Deuteronomy 6:25

6:25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments ¹  before the Lord our God, just as he demands.” ² 

Deuteronomy 9:6

9:6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn ³  people!

Deuteronomy 24:13

24:13 You must by all means ⁴  return to him at sunset the item he gave you as security so that he may sleep in his outer garment and bless you for it; it will be considered a just ⁵  deed by the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 33:21

33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,

for the portion of the ruler ⁶  is set aside ⁷  there;

he came with the leaders ⁸  of the people,

he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord

and his ordinances with Israel.

Deuteronomy 9:4-5

9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, ⁹  that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he ¹⁰  made on oath to your ancestors, ¹¹  to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

[6:25]  ¹ tn The term “commandment” (מִצְוָה, mitsvah), here in the singular, refers to the entire body of covenant stipulations.

[6:25]  ² tn Heb “as he has commanded us” (so NIV, NRSV).

[9:6]  ³ tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).

[24:13]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “by all means.”

[24:13]  ⁶ tn Or “righteous” (so NIV, NLT).

[33:21]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term מְחֹקֵק (mÿkhoqeq; Poel participle of חָקַק, khaqaq, “to inscribe”) reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments (the “ruler”) is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 444-45.

[33:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).

[33:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).

[9:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the Lord’s favor. As he states in both vv. 4-5, the main reason he allowed Israel to take this land was the sinfulness of the Canaanites who lived there (cf. Gen 15:16).

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “fathers.”