Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 11:30
Context11:30 Are they not across the Jordan River, 1 toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal 2 near the oak 3 of Moreh?
Deuteronomy 20:5-7
Context20:5 Moreover, the officers are to say to the troops, 4 “Who among you 5 has built a new house and not dedicated 6 it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else 7 dedicate it. 20:6 Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it. 20:7 Or who among you 8 has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.”
[11:30] 1 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:30] 2 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.
[11:30] 3 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.
[20:5] 4 tn Heb “people” (also in vv. 8, 9).
[20:5] 5 tn Heb “Who [is] the man” (also in vv. 6, 7, 8).
[20:5] 6 tn The Hebrew term חָנַךְ (khanakh) occurs elsewhere only with respect to the dedication of Solomon’s temple (1 Kgs 8:63 = 2 Chr 7:5). There it has a religious connotation which, indeed, may be the case here as well. The noun form (חָנֻכָּה, khanukah) is associated with the consecration of the great temple altar (2 Chr 7:9) and of the postexilic wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12:27). In Maccabean times the festival of Hanukkah was introduced to celebrate the rededication of the temple following its desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1 Macc 4:36-61).
