Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 4:1-40
Context4:1 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?
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
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
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.
4:32 Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind 55 on the earth, and ask 56 from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a rumor of it. 4:33 Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it? 4:34 Or has God 57 ever before tried to deliver 58 a nation from the middle of another nation, accompanied by judgments, 59 signs, wonders, war, strength, power, 60 and other very terrifying things like the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 4:35 You have been taught that the Lord alone is God – there is no other besides him. 4:36 From heaven he spoke to you in order to teach you, and on earth he showed you his great fire from which you also heard his words. 61 4:37 Moreover, because he loved 62 your ancestors, he chose their 63 descendants who followed them and personally brought you out of Egypt with his great power 4:38 to dispossess nations greater and stronger than you and brought you here this day to give you their land as your property. 64 4:39 Today realize and carefully consider that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below – there is no other! 4:40 Keep his statutes and commandments that I am setting forth 65 today so that it may go well with you and your descendants and that you may enjoy longevity in the land that the Lord your God is about to give you as a permanent possession.
[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).
[4:3] 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
[4:3] 6 tn Or “
[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
[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] 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
[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
[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
[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
[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
[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.
[4:32] 55 tn The Hebrew term אָדָם (’adam) may refer either to Adam or, more likely, to “man” in the sense of the human race (“mankind,” “humankind”). The idea here seems more universal in scope than reference to Adam alone would suggest.
[4:32] 56 tn The verb is not present in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification. The challenge has both temporal and geographical dimensions. The people are challenged to (1) inquire about the entire scope of past history and (2) conduct their investigation on a worldwide scale.
[4:34] 57 tn The translation assumes the reference is to Israel’s God in which case the point is this: God’s intervention in Israel’s experience is unique in the sense that he has never intervened in such power for any other people on earth. The focus is on the uniqueness of Israel’s experience. Some understand the divine name here in a generic sense, “a god,” or “any god.” In this case God’s incomparability is the focus (cf. v. 35, where this theme is expressed).
[4:34] 58 tn Heb “tried to go to take for himself.”
[4:34] 59 tn Heb “by testings.” The reference here is the judgments upon Pharaoh in the form of plagues. See Deut 7:19 (cf. v. 18) and 29:3 (cf. v. 2).
[4:34] 60 tn Heb “by strong hand and by outstretched arm.”
[4:36] 61 tn Heb “and his words you heard from the midst of the fire.”
[4:37] 62 tn The concept of love here is not primarily that of emotional affection but of commitment or devotion. This verse suggests that God chose Israel to be his special people because he loved the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and had promised to bless their descendants. See as well Deut 7:7-9.
[4:37] 63 tc The LXX, Smr, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read a third person masculine plural suffix for the MT’s 3rd person masculine singular, “his descendants.” Cf. Deut 10:15. Quite likely the MT should be emended in this instance.
[4:38] 64 tn Heb “(as) an inheritance,” that is, landed property that one can pass on to one’s descendants.
