Deuteronomy 31:14-29

Context

The Commissioning of Joshua

31:14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The day of your death is near. Summon Joshua and present yourselves in the tent¹ of meeting² so that I can commission him.”³ So Moses and Joshua presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 31:15 The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud that⁴ stood above the door of the tent. 31:16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die,⁵ and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they⁶ are going. They⁷ will reject⁸ me and break my covenant that I have made with them.⁹ 31:17 At that time¹⁰ my anger will erupt against them¹¹ and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome¹² them¹³ so that they¹⁴ will say at that time, ‘Have not these disasters¹⁵ overcome us¹⁶ because our¹⁷ God is not among us¹⁸?’ 31:18 But I will certainly¹⁹ hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness they²⁰ will have done by turning to other gods. 31:19 Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my witness against the Israelites! 31:20 For after I have brought them²¹ to the land I promised to their²² ancestors – one flowing with milk and honey – and they²³ eat their fill²⁴ and become fat, then they²⁵ will turn to other gods and worship them; they will reject me and break my covenant. 31:21 Then when²⁶ many disasters and distresses overcome them²⁷ this song will testify against them,²⁸ for their²⁹ descendants will not forget it.³⁰ I know the³¹ intentions they have in mind³² today, even before I bring them³³ to the land I have promised.” 31:22 So on that day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites, 31:23 and the Lord³⁴ commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will take the Israelites to the land I have promised them, and I will be with you.”³⁵

Anticipation of Disobedience

31:24 When Moses finished writing on a scroll the words of this law in their entirety, 31:25 he³⁶ commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, 31:26 “Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. It will remain there as a witness against you, 31:27 for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness.³⁷ Indeed, even while I have been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the Lord; you will be even more rebellious after my death!³⁸ 31:28 Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 31:29 For I know that after I die you will totally³⁹ corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly⁴⁰ before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions.”⁴¹

[31:14] ¹tc The LXX reads “by the door of the tent” in line with v. 10 but also, perhaps, as a reflection of its tendency to avoid over-familiarity with Yahweh and his transcendence.

[31:14] ²tn Heb “tent of assembly” (מוֹעֵד אֹהֶל, ’ohel mo’ed); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling-place”), a reference to its being invested with God’s presence. The “tent of meeting” was erected earlier than the tabernacle and was the place where Yahweh occasionally appeared, especially to Moses (cf. Exod 18:7-16; 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 24, 26; 12:4).

[31:14] ³tn Heb “I will command him.”

[31:15] ⁴tn Heb “and the pillar of cloud.” This phrase was not repeated in the translation; a relative clause was used instead.

[31:16] ⁵tn Heb “lie down with your fathers” (so NASB); NRSV “ancestors.”

[31:16] ⁶tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style. The third person singular also occurs in the Hebrew text twice more in this verse, three times in v. 17, once in v. 18, five times in v. 20, and four times in v. 21. Each time it is translated as third person plural for stylistic reasons.

[31:16] ⁷tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:16] ⁸tn Or “abandon” (TEV, NLT).

[31:16] ⁹tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17] ¹⁰tn Heb “on that day.” This same expression also appears later in the verse and in v. 18.

[31:17] ¹¹tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17] ¹²tn Heb “find,” “encounter.”

[31:17] ¹³tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17] ¹⁴tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17] ¹⁵tn Heb “evils.”

[31:17] ¹⁶tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.

[31:17] ¹⁷tn Heb “my.”

[31:17] ¹⁸tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.

[31:18] ¹⁹tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”

[31:18] ²⁰tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:20] ²¹tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:20] ²²tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:20] ²³tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:20] ²⁴tn Heb “and are satisfied.”

[31:20] ²⁵tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21] ²⁶tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”

[31:21] ²⁷tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21] ²⁸tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21] ²⁹tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21] ³⁰tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”

[31:21] ³¹tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21] ³²tn Heb “which he is doing.”

[31:21] ³³tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:23] ³⁴tn Heb “he.” Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as “the Lord” in the translation for clarity. See also the note on the word “you” later in this verse.

[31:23] ³⁵tc The LXX reads, “as the Lord promised them, and he will be with you.” This relieves the problem of Moses apparently promising to be with Joshua as the MT reads on the surface (“I will be with you”). However, the reading of the LXX is clearly an attempt to clarify an existing obscurity and therefore is unlikely to reflect the original.

[31:25] ³⁶tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[31:27] ³⁷tn Heb “stiffness of neck” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.

[31:27] ³⁸tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.

[31:29] ³⁹tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”

[31:29] ⁴⁰tn Heb “do the evil.”

[31:29] ⁴¹tn Heb “the work of your hands.”