Discovery BoxEzekiel 11:20
Context11:20 so that they may follow my statutes and observe my regulations and carry them out. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 1
Ezekiel 36:27
Context36:27 I will put my Spirit within you; 2 I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes 3 and carefully observe my regulations. 4
Ezekiel 37:24
Context37:24 “‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow 5 my regulations and carefully observe my statutes. 6
Deuteronomy 4:1
Context4:1 Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances 7 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, 8 is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:1
Context5:1 Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: 9 “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them!
Deuteronomy 5:32--8:20
Context5:32 Be careful, therefore, to do exactly what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn right or left! 5:33 Walk just as he 10 has commanded you so that you may live, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long 11 in the land you are going to possess.
6:1 Now these are the commandments, 12 statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed 13 6:2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments 14 that I am giving 15 you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days. 6:3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number 16 – as the Lord, God of your ancestors, 17 said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.
6:4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 18 6:5 You must love 19 the Lord your God with your whole mind, 20 your whole being, 21 and all your strength. 22
6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach 23 them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 24 as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm 25 and fasten them as symbols 26 on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. 27
6:10 Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you – a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 6:11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – and you eat your fill, 6:12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery. 28 6:13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 6:14 You must not go after other gods, those 29 of the surrounding peoples, 6:15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God and his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land. 30
6:16 You must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 31 6:17 Keep his 32 commandments very carefully, 33 as well as the stipulations and statutes he commanded you to observe. 6:18 Do whatever is proper 34 and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he 35 promised your ancestors, 6:19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said.
6:20 When your children 36 ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 6:21 you must say to them, 37 “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. 38 6:22 And he 39 brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on his whole family 40 before our very eyes. 6:23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our ancestors. 6:24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him 41 so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day. 6:25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments 42 before the Lord our God, just as he demands.” 43
7:1 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, 44 Girgashites, 45 Amorites, 46 Canaanites, 47 Perizzites, 48 Hivites, 49 and Jebusites, 50 seven 51 nations more numerous and powerful than you – 7:2 and he 52 delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate 53 them. Make no treaty 54 with them and show them no mercy! 7:3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 7:4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you. 7:5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, 55 cut down their sacred Asherah poles, 56 and burn up their idols. 7:6 For you are a people holy 57 to the Lord your God. He 58 has chosen you to be his people, prized 59 above all others on the face of the earth.
7:7 It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you – for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples. 7:8 Rather it is because of his 60 love 61 for you and his faithfulness to the promise 62 he solemnly vowed 63 to your ancestors 64 that the Lord brought you out with great power, 65 redeeming 66 you from the place of slavery, from the power 67 of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 7:9 So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, 68 the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully 69 with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 7:10 but who pays back those who hate 70 him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore 71 those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve! 7:11 So keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that I today am commanding you to do.
7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you 72 as he promised 73 your ancestors. 7:13 He will love and bless you, and make you numerous. He will bless you with many children, 74 with the produce of your soil, your grain, your new wine, your oil, the offspring of your oxen, and the young of your flocks in the land which he promised your ancestors to give you. 7:14 You will be blessed beyond all peoples; there will be no barrenness 75 among you or your livestock. 7:15 The Lord will protect you from all sickness, and you will not experience any of the terrible diseases that you knew in Egypt; instead he will inflict them on all those who hate you.
7:16 You must destroy 76 all the people whom the Lord your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them or worship 77 their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 7:17 If you think, “These nations are more numerous than I – how can I dispossess them?” 7:18 you must not fear them. You must carefully recall 78 what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt, 7:19 the great judgments 79 you saw, the signs and wonders, the strength and power 80 by which he 81 brought you out – thus the Lord your God will do to all the people you fear. 7:20 Furthermore, the Lord your God will release hornets 82 among them until the very last ones who hide from you 83 perish. 7:21 You must not tremble in their presence, for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a great and awesome God. 7:22 He, 84 the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you. 7:23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great panic 85 until they are destroyed. 7:24 He will hand over their kings to you and you will erase their very names from memory. 86 Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them. 7:25 You must burn the images of their gods, but do not covet the silver and gold that covers them so much that you take it for yourself and thus become ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent 87 to the Lord your God. 7:26 You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house and thereby become an object of divine wrath 88 along with it. 89 You must absolutely detest 90 and abhor it, 91 for it is an object of divine wrath.
8:1 You must keep carefully all these commandments 92 I am giving 93 you today so that you may live, increase in number, 94 and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. 95 8:2 Remember the whole way by which he 96 has brought you these forty years through the desert 97 so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it within you to keep his commandments or not. 8:3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. 98 He did this to teach you 99 that humankind 100 cannot live by bread 101 alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. 102 8:4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years. 8:5 Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, 103 the Lord your God disciplines you. 8:6 So you must keep his 104 commandments, live according to his standards, 105 and revere him. 8:7 For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks, 106 springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills, 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, 8:9 a land where you may eat food 107 in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron 108 and from whose hills you can mine copper. 8:10 You will eat your fill and then praise the Lord your God because of the good land he has given you.
