Deuteronomy 10:9

10:9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance ¹  among his brothers; ²  the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him.

Deuteronomy 12:23

12:23 However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself ³  – you must not eat the life with the meat!

Deuteronomy 15:12

Release of Debt Slaves

15:12 If your fellow Hebrew ⁴  – whether male or female ⁵  – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant ⁶  go free. ⁷ 

Deuteronomy 18:1

Provision for Priests and Levites

18:1 The Levitical priests ⁸  – indeed, the entire tribe of Levi – will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat the burnt offerings of the Lord and of his inheritance. ⁹ 

Deuteronomy 18:19

18:19 I will personally hold responsible ¹⁰  anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet ¹¹  speaks in my name.

Deuteronomy 22:4

22:4 When you see ¹²  your neighbor’s donkey or ox fallen along the road, do not ignore it; ¹³  instead, you must be sure ¹⁴  to help him get the animal on its feet again. ¹⁵ 

Deuteronomy 23:21

23:21 When you make a vow to the Lord your God you must not delay in fulfilling it, for otherwise he ¹⁶  will surely ¹⁷  hold you accountable as a sinner. ¹⁸ 

Deuteronomy 27:20

27:20 ‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with ¹⁹  his father’s former wife, ²⁰  for he dishonors his father.’ ²¹  Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Deuteronomy 27:22

27:22 ‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his sister, the daughter of either his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Deuteronomy 29:25

29:25 Then people will say, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 31:6

31:6 Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!”

Deuteronomy 31:8

31:8 The Lord is indeed going before you – he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”

Deuteronomy 32:24-25

32:24 They will be starved by famine,

eaten by plague, and bitterly stung; ²² 

I will send the teeth of wild animals against them,

along with the poison of creatures that crawl in the dust.

32:25 The sword will make people childless outside,

and terror will do so inside;

they will destroy ²³  both the young man and the virgin,

the infant and the gray-haired man.

Deuteronomy 33:21

33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,

for the portion of the ruler ²⁴  is set aside ²⁵  there;

he came with the leaders ²⁶  of the people,

he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord

and his ordinances with Israel.

[10:9]  ¹ 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 Lord himself was their apportionment, that is, service to him would be their full-time and lifelong privilege (Num 18:20-24; Deut 18:2; Josh 13:33).

[10:9]  ² tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.

[12:23]  ³ sn The blood is life itself. This is a figure of speech (metonymy) in which the cause or means (the blood) stands for the result or effect (life). That is, life depends upon the existence and circulation of blood, a truth known empirically but not scientifically tested and proved until the 17th century a.d. (cf. Lev 17:11).

[15:12]  ⁵ sn Elsewhere in the OT, the Israelites are called “Hebrews” (עִבְרִי, ’ivriy) by outsiders, rarely by themselves (cf. Gen 14:13; 39:14, 17; 41:12; Exod 1:15, 16, 19; 2:6, 7, 11, 13; 1 Sam 4:6; Jonah 1:9). Thus, here and in the parallel passage in Exod 21:2-6 the term עִבְרִי may designate non-Israelites, specifically a people well-known throughout the ancient Near East as ’apiru or habiru. They lived a rather vagabond lifestyle, frequently hiring themselves out as laborers or mercenary soldiers. While accounting nicely for the surprising use of the term here in an Israelite law code, the suggestion has against it the unlikelihood that a set of laws would address such a marginal people so specifically (as opposed to simply calling them aliens or the like). More likely עִבְרִי is chosen as a term to remind Israel that when they were “Hebrews,” that is, when they were in Egypt, they were slaves. Now that they are free they must not keep their fellow Israelites in economic bondage. See v. 15.

[15:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “your brother, a Hebrew (male) or Hebrew (female).”

[15:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “him.” The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.

[15:12]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text includes “from you.”

[18:1]  ⁷ tn The MT places the terms “priests” and “Levites” in apposition, thus creating an epexegetical construction in which the second term qualifies the first, i.e., “Levitical priests.” This is a way of asserting their legitimacy as true priests. The Syriac renders “to the priest and to the Levite,” making a distinction between the two, but one that is out of place here.

[18:1]  ⁸ sn Of his inheritance. This is a figurative way of speaking of the produce of the land the Lord will give to his people. It is the Lord’s inheritance, but the Levites are allowed to eat it since they themselves have no inheritance among the other tribes of Israel.

[18:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “will seek from him”; NAB “I myself will make him answer for it”; NRSV “will hold accountable.”

[18:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “you must not see.” See note at 22:1.

[22:4]  ¹² tn Heb “and (must not) hide yourself from them.”

[22:4]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “be sure.”

[22:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “help him to lift them up.” In keeping with English style the singular is used in the translation, and the referent (“the animal”) has been specified for clarity.

[23:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[23:21]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by “surely.”

[23:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and it will be a sin to you”; NIV, NCV, NLT “be guilty of sin.”

[27:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “who lies with” (so NASB, NRSV); also in vv. 22, 23. This is a Hebrew idiom for having sexual relations (cf. NIV “who sleeps with”; NLT “who has sexual intercourse with”).

[27:20]  ¹⁶ tn See note at Deut 22:30.

[27:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he uncovers his father’s skirt” (NASB similar). See note at Deut 22:30.

[32:24]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term קֶטֶב (qetev) is probably metaphorical here for the sting of a disease (HALOT 1091-92 s.v.).

[32:25]  ¹⁹ tn A verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text; for purposes of English style one suitable to the context is supplied.

[33:21]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew term מְחֹקֵק (mÿkhoqeq; Poel participle of חָקַק, khaqaq, “to inscribe”) reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments (the “ruler”) is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 444-45.

[33:21]  ²² tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).

[33:21]  ²³ tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).