Deuteronomy 32:8

32:8 When the Most High ¹  gave the nations their inheritance,

when he divided up humankind, ² 

he set the boundaries of the peoples,

according to the number of the heavenly assembly. ³ 

Genesis 36:8

36:8 So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir. ⁴ 

Joshua 24:4

24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, ⁵  while Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

Joshua 24:2

24:2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors ⁶  lived beyond the Euphrates River, ⁷  including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped ⁸  other gods,

Joshua 20:1

Israel Designates Cities of Refuge

20:1 The Lord instructed Joshua:

Jeremiah 27:5

27:5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, ⁹  and I give it to whomever I see fit. ¹⁰ 

Daniel 4:25

4:25 You will be driven ¹¹  from human society, ¹²  and you will live ¹³  with the wild animals. You will be fed ¹⁴  grass like oxen, ¹⁵  and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before ¹⁶  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.

Daniel 4:32

4:32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you before ¹⁷  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

Acts 17:26

17:26 From one man ¹⁸  he made every nation of the human race ¹⁹  to inhabit the entire earth, ²⁰  determining their set times ²¹  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ²² 

[32:8]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term עֶליוֹן (’elyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Ps 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.

[32:8]  ² tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).

[32:8]  ³ tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bÿney yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelwn qeou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bÿney ’el) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (beney ’elim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.

[36:8]  ⁴ tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (bÿhar se’ir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.

[24:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “I gave to Esau Mount Seir to possess it.”

[24:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ⁸ tn Or “served.”

[27:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “by my great power and my outstretched arm.” Again “arm” is symbolical for “strength.” Compare the similar expression in 21:5.

[27:5]  ¹⁰ sn See Dan 4:17 for a similar statement.

[4:25]  ¹¹ tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.

[4:25]  ¹² tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.

[4:25]  ¹³ tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.

[4:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”

[4:25]  ¹⁵ sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder known as boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.

[4:25]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “until.”

[4:32]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “until.”

[17:26]  ¹⁸ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ¹⁹ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ²⁰ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ²¹ tn BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “(οἱ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.

[17:26]  ²² tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.