Deuteronomy 4:15-31

Context

The Nature of Israel’s God

4:15 Be very careful,¹ 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 this² 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 crawls³ on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters of the earth.⁴ 4:19 When you look up⁵ to the sky⁶ and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation⁷ – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them,⁸ for the Lord your God has assigned⁹ them to all the people¹⁰ of the world.¹¹ 4:20 You, however, the Lord has selected and brought from Egypt, that iron-smelting furnace,¹² to be his special people¹³ 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 he¹⁴ is about to give you.¹⁵ 4:22 So I must die here in this land; I will not cross the Jordan. But you are going over and will possess that¹⁶ 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 he¹⁷ has forbidden¹⁸ you. 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God.¹⁹

Threat and Blessing following Covenant Disobedience

4:25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time,²⁰ if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind²¹ and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him,²² 4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you²³ today that you will surely and swiftly be removed²⁴ from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be²⁵ annihilated. 4:27 Then the Lord will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few of you²⁶ 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.²⁷ 4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days,²⁸ if you return to the Lord your God and obey him²⁹ 4:31 (for he³⁰ is a merciful God), he will not let you down³¹ or destroy you, for he cannot³² forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.

[4:15] ¹tn Heb “give great care to your souls.”

[4:16] ²tn 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] ³tn Heb “creeping thing.”

[4:18] ⁴tn Heb “under the earth.”

[4:19] ⁵tn 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] ⁶tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[4:19] ⁷tn Heb “all the host of heaven.”

[4:19] ⁸tn 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] ⁹tn Or “allotted.”

[4:19] ¹⁰tn Or “nations.”

[4:19] ¹¹tn Heb “under all the heaven.”

[4:20] ¹²tn 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] ¹³tn 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] ¹⁴tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:21] ¹⁵tn The Hebrew text includes “(as) an inheritance,” or “(as) a possession.”

[4:22] ¹⁶tn Heb “this.” The translation uses “that” to avoid confusion; earlier in the verse Moses refers to Transjordan as “this land.”

[4:23] ¹⁷tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:23] ¹⁸tn Heb “commanded.”

[4:24] ¹⁹tn 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] ²⁰tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.

[4:25] ²¹tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”

[4:25] ²²tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.

[4:26] ²³sn 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] ²⁴tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”

[4:26] ²⁵tn 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] ²⁶tn Heb “you will be left men (i.e., few) of number.”

[4:29] ²⁷tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.

[4:30] ²⁸sn 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] ²⁹tn 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] ³⁰tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

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

[4:31] ³²tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.