Deuteronomy 4:21-24

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 ¹  is about to give you. ²  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 ³  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 ⁴  has forbidden ⁵  you. 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God. ⁶ 

[4:21]  ¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:21]  ² tn The Hebrew text includes “(as) an inheritance,” or “(as) a possession.”

[4:22]  ³ tn Heb “this.” The translation uses “that” to avoid confusion; earlier in the verse Moses refers to Transjordan as “this land.”

[4:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “commanded.”

[4:24]  ⁷ 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).