Deuteronomy 4:1-31

The Privileges of the Covenant

4:1 Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances ¹  I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, ²  is giving you. 4:2 Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to ³  you. 4:3 You have witnessed what the Lord did at Baal Peor, ⁴  how he ⁵  eradicated from your midst everyone who followed Baal Peor. ⁶  4:4 But you who remained faithful to the Lord your God are still alive to this very day, every one of you. 4:5 Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord my God told me to do, so that you might carry them out in ⁷  the land you are about to enter and possess. 4:6 So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding ⁸  to the people who will learn of all these statutes and say, “Indeed, this great nation is a very wise ⁹  people.” 4:7 In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? 4:8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just ¹⁰  as this whole law ¹¹  that I am about to share with ¹²  you today?

Reminder of the Horeb Covenant

4:9 Again, however, pay very careful attention, ¹³  lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren. 4:10 You ¹⁴  stood before the Lord your God at Horeb and he ¹⁵  said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I can tell them my commands. ¹⁶  Then they will learn to revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their children.” 4:11 You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it ¹⁷  and yet dark with a thick cloud. ¹⁸  4:12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but you could not see anything – only a voice was heard. ¹⁹  4:13 And he revealed to you the covenant ²⁰  he has commanded you to keep, the ten commandments, ²¹  writing them on two stone tablets. 4:14 Moreover, at that same time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to keep in the land which you are about to enter and possess. ²² 

The Nature of Israel’s God

4:15 Be very careful, ²³  then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire. 4:16 I say this ²⁴  so you will not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the form of any kind of figure. This includes the likeness of a human male or female, 4:17 any kind of land animal, any bird that flies in the sky, 4:18 anything that crawls ²⁵  on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters of the earth. ²⁶  4:19 When you look up ²⁷  to the sky ²⁸  and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation ²⁹  – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, ³⁰  for the Lord your God has assigned ³¹  them to all the people ³²  of the world. ³³  4:20 You, however, the Lord has selected and brought from Egypt, that iron-smelting furnace, ³⁴  to be his special people ³⁵  as you are today. 4:21 But the Lord became angry with me because of you and vowed that I would never cross the Jordan nor enter the good land that he ³⁶  is about to give you. ³⁷  4:22 So I must die here in this land; I will not cross the Jordan. But you are going over and will possess that ³⁸  good land. 4:23 Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he has made with you, and that you do not make an image of any kind, just as he ³⁹  has forbidden ⁴⁰  you. 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God. ⁴¹ 

Threat and Blessing following Covenant Disobedience

4:25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, ⁴²  if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind ⁴³  and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, ⁴⁴  4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you ⁴⁵  today that you will surely and swiftly be removed ⁴⁶  from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be ⁴⁷  annihilated. 4:27 Then the Lord will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few of you ⁴⁸  among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 4:28 There you will worship gods made by human hands – wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. 4:29 But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. ⁴⁹  4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, ⁵⁰  if you return to the Lord your God and obey him ⁵¹  4:31 (for he ⁵²  is a merciful God), he will not let you down ⁵³  or destroy you, for he cannot ⁵⁴  forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.

[4:1]  ¹ tn These technical Hebrew terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) occur repeatedly throughout the Book of Deuteronomy to describe the covenant stipulations to which Israel had been called to subscribe (see, in this chapter alone, vv. 1, 5, 6, 8). The word חֻקִּים derives from the verb חֹק (khoq, “to inscribe; to carve”) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim) from שָׁפַט (shafat, “to judge”). They are virtually synonymous and are used interchangeably in Deuteronomy.

[4:1]  ² tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 37).

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “commanding.”

[4:3]  ⁴ tc The LXX and Syriac read “to Baal Peor,” that is, the god worshiped at that place; see note on the name “Beth Peor” in Deut 3:29.

[4:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[4:3]  ⁶ tn Or “followed the Baal of Peor” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV), referring to the pagan god Baal.

[4:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so ASV).

[4:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “it is wisdom and understanding.”

[4:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “wise and understanding.”

[4:8]  ¹⁰ tn Or “pure”; or “fair”; Heb “righteous.”

[4:8]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew phrase הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (hattorah hazzo’t), in this context, refers specifically to the Book of Deuteronomy. That is, it is the collection of all the חֻקִּים (khuqqim, “statutes,” 4:1) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “ordinances,” 4:1) to be included in the covenant text. In a full canonical sense, of course, it pertains to the entire Pentateuch or Torah.

