Deuteronomy 4:23-25

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

Threat and Blessing following Covenant Disobedience

4:25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, ⁴  if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind ⁵  and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, ⁶ 

[4:23]  ¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:23]  ² tn Heb “commanded.”

[4:24]  ³ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.

[4:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”

[4:25]  ⁷ tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.