8:11 Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 8:12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 8:13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, 8:14 be sure 109 you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, 8:15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents 110 and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow 111 from a flint rock and 8:16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you 112 and eventually bring good to you. 8:17 Be careful 113 not to say, “My own ability and skill 114 have gotten me this wealth.” 8:18 You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, 115 even as he has to this day. 8:19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all 116 and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated. 8:20 Just like the nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you 117 because you would not obey him. 118
Deuteronomy 10:1--12:32
Context10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. 119 10:2 I will write on the tablets the same words 120 that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” 10:3 So I made an ark of acacia 121 wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 10:4 The Lord 122 then wrote on the tablets the same words, 123 the ten commandments, 124 which he 125 had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he 126 gave them to me. 10:5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made – they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.
10:6 “During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan 127 to Moserah. 128 There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 10:7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, 129 and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, 130 a place of flowing streams. 10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi 131 to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings 132 in his name, as they do to this very day. 10:9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance 133 among his brothers; 134 the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him. 10:10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The Lord listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you. 10:11 Then he 135 said to me, “Get up, set out leading 136 the people so they may go and possess 137 the land I promised to give to their ancestors.” 138
10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, 139 to obey all his commandments, 140 to love him, to serve him 141 with all your mind and being, 142 10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving 143 you today for your own good? 10:14 The heavens – indeed the highest heavens – belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 10:15 However, only to your ancestors did he 144 show his loving favor, 145 and he chose you, their descendants, 146 from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse 147 your heart and stop being so stubborn! 148 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 10:18 who justly treats 149 the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 10:19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10:20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him and take oaths only in his name. 10:21 He is the one you should praise; 150 he is your God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for you that you have seen. 10:22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky. 151
11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 152 at all times. 11:2 Bear in mind today that I am not speaking 153 to your children who have not personally experienced the judgments 154 of the Lord your God, which revealed 155 his greatness, strength, and power. 156 11:3 They did not see 157 the awesome deeds he performed 158 in the midst of Egypt against Pharaoh king of Egypt and his whole land, 11:4 or what he did to the army of Egypt, including their horses and chariots, when he made the waters of the Red Sea 159 overwhelm them while they were pursuing you and he 160 annihilated them. 161 11:5 They did not see 162 what he did to you in the desert before you reached this place, 11:6 or what he did to Dathan and Abiram, 163 sons of Eliab the Reubenite, 164 when the earth opened its mouth in the middle of the Israelite camp 165 and swallowed them, their families, 166 their tents, and all the property they brought with them. 167 11:7 I am speaking to you 168 because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of the Lord!
11:8 Now pay attention to all the commandments 169 I am giving 170 you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed, 171 11:9 and that you may enjoy long life in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors 172 and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 11:10 For the land where you are headed 173 is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by hand 174 like a vegetable garden. 11:11 Instead, the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy 175 is one of hills and valleys, a land that drinks in water from the rains, 176 11:12 a land the Lord your God looks after. 177 He is constantly attentive to it 178 from the beginning to the end of the year. 179 11:13 Now, if you pay close attention 180 to my commandments that I am giving you today and love 181 the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being, 182 11:14 then he promises, 183 “I will send rain for your land 184 in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, 185 so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil. 11:15 I will provide pasture 186 for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”
11:16 Make sure you do not turn away to serve and worship other gods! 187 11:17 Then the anger of the Lord will erupt 188 against you and he will close up the sky 189 so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will soon be removed 190 from the good land that the Lord 191 is about to give you. 11:18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, 192 and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbols 193 on your forehead. 11:19 Teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 194 as you lie down, and as you get up. 11:20 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates 11:21 so that your days and those of your descendants may be extended in the land which the Lord promised to give to your ancestors, like the days of heaven itself. 195 11:22 For if you carefully observe all of these commandments 196 I am giving you 197 and love the Lord your God, live according to his standards, 198 and remain loyal to him, 11:23 then he 199 will drive out all these nations ahead of you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. 11:24 Every place you set your foot 200 will be yours; your border will extend from the desert to Lebanon and from the River (that is, the Euphrates) as far as the Mediterranean Sea. 201 11:25 Nobody will be able to resist you; the Lord your God will spread the fear and terror of you over the whole land on which you walk, just as he promised you.
11:26 Take note – I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 202 11:27 the blessing if you take to heart 203 the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, 11:28 and the curse if you pay no attention 204 to his 205 commandments and turn from the way I am setting before 206 you today to pursue 207 other gods you have not known. 11:29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are to possess, you must pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 208 11:30 Are they not across the Jordan River, 209 toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal 210 near the oak 211 of Moreh? 11:31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to possess the land the Lord your God is giving you, and you will possess and inhabit it. 11:32 Be certain to keep all the statutes and ordinances that I am presenting to you today.