[4:8]  ¹² tn Heb “place before.”

[4:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “watch yourself and watch your soul carefully.”

[4:10]  ¹⁴ tn The text begins with “(the) day (in) which.” In the Hebrew text v. 10 is subordinate to v. 11, but for stylistic reasons the translation treats v. 10 as an independent clause, necessitating the omission of the subordinating temporal phrase at the beginning of the verse.

[4:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “my words.” See v. 13; in Hebrew the “ten commandments” are the “ten words.”

[4:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a mountain burning with fire as far as the heart of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[4:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “darkness, cloud, and heavy cloud.”

[4:12]  ¹⁹ tn The words “was heard” are supplied in the translation to avoid the impression that the voice was seen.

[4:13]  ²⁰ sn This is the first occurrence of the word בְּרִית (bÿrit, “covenant”) in the Book of Deuteronomy but it appears commonly hereafter (4:23, 31; 5:2, 3; 7:9, 12; 8:18; 9:9, 10, 11, 15; 10:2, 4, 5, 8; 17:2; 29:1, 9, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 25; 31:9, 16, 20, 25, 26; 33:9). Etymologically, it derives from the notion of linking or yoking together. See M. Weinfeld, TDOT 2:255.

[4:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “the ten words.”

[4:14]  ²² tn Heb “to which you are crossing over to possess it.”

[4:15]  ²³ tn Heb “give great care to your souls.”

[4:16]  ²⁴ tn The words “I say this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 16 is subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.

[4:18]  ²⁵ tn Heb “creeping thing.”

[4:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “under the earth.”

[4:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “lest you lift up your eyes.” In the Hebrew text vv. 16-19 are subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.

[4:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[4:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “all the host of heaven.”

[4:19]  ³⁰ tn In the Hebrew text the verbal sequence in v. 19 is “lest you look up…and see…and be seduced…and worship them…and serve them.” However, the first two actions are not prohibited in and of themselves. The prohibition pertains to the final three actions. The first two verbs describe actions that are logically subordinate to the following actions and can be treated as temporal or circumstantial: “lest, looking up…and seeing…, you are seduced.” See Joüon 2:635 §168.h.

[4:19]  ³¹ tn Or “allotted.”

[4:19]  ³² tn Or “nations.”

[4:19]  ³³ tn Heb “under all the heaven.”

[4:20]  ³⁴ tn A כּוּר (kur) was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19); cf. NAB “that iron foundry, Egypt.” The term is a metaphor for intense heat. Here it refers to the oppression and suffering Israel endured in Egypt. Since a crucible was used to burn away impurities, it is possible that the metaphor views Egypt as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.

[4:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “to be his people of inheritance.” The Lord compares his people to valued property inherited from one’s ancestors and passed on to one’s descendants.

[4:21]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:21]  ³⁷ tn The Hebrew text includes “(as) an inheritance,” or “(as) a possession.”

[4:22]  ³⁸ tn Heb “this.” The translation uses “that” to avoid confusion; earlier in the verse Moses refers to Transjordan as “this land.”

[4:23]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:23]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “commanded.”

[4:24]  ⁴¹ tn The juxtaposition of the Hebrew terms אֵשׁ (’esh, “fire”) and קַנָּא (qanna’, “jealous”) is interesting in light of Deut 6:15 where the Lord is seen as a jealous God whose anger bursts into a destructive fire. For God to be “jealous” means that his holiness and uniqueness cannot tolerate pretended or imaginary rivals. It is not petty envy but response to an act of insubordination that must be severely judged (see H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:937-40).

[4:25]  ⁴² tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.

[4:25]  ⁴³ tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”

[4:25]  ⁴⁴ tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.

[4:26]  ⁴⁵ sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the Lord’s covenant with them (see Deut 30:19; Isa 1:2; 3:13; Jer 2:9). Since court proceedings required the testimony of witnesses, the Lord here summons heaven and earth (that is, all creation) to testify to his faithfulness, Israel’s disobedience, and the threat of judgment.

[4:26]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”

[4:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.

[4:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “you will be left men (i.e., few) of number.”

[4:29]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.

[4:30]  ⁵⁰ sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.

[4:30]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.

[4:31]  ⁵² tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:31]  ⁵³ tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:31]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.