Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 25:1
Context25:1 If controversy arises between people, 1 they should go to court for judgment. When the judges 2 hear the case, they shall exonerate 3 the innocent but condemn 4 the guilty.
Deuteronomy 13:1-18
Context13:1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams 5 should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, 6 13:2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” 13:3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, 7 for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him 8 with all your mind and being. 9 13:4 You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 13:5 As for that prophet or dreamer, 10 he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge out evil from within. 11
13:6 Suppose your own full brother, 12 your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods 13 that neither you nor your ancestors 14 have previously known, 15 13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth 16 to the other). 13:8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! 17 Your own hand must be the first to strike him, 18 and then the hands of the whole community. 13:10 You must stone him to death 19 because he tried to entice you away from the Lord your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 13:11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you. 20
13:12 Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13:13 some evil people 21 have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, 22 saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). 23 13:14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, 24 13:15 you must by all means 25 slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate 26 with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. 13:16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza 27 and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin 28 forever – it must never be rebuilt again. 13:17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. 29 Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. 13:18 Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving 30 you today and doing what is right 31 before him. 32
Deuteronomy 1:1-46
Context1:1 This is what 33 Moses said to the assembly of Israel 34 in the Transjordanian 35 wastelands, the arid country opposite 36 Suph, 37 between 38 Paran 39 and Tophel, 40 Laban, 41 Hazeroth, 42 and Di Zahab 43 1:2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey 44 from Horeb 45 to Kadesh Barnea 46 by way of Mount Seir. 47 1:3 However, it was not until 48 the first day of the eleventh month 49 of the fortieth year 50 that Moses addressed the Israelites just as 51 the Lord had instructed him to do. 1:4 This took place after the defeat 52 of King Sihon 53 of the Amorites, whose capital was 54 in Heshbon, 55 and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was 56 in Ashtaroth, 57 specifically in Edrei. 58 1:5 So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words: 59
1:6 The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, “You have stayed 60 in the area of this mountain long enough. 1:7 Get up now, 61 resume your journey, heading for 62 the Amorite hill country, to all its areas 63 including the arid country, 64 the highlands, the Shephelah, 65 the Negev, 66 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. 67 Go, occupy the territory that I, 68 the Lord, promised 69 to give to your ancestors 70 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.” 71 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 72 to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. 73 1:11 Indeed, may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you 74 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 75 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 76 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 77 should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens 78 and judge fairly, 79 whether between one citizen and another 80 or a citizen and a resident foreigner. 81 1:17 They 82 must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly 83 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 84 us. 1:21 Look, he 85 has placed the land in front of you! 86 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, 87 so I sent 88 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, 89 which they scouted out. 1:25 Then they took 90 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. 91 1:27 You complained among yourselves privately 92 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 93 by describing people who are more numerous 94 and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven 95 itself! Moreover, they said they saw 96 Anakites 97 there.” 1:29 So I responded to you, “Do not be terrified 98 of them! 1:30 The Lord your God is about to go 99 ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt 100 1:31 and in the desert, where you saw him 101 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: 102 1:35 “Not a single person 103 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; 104 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.” 105 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, 106 will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 107 1:39 Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, 108 and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad, 109 will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it. 1:40 But as for you, 110 turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea.” 111
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 112 and recklessly went up to the hill country. 1:44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area 113 confronted 114 you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah. 115 1:45 Then you came back and wept before the Lord, but he 116 paid no attention to you whatsoever. 117 1:46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time – indeed, for the full time. 118
[25:1] 2 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:1] 3 tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”
[25:1] 4 tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”
[13:1] 5 tn Heb “or a dreamer of dreams” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). The difference between a prophet (נָבִיא, navi’) and one who foretells by dreams (חֹלֵם אוֹ, ’o kholem) was not so much one of office – for both received revelation by dreams (cf. Num 12:6) – as it was of function or emphasis. The prophet was more a proclaimer and interpreter of revelation whereas the one who foretold by dreams was a receiver of revelation. In later times the role of the one who foretold by dreams was abused and thus denigrated as compared to that of the prophet (cf. Jer 23:28).
[13:1] 6 tn The expression אוֹת אוֹ מוֹפֵת (’ot ’o mofet) became a formulaic way of speaking of ways of authenticating prophetic messages or other works of God (cf. Deut 28:46; Isa 20:3). The NT equivalent is the Greek term σημεῖον (shmeion), a sign performed (used frequently in the Gospel of John, cf. 2:11, 18; 20:30-31). They could, however, be counterfeited or (as here) permitted to false prophets by the
[13:3] 9 tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.
[13:3] 10 tn Heb “the
[13:3] 11 tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[13:5] 13 tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.
[13:5] 14 tn Heb “your midst” (so NAB, NRSV). The severity of the judgment here (i.e., capital punishment) is because of the severity of the sin, namely, high treason against the Great King. Idolatry is a violation of the first two commandments (Deut 5:6-10) as well as the spirit and intent of the Shema (Deut 6:4-5).
[13:6] 17 tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.
[13:6] 18 tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”
[13:6] 19 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).
[13:6] 20 tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).
[13:7] 21 tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”
[13:9] 25 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).
[13:9] 26 tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.
[13:10] 29 sn Execution by means of pelting the offender with stones afforded a mechanism whereby the whole community could share in it. In a very real sense it could be done not only in the name of the community and on its behalf but by its members (cf. Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Deut 21:21; Josh 7:25).
[13:11] 33 sn Some see in this statement an argument for the deterrent effect of capital punishment (Deut 17:13; 19:20; 21:21).
[13:13] 37 tn Heb “men, sons of Belial.” The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל (bÿliyya’al) has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 133-34 s.v.). Cf. NAB, NRSV “scoundrels”; TEV, CEV “worthless people”; NLT “worthless rabble.”
[13:13] 38 tc The LXX and Tg read “your” for the MT’s “their.”
[13:13] 39 tn The translation understands the relative clause as a statement by Moses, not as part of the quotation from the evildoers. See also v. 2.
[13:14] 41 tc Theodotian adds “in Israel,” perhaps to broaden the matter beyond the local village.
[13:15] 45 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “by all means.” Cf. KJV, NASB “surely”; NIV “certainly.”
[13:15] 46 tn Or “put under divine judgment. The Hebrew word (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to placing persons or things under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction.Though primarily applied against the heathen, this severe judgment could also fall upon unrepentant Israelites (cf. the story of Achan in Josh 7). See also the note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
[13:16] 50 tn Heb “mound”; NAB “a heap of ruins.” The Hebrew word תֵּל (tel) refers to this day to a ruin represented especially by a built-up mound of dirt or debris (cf. Tel Aviv, “mound of grain”).
[13:17] 53 tn Or “anything that has been put under the divine curse”; Heb “anything of the ban” (cf. NASB). See note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
[13:18] 57 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
[13:18] 58 tc The LXX and Smr add “and good” to bring the phrase in line with a familiar cliché (cf. Deut 6:18; Josh 9:25; 2 Kgs 10:3; 2 Chr 14:1; etc.). This is an unnecessary and improper attempt to force a text into a preconceived mold.
[13:18] 59 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
[1:1] 61 tn Heb “These are the words.”
[1:1] 62 tn Heb “to all Israel.”
[1:1] 63 tn Heb “on the other side of the Jordan.” This would appear to favor authorship by someone living on the west side of the Jordan, that is, in Canaan, whereas the biblical tradition locates Moses on the east side (cf. v. 5). However the Hebrew phrase בְּעֵבֶר הַיּרְדֵּן (bÿ’ever hayyrÿden) is a frozen form meaning “Transjordan,” a name appropriate from any geographical vantage point. To this day, one standing east of the Jordan can describe himself as being in Transjordan.
[1:1] 64 tn The Hebrew term מוֹל (mol) may also mean “in front of” or “near” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
[1:1] 65 sn This place is otherwise unattested and its location is unknown. Perhaps it is Khirbet Sufah, 4 mi (6 km) SSE of Madaba, Jordan.
[1:1] 66 tn The Hebrew term בֵּין (ben) may suggest “in the area of.”
[1:1] 67 sn Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Num 10:12; 12:16).
[1:1] 68 sn Tophel refers possibly to et£-T£afîleh, 15 mi (25 km) SE of the Dead Sea, or to Da‚bîlu, another name for Paran. See H. Cazelles, “Tophel (Deut. 1:1),” VT 9 (1959): 412-15.
[1:1] 69 sn Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Num 33:20).
[1:1] 70 sn Hazeroth. This probably refers to àAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200.
[1:1] 71 sn Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the eastern Sinai coast.
[1:2] 65 sn An eleven-day journey was about 140 mi (233 km).
[1:2] 66 sn Horeb is another name for Sinai. “Horeb” occurs 9 times in the Book of Deuteronomy and “Sinai” only once (33:2). “Sinai” occurs 13 times in the Book of Exodus and “Horeb” only 3 times.
[1:2] 67 sn Kadesh Barnea. Possibly this refers to àAin Qudeis, about 50 mi (80 km) southwest of Beer Sheba, but more likely to àAin Qudeirat, 5 mi (8 km) NW of àAin Qudeis. See R. Cohen, “Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?” BAR 7 (1981): 20-33.
[1:2] 68 sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom. “By way of Mount Seir” refers to the route from Horeb that ended up in Edom Cf. CEV “by way of the Mount Seir Road”; TEV “by way of the hill country of Edom.”
[1:3] 69 tn Heb “in” or “on.” Here there is a contrast between the ordinary time of eleven days (v. 2) and the actual time of forty years, so “not until” brings out that vast disparity.
[1:3] 70 sn The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar.
[1:3] 71 sn The fortieth year would be 1406
[1:3] 72 tn Heb “according to all which.”
[1:4] 73 tn Heb “when he struck [or “smote”].”
[1:4] 74 sn See Deut 2:26–3:22.
[1:4] 76 sn Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesban, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south southwest of Amman, Jordan.
[1:4] 78 sn Ashtaroth is probably Tell àAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee.
[1:4] 79 sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31).
[1:5] 77 tn Heb “this instruction”; KJV, NIV, NRSV “this law”; TEV “God’s laws and teachings.” The Hebrew noun תוֹרָה (torah) is derived from the verb יָרָה (yarah, “to teach”) and here it refers to the Book of Deuteronomy, not the Pentateuch as a whole.
[1:6] 81 tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.”
[1:7] 85 tn Heb “turn”; NAB “Leave here”; NIV, TEV “Break camp.”
[1:7] 87 tn Heb “its dwelling places.”
[1:7] 88 tn Heb “the Arabah” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:7] 89 tn Heb “lowlands” (so TEV) or “steppes”; NIV, CEV, NLT “the western foothills.”
[1:7] 90 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] 89 tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.”
[1:8] 90 tn Heb “the
[1:8] 91 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] 92 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35).
[1:8] 93 tn Heb “their seed after them.”
[1:10] 93 tn Heb “multiplied you.”
[1:10] 94 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[1:11] 97 tn Heb “may he bless you.”
[1:13] 101 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] 105 tn Or “selected”; Heb “took.”
[1:16] 109 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] 110 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] 111 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] 112 tn Heb “between a man and his brother.”
[1:16] 113 tn Heb “his stranger” or “his sojourner”; NAB, NIV “an alien”; NRSV “resident alien.” The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) commonly means “foreigner.”
[1:17] 113 tn Heb “you,” and throughout the verse (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[1:17] 114 tn Heb “the small,” but referring to social status, not physical stature.
[1:20] 117 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] 121 tn Heb “the
[1:21] 122 tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:23] 125 tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.”
[1:23] 126 tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.”
[1:24] 129 tn Or “the Wadi Eshcol” (so NAB).
[1:25] 133 tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style.
[1:26] 137 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[1:27] 141 tn Heb “in your tents,” that is, privately.
[1:28] 145 tn Heb “have caused our hearts to melt.”
[1:28] 146 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] 147 tn Or “as the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[1:28] 148 tn Heb “we have seen.”
[1:28] 149 tn Heb “the sons of the Anakim.”
[1:29] 149 tn Heb “do not tremble and do not be afraid.” Two synonymous commands are combined for emphasis.
[1:30] 153 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] 154 tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”
[1:31] 157 tn Heb “the
[1:34] 161 tn Heb “and swore,” i.e., made an oath or vow.
[1:35] 165 tn Heb “Not a man among these men.”
[1:36] 169 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] 170 tn Heb “the
[1:38] 173 tn Heb “the one who stands before you”; NAB “your aide”; TEV “your helper.”
[1:38] 174 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:39] 177 tn Heb “would be a prey.”
[1:39] 178 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] 181 tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, as are the following verbs, indicating that Moses and the people are addressed (note v. 41).
[1:40] 182 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] 185 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[1:44] 189 tn Heb “in that hill country,” repeating the end of v. 43.
[1:44] 190 tn Heb “came out to meet.”
[1:44] 191 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] 193 tn Heb “the
[1:45] 194 tn Heb “did not hear your voice and did not turn an ear to you.”
[1:46] 197 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.