12:1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 212 has given you to possess. 213 12:2 You must by all means destroy 214 all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods – on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. 215 12:3 You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, 216 burn up their sacred Asherah poles, 217 and cut down the images of their gods; you must eliminate their very memory from that place. 12:4 You must not worship the Lord your God the way they worship. 12:5 But you must seek only the place he 218 chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence, 219 and you must go there. 12:6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, 220 your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 12:7 Both you and your families 221 must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he 222 has blessed you. 12:8 You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone 223 doing what seems best to him, 12:9 for you have not yet come to the final stop 224 and inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 12:10 When you do go across the Jordan River 225 and settle in the land he 226 is granting you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you, you will live in safety. 227 12:11 Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing 228 everything I am commanding you – your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, 229 and all your choice votive offerings which you devote to him. 230 12:12 You shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages 231 (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you). 232 12:13 Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, 12:14 for you may do so 233 only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas – there you may do everything I am commanding you. 234
12:15 On the other hand, you may slaughter and eat meat as you please when the Lord your God blesses you 235 in all your villages. 236 Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an ibex. 12:16 However, you must not eat blood – pour it out on the ground like water. 12:17 You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings. 12:18 Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he 237 chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites 238 in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor. 239 12:19 Be careful not to overlook the Levites as long as you live in the land.
12:20 When the Lord your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say, “I want to eat meat just as I please,” 240 you may do so as you wish. 241 12:21 If the place he 242 chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he 243 has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages 244 just as you wish. 12:22 Like you eat the gazelle or ibex, so you may eat these; the ritually impure and pure alike may eat them. 12:23 However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself 245 – you must not eat the life with the meat! 12:24 You must not eat it! You must pour it out on the ground like water. 12:25 You must not eat it so that it may go well with you and your children after you; you will be doing what is right in the Lord’s sight. 246 12:26 Only the holy things and votive offerings that belong to you, you must pick up and take to the place the Lord will choose. 247 12:27 You must offer your burnt offerings, both meat and blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; the blood of your other sacrifices 248 you must pour out on his 249 altar while you eat the meat. 12:28 Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
12:29 When the Lord your God eliminates the nations from the place where you are headed and you dispossess them, you will settle down in their land. 250 12:30 After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.” 12:31 You must not worship the Lord your God the way they do! 251 For everything that is abhorrent 252 to him, 253 everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods!
12:32 (13:1) 254 You 255 must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! 256
Nehemiah 9:13-14
Context9:13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and law to them through 257 Moses your servant.
Psalms 19:7-11
Context19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life. 258
The rules set down by the Lord 259 are reliable 260
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 261
19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 262
and make one joyful. 263
The Lord’s commands 264 are pure 265
and give insight for life. 266
19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 267
and endure forever. 268
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just. 269
19:10 They are of greater value 270 than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight 271 than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; 272
those who obey them receive a rich reward. 273
Psalms 105:45
Context105:45 so that they might keep his commands
and obey 274 his laws.
Praise the Lord!
Titus 2:11-14
Context2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 275 2:12 It trains us 276 to reject godless ways 277 and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 2:13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing 278 of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 279 2:14 He 280 gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, 281 who are eager to do good. 282
[11:20] 1 sn The expression They will be my people, and I will be their God occurs as a promise to Abraham (Gen 17:8), Moses (Exod 6:7), and the nation (Exod 29:45).
[36:27] 2 tn Or “in the midst of you.” The word “you” is plural.
[36:27] 3 tn Heb “and I will do that which in my statutes you will walk.” The awkward syntax (verb “to do, act” + accusative sign + relative clause + prepositional phrase + second person verb) is unique, though Eccl 3:14 contains a similar construction. In the last line of that verse we read that “God acts so that (relative pronoun) they fear before him.” However, unlike Ezek 36:27, the statement has no accusative sign before the relative pronoun.
[36:27] 4 tn Heb “and my laws you will guard and you will do them.” Jer 31:31-34 is parallel to this passage.
[37:24] 4 tn Heb “and my statutes they will guard and they will do them.”
[4:1] 4 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] 5 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 37).
[5:1] 5 tn Heb “and Moses called to all Israel and he said to them”; NAB, NASB, NIV “Moses summoned (convened NRSV) all Israel.”
[5:33] 6 tn Heb “the
[5:33] 7 tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”
[6:1] 7 tn Heb “commandment.” The word מִצְוָה (mitsvah) again is in the singular, serving as a comprehensive term for the whole stipulation section of the book. See note on the word “commandments” in 5:31.
[6:1] 8 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”
[6:2] 8 tn Here the terms are not the usual חֻקִּים (khuqqim) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim; as in v. 1) but חֻקֹּת (khuqqot, “statutes”) and מִצְוֹת (mitsot, “commandments”). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.
[6:2] 9 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
[6:3] 9 tn Heb “may multiply greatly” (so NASB, NRSV); the words “in number” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[6:3] 10 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 18, 23).
[6:4] 10 tn Heb “the
[6:5] 11 tn The verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the
[6:5] 12 tn Heb “heart.” In OT physiology the heart (לֵב, לֵבָב; levav, lev) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect, so that one could think with one’s heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.
[6:5] 13 tn Heb “soul”; “being.” Contrary to Hellenistic ideas of a soul that is discrete and separate from the body and spirit, OT anthropology equated the “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) as “being” or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.
[6:5] 14 sn For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.
[6:7] 12 tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.
[6:7] 13 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
[6:8] 13 sn Tie them as a sign on your forearm. Later Jewish tradition referred to the little leather containers tied to the forearms and foreheads as tefillin. They were to contain the following passages from the Torah: Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:5-9; 11:13-21. The purpose was to serve as a “sign” of covenant relationship and obedience.
[6:8] 14 sn Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note) or phylacteries (from the Greek term). These box-like containers, like those on the forearms, held the same scraps of the Torah. It was the hypocritical practice of wearing these without heartfelt sincerity that caused Jesus to speak scathingly about them (cf. Matt 23:5).
[6:9] 14 sn The Hebrew term מְזוּזֹת (mÿzuzot) refers both to the door frames and to small cases attached on them containing scripture texts (always Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21; and sometimes the decalogue; Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; and Num 10:35-36). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 443-44.
[6:12] 15 tn Heb “out of the house of slavery” (so NASB, NRSV).
[6:14] 16 tn Heb “from the gods.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
[6:15] 17 tn Heb “lest the anger of the
[6:16] 18 sn The place name Massah (מַסָּה, massah) derives from a root (נָסָה, nasah) meaning “to test; to try.” The reference here is to the experience in the Sinai desert when Moses struck the rock to obtain water (Exod 17:1-2). The complaining Israelites had, thus, “tested” the
[6:17] 19 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[6:17] 20 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb to emphasize the statement. The imperfect verbal form is used here with an obligatory nuance that can be captured in English through the imperative. Cf. NASB, NRSV “diligently keep (obey NLT).”
[6:18] 21 tn Heb “the
[6:21] 22 tn Heb “to your son.”
[6:21] 23 tn Heb “by a strong hand.” The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The
[6:22] 23 tn Heb “the
[6:22] 24 tn Heb “house,” referring to the entire household.
[6:24] 24 tn Heb “the
[6:25] 25 tn The term “commandment” (מִצְוָה, mitsvah), here in the singular, refers to the entire body of covenant stipulations.
[6:25] 26 tn Heb “as he has commanded us” (so NIV, NRSV).
[7:1] 26 sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200
[7:1] 27 sn Girgashites. These cannot be ethnically identified and are unknown outside the OT. They usually appear in such lists only when the intention is to have seven groups in all (see also the note on the word “seven” later in this verse).
[7:1] 28 sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200
[7:1] 29 sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000
[7:1] 30 sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
[7:1] 31 sn Hivites. These are usually thought to be the same as the Hurrians, a people well-known in ancient Near Eastern texts. They are likely identical to the Horites (see note on the term “Horites” in Deut 2:12).
[7:1] 32 sn Jebusites. These inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).
[7:1] 33 sn Seven. This is an ideal number in the OT, one symbolizing fullness or completeness. Therefore, the intent of the text here is not to be precise and list all of Israel’s enemies but simply to state that Israel will have a full complement of foes to deal with. For other lists of Canaanites, some with fewer than seven peoples, see Exod 3:8; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut 20:17; Josh 3:10; 9:1; 24:11. Moreover, the “Table of Nations” (Gen 10:15-19) suggests that all of these (possibly excepting the Perizzites) were offspring of Canaan and therefore Canaanites.
[7:2] 27 tn Heb “the
[7:2] 28 tn In the Hebrew text the infinitive absolute before the finite verb emphasizes the statement. The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here. Cf. ASV “shalt (must NRSV) utterly destroy them”; CEV “must destroy them without mercy.”
[7:2] 29 tn Heb “covenant” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “alliance.”
[7:5] 28 sn Sacred pillars. The Hebrew word (מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) denotes a standing pillar, usually made of stone. Its purpose was to mark the presence of a shrine or altar thought to have been visited by deity. Though sometimes associated with pure worship of the
[7:5] 29 sn Sacred Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
[7:6] 29 tn That is, “set apart.”
[7:6] 30 tn Heb “the
[7:6] 31 tn Or “treasured” (so NIV, NRSV); NLT “his own special treasure.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4-6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224.
[7:8] 30 tn Heb “the
[7:8] 31 tn For the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) as a term of choice or election, see note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
[7:8] 32 tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
[7:8] 33 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
[7:8] 34 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).
[7:8] 35 tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
[7:8] 36 sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the
[7:8] 37 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
[7:9] 31 tn Heb “the God.” The article here expresses uniqueness; cf. TEV “is the only God”; NLT “is indeed God.”
[7:9] 32 tn Heb “who keeps covenant and loyalty.” The syndetic construction of בְּרִית (bÿrit) and חֶסֶד (khesed) should be understood not as “covenant” plus “loyalty” but as an adverbial construction in which חֶסֶד (“loyalty”) modifies the verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “keeps”).
[7:10] 32 tn For the term “hate” as synonymous with rejection or disobedience see note on the word “reject” in Deut 5:9 (cf. NRSV “reject”).
[7:10] 33 tn Heb “he will not hesitate concerning.”
[7:12] 33 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
[7:12] 34 tn Heb “which he swore on oath.” The relative pronoun modifies “covenant,” so one could translate “will keep faithfully the covenant (or promise) he made on oath to your ancestors.”
[7:13] 34 tn Heb “will bless the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[7:14] 35 sn One of the ironies about the promises to the patriarchs concerning offspring was the characteristic barrenness of the wives of the men to whom these pledges were made (cf. Gen 11:30; 25:21; 29:31). Their affliction is in each case described by the very Hebrew word used here (עֲקָרָה, ’aqarah), an affliction that will no longer prevail in Canaan.
[7:16] 36 tn Heb “devour” (so NRSV); KJV, NAB, NASB “consume.” The verbal form (a perfect with vav consecutive) is understood here as having an imperatival or obligatory nuance (cf. the instructions and commands that follow). Another option is to take the statement as a continuation of the preceding conditional promises and translate “and you will destroy.”
[7:16] 37 tn Or “serve” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).
[7:18] 37 tn Heb “recalling, you must recall.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis. Cf. KJV, ASV “shalt well remember.”
[7:19] 38 tn Heb “testings” (so NAB), a reference to the plagues. See note at 4:34.
[7:19] 39 tn Heb “the strong hand and outstretched arm.” See 4:34.
[7:19] 40 tn Heb “the
[7:20] 39 tn The meaning of the term translated “hornets” (צִרְעָה, tsir’ah) is debated. Various suggestions are “discouragement” (HALOT 1056-57 s.v.; cf. NEB, TEV, CEV “panic”; NCV “terror”) and “leprosy” (J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [JPSTC], 360, n. 33; cf. NRSV “the pestilence”), as well as “hornet” (BDB 864 s.v.; cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT). The latter seems most suitable to the verb שָׁלַח (shalakh, “send”; cf. Exod 23:28; Josh 24:12).
[7:20] 40 tn Heb “the remnant and those who hide themselves.”
[7:22] 40 tn Heb “the
[7:23] 41 tn Heb “he will confuse them (with) great confusion.” The verb used here means “shake, stir up” (see Ruth 1:19; 1 Sam 4:5; 1 Kgs 1:45; Ps 55:2); the accompanying cognate noun refers to confusion, unrest, havoc, or panic (1 Sam 5:9, 11; 14:20; 2 Chr 15:5; Prov 15:16; Isa 22:5; Ezek 7:7; 22:5; Amos 3:9; Zech 14:13).
[7:24] 42 tn Heb “you will destroy their name from under heaven” (cf. KJV); NRSV “blot out their name from under heaven.”
[7:25] 43 tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abhorrent; detestable”) describes anything detestable to the
[7:26] 44 tn Heb “come under the ban” (so NASB); NRSV “be set apart for destruction.” The same phrase occurs again at the end of this verse.
[7:26] 46 tn This Hebrew verb (שָׁקַץ, shaqats) is essentially synonymous with the next verb (תָעַב, ta’av; cf. תּוֹעֵבָה, to’evah; see note on the word “abhorrent” in v. 25), though its field of meaning is more limited to cultic abomination (cf. Lev 11:11, 13; Ps 22:25).
[7:26] 47 tn Heb “detesting you must detest and abhorring you must abhor.” Both verbs are preceded by a cognate infinitive absolute indicating emphasis.
[8:1] 45 tn The singular term (מִצְוָה, mitsvah) includes the whole corpus of covenant stipulations, certainly the book of Deuteronomy at least (cf. Deut 5:28; 6:1, 25; 7:11; 11:8, 22; 15:5; 17:20; 19:9; 27:1; 30:11; 31:5). The plural (מִצְוֹת, mitsot) refers to individual stipulations (as in vv. 2, 6).
[8:1] 46 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11).
[8:1] 47 tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.”
[8:1] 48 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18).
[8:2] 46 tn Heb “the
[8:2] 47 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NRSV, NLT); likewise in v. 15.
[8:3] 47 tn Heb “manna which you and your ancestors did not know.” By popular etymology the word “manna” comes from the Hebrew phrase מָן הוּא (man hu’), i.e., “What is it?” (Exod 16:15). The question remains unanswered to this very day. Elsewhere the material is said to be “white like coriander seed” with “a taste like honey cakes” (Exod 16:31; cf. Num 11:7). Modern attempts to associate it with various desert plants are unsuccessful for the text says it was a new thing and, furthermore, one that appeared and disappeared miraculously (Exod 16:21-27).
[8:3] 48 tn Heb “in order to make known to you.” In the Hebrew text this statement is subordinated to what precedes, resulting in a very long sentence in English. The translation makes this statement a separate sentence for stylistic reasons.
[8:3] 49 tn Heb “the man,” but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race (“mankind” or “humankind”).
[8:3] 50 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. CEV).
[8:3] 51 sn Jesus quoted this text to the devil in the midst of his forty-day fast to make the point that spiritual nourishment is incomparably more important than mere physical bread (Matt 4:4; cf. Luke 4:4).
[8:5] 48 tn Heb “just as a man disciplines his son.” The Hebrew text reflects the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
[8:6] 49 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[8:6] 50 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.” The “ways” of the Lord refer here to his moral standards as reflected in his commandments. The verb “walk” is used frequently in the Bible (both OT and NT) for one’s moral and ethical behavior.
[8:9] 51 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. NASB, NCV, NLT) or “bread” in particular (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[8:9] 52 sn A land whose stones are iron. Since iron deposits are few and far between in Palestine, the reference here is probably to iron ore found in mines as opposed to the meteorite iron more commonly known in that area.
[8:14] 52 tn The words “be sure” are not in the Hebrew text; vv. 12-14 are part of the previous sentence. For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation and the words “be sure” repeated from v. 11 to indicate the connection.
[8:15] 53 tn Heb “flaming serpents”; KJV, NASB “fiery serpents”; NAB “saraph serpents.” This figure of speech (metonymy) probably describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire (שָׂרָף, saraf).
[8:15] 54 tn Heb “the one who brought out for you water.” In the Hebrew text this continues the preceding sentence, but the translation begins a new sentence here for stylistic reasons.
[8:16] 54 tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2.
[8:17] 55 tn For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 17 in the translation and the words “be careful” supplied to indicate the connection.
[8:17] 56 tn Heb “my strength and the might of my hand.”
[8:18] 56 tc Smr and Lucian add “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the standard way of rendering this almost stereotypical formula (cf. Deut 1:8; 6:10; 9:5, 27; 29:13; 30:20; 34:4). The MT’s harder reading presumptively argues for its originality, however.
[8:19] 57 tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).
[8:20] 58 tn Heb “so you will perish.”
[8:20] 59 tn Heb “listen to the voice of the
[10:1] 59 tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.
[10:2] 60 sn The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the
[10:3] 61 sn Acacia wood (Heb “shittim wood”). This is wood from the acacia, the most common timber tree of the Sinai region. Most likely it is the species Acacia raddiana because this has the largest trunk. See F. N. Hepper, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.
[10:4] 62 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[10:4] 63 tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.
[10:4] 64 tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”
[10:4] 65 tn Heb “the
[10:4] 66 tn Heb “the
[10:6] 63 sn Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan. This Hebrew name could be translated “the wells of Bene-Yaaqan” or “the wells of the sons of Yaaqan,” a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).
[10:6] 64 sn Moserah. Since Aaron in other texts (Num 20:28; 33:38) is said to have died on Mount Hor, this must be the Arabah region in which Hor was located.
[10:7] 64 sn Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).
[10:7] 65 sn Jotbathah. This place, whose Hebrew name can be translated “place of wadis,” is possibly modern Ain Tabah, just north of Eilat, or Tabah, 6.5 mi (11 km) south of Eilat on the west shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.
[10:8] 65 sn The
[10:8] 66 sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.
[10:9] 66 sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the
[10:9] 67 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
[10:11] 67 tn Heb “the
[10:11] 68 tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”
[10:11] 69 tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.
[10:11] 70 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).
[10:12] 68 tn Heb “the
[10:12] 69 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”
[10:12] 70 tn Heb “the
[10:12] 71 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[10:13] 69 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
[10:15] 70 tn Heb “the
[10:15] 71 tn Heb “take delight to love.” Here again the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”), juxtaposed with בָחַר (bakhar, “choose”), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the
[10:15] 72 tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.
[10:16] 71 tn Heb “circumcise the foreskin of” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). Reference to the Abrahamic covenant prompts Moses to recall the sign of that covenant, namely, physical circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). Just as that act signified total covenant obedience, so spiritual circumcision (cleansing of the heart) signifies more internally a commitment to be pliable and obedient to the will of God (cf. Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:26).
[10:16] 72 tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
[10:18] 72 tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”
[10:21] 73 tn Heb “your praise.” The pronoun is subjective and the noun “praise” is used here metonymically for the object of their praise (the Lord).
[10:22] 74 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[11:1] 75 tn This collocation of technical terms for elements of the covenant text lends support to its importance and also signals a new section of paraenesis in which Moses will exhort Israel to covenant obedience. The Hebrew term מִשְׁמָרוֹת (mishmarot, “obligations”) sums up the three terms that follow – חֻקֹּת (khuqot), מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishppatim), and מִצְוֹת (mitsot).
[11:2] 76 tn Heb “that not.” The words “I am speaking” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[11:2] 77 tn Heb “who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord.” The collocation of the verbs “know” and “see” indicates that personal experience (knowing by seeing) is in view. The term translated “discipline” (KJV, ASV “chastisement”) may also be rendered “instruction,” but vv. 2b-6 indicate that the referent of the term is the various acts of divine judgment the Israelites had witnessed.
[11:2] 78 tn The words “which revealed” have been supplied in the translation to show the logical relationship between the terms that follow and the divine judgments. In the Hebrew text the former are in apposition to the latter.
[11:2] 79 tn Heb “his strong hand and his stretched-out arm.”
[11:3] 77 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 2-7 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the English translation divides the passage into three sentences. To facilitate this stylistic decision the words “They did not see” are supplied at the beginning of both v. 3 and v. 5, and “I am speaking” at the beginning of v. 7.
[11:3] 78 tn Heb “his signs and his deeds which he did” (NRSV similar). The collocation of “signs” and “deeds” indicates that these acts were intended to make an impression on observers and reveal something about God’s power (cf. v. 2b). The word “awesome” has been employed to bring out the force of the word “signs” in this context.
[11:4] 78 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
[11:4] 79 tn Heb “the
[11:4] 80 tn Heb “and the Lord destroyed them to this day” (cf. NRSV); NLT “he has kept them devastated to this very day.” The translation uses the verb “annihilated” to indicate the permanency of the action.
[11:5] 79 tn See note on these same words in v. 3.
[11:6] 80 sn Dathan and Abiram. These two (along with others) had challenged Moses’ leadership in the desert with the result that the earth beneath them opened up and they and their families disappeared (Num 16:1-3, 31-35).
[11:6] 81 tn Or “the descendant of Reuben”; Heb “son of Reuben.”
[11:6] 82 tn Heb “in the midst of all Israel” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB “among all Israel.” In the Hebrew text these words appear at the end of the verse, but they are logically connected with the verbs. To make this clear the translation places the phrase after the first verb.
[11:6] 83 tn Heb “their houses,” referring to all who lived in their household. Cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “households.”
[11:6] 84 tn Heb “and all the substance which was at their feet.”
[11:7] 81 tn On the addition of these words in the translation see note on “They did not see” in v. 3.
[11:8] 82 tn Heb “the commandment.” The singular מִצְוָה (mitsvah, “commandment”) speaks here as elsewhere of the whole corpus of covenant stipulations in Deuteronomy (cf. 6:1, 25; 7:11; 8:1).
[11:8] 83 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in vv. 13, 27).
[11:8] 84 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
[11:9] 83 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 21).
[11:10] 84 tn Heb “you are going there to possess it”; NASB “into which you are about to cross to possess it”; NRSV “that you are crossing over to occupy.”
[11:10] 85 tn Heb “with your foot” (so NASB, NLT). There is a two-fold significance to this phrase. First, Egypt had no rain so water supply depended on human efforts at irrigation. Second, the Nile was the source of irrigation waters but those waters sometimes had to be pumped into fields and gardens by foot-power, perhaps the kind of machinery (Arabic shaduf) still used by Egyptian farmers (see C. Aldred, The Egyptians, 181). Nevertheless, the translation uses “by hand,” since that expression is the more common English idiom for an activity performed by manual labor.
[11:11] 85 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
[11:11] 86 tn Heb “rain of heaven.”
[11:12] 86 tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.
[11:12] 87 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[11:12] 88 sn From the beginning to the end of the year. This refers to the agricultural year that was marked by the onset of the heavy rains, thus the autumn. See note on the phrase “the former and the latter rains” in v. 14.
[11:13] 87 tn Heb “if hearing, you will hear.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute to emphasize the verbal idea. The translation renders this emphasis with the word “close.”
[11:13] 88 tn Again, the Hebrew term אָהַב (’ahav) draws attention to the reciprocation of divine love as a condition or sign of covenant loyalty (cf. Deut 6:5).
[11:13] 89 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[11:14] 88 tn The words “he promises” do not appear in the Hebrew text but are needed in the translation to facilitate the transition from the condition (v. 13) to the promise and make it clear that the Lord is speaking the words of vv. 14-15.
[11:14] 89 tn Heb “the rain of your land.” In this case the genitive (modifying term) indicates the recipient of the rain.
[11:14] 90 sn The autumn and the spring rains. The “former” (יוֹרֶה, yoreh) and “latter” (מַלְקוֹשׁ, malqosh) rains come in abundance respectively in September/October and March/April. Planting of most crops takes place before the former rains fall and the harvests follow the latter rains.
[11:15] 89 tn Heb “grass in your field.”
[11:16] 90 tn Heb “Watch yourselves lest your heart turns and you turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
[11:17] 91 tn Heb “will become hot”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “will be kindled”; NAB “will flare up”; NIV, NLT “will burn.”
[11:17] 92 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[11:17] 93 tn Or “be destroyed”; NAB, NIV “will soon perish.”
[11:17] 94 tn Heb “the
[11:18] 92 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[11:18] 93 tn On the Hebrew term טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “reminders”), cf. Deut 6:4-9.
[11:19] 93 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
[11:21] 94 tn Heb “like the days of the heavens upon the earth,” that is, forever.
[11:22] 95 tn Heb “this commandment.” See note at Deut 5:30.
[11:22] 96 tn Heb “commanding you to do it.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation and “to do it” has been left untranslated.
[11:22] 97 tn Heb “walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV); TEV “do everything he commands.”
[11:23] 96 tn Heb “the
[11:24] 97 tn Heb “the sole of your foot walks.” The placing of the foot symbolizes conquest and dominion, especially on land or on the necks of enemies (cf. Deut 1:36; Ps 7:13; Isa 63:3 Hab 3:19; Zech 9:13). See E. H. Merrill, NIDOTTE 1:992.
[11:24] 98 tn Heb “the after sea,” that is, the sea behind one when one is facing east, which is the normal OT orientation. Cf. ASV “the hinder sea.”
[11:26] 98 sn A blessing and a curse. Every extant treaty text of the late Bronze Age attests to a section known as the “blessings and curses,” the former for covenant loyalty and the latter for covenant breach. Blessings were promised rewards for obedience; curses were threatened judgments for disobedience. In the Book of Deuteronomy these are fully developed in 27:1–28:68. Here Moses adumbrates the whole by way of anticipation.
[11:27] 99 tn Heb “listen to,” that is, obey.
[11:28] 100 tn Heb “do not listen to,” that is, do not obey.
[11:28] 101 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[11:28] 102 tn Heb “am commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
[11:28] 103 tn Heb “walk after”; NIV “by following”; NLT “by worshiping.” This is a violation of the first commandment, the most serious of the covenant violations (Deut 5:6-7).
[11:29] 101 sn Mount Gerizim…Mount Ebal. These two mountains are near the ancient site of Shechem and the modern city of Nablus. The valley between them is like a great amphitheater with the mountain slopes as seating sections. The place was sacred because it was there that Abraham pitched his camp and built his first altar after coming to Canaan (Gen 12:6). Jacob also settled at Shechem for a time and dug a well from which Jesus once requested a drink of water (Gen 33:18-20; John 4:5-7). When Joshua and the Israelites finally brought Canaan under control they assembled at Shechem as Moses commanded and undertook a ritual of covenant reaffirmation (Josh 8:30-35; 24:1, 25). Half the tribes stood on Mt. Gerizim and half on Mt. Ebal and in antiphonal chorus pledged their loyalty to the
[11:30] 102 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:30] 103 sn Gilgal. From a Hebrew verb root גָלַל (galal, “to roll”) this place name means “circle” or “rolling,” a name given because God had “rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (Josh 5:9). It is perhaps to be identified with Khirbet el-Metjir, 1.2 mi (2 km) northeast of OT Jericho.
[11:30] 104 tc The MT plural “oaks” (אֵלוֹנֵי, ’eloney) should probably be altered (with many Greek texts) to the singular “oak” (אֵלוֹן, ’elon; cf. NRSV) in line with the only other occurrence of the phrase (Gen 12:6). The Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J. read mmrá, confusing this place with the “oaks of Mamre” near Hebron (Gen 13:18). Smr also appears to confuse “Moreh” with “Mamre” (reading mwr’, a combined form), adding the clarification mwl shkm (“near Shechem”) apparently to distinguish it from Mamre near Hebron.
[12:1] 104 tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the
[12:2] 104 tn Heb “destroying you must destroy”; KJV “Ye shall utterly (surely ASV) destroy”; NRSV “must demolish completely.” The Hebrew infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by the words “by all means.”
[12:2] 105 sn Every leafy tree. This expression refers to evergreens which, because they keep their foliage throughout the year, provided apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan. The deity particularly in view is Asherah, wife of the great god El, who was considered the goddess of fertility and whose worship frequently took place at shrines near or among clusters (groves) of such trees (see also Deut 7:5). See J. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:569-70; J. DeMoor, TDOT 1:438-44.
[12:3] 105 sn Sacred pillars. These are the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.
[12:3] 106 sn Sacred Asherah poles. The Hebrew term (plural) is אֲשֵׁרִים (’asherim). See note on the word “(leafy) tree” in v. 2, and also Deut 7:5.
[12:5] 106 tn Heb “the
[12:5] 107 tc Some scