4:34] 222 tn Heb “tried to go to take for himself.”
[4:34] 223 tn Heb “by testings.” The reference here is the judgments upon Pharaoh in the form of plagues. See Deut 7:19 (cf. v. 18) and 29:3 (cf. v. 2).
[4:34] 224 tn Heb “by strong hand and by outstretched arm.”
[4:36] 225 tn Heb “and his words you heard from the midst of the fire.”
[4:37] 226 tn The concept of love here is not primarily that of emotional affection but of commitment or devotion. This verse suggests that God chose Israel to be his special people because he loved the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and had promised to bless their descendants. See as well Deut 7:7-9.
[4:37] 227 tc The LXX, Smr, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read a third person masculine plural suffix for the MT’s 3rd person masculine singular, “his descendants.” Cf. Deut 10:15. Quite likely the MT should be emended in this instance.
[4:38] 228 tn Heb “(as) an inheritance,” that is, landed property that one can pass on to one’s descendants.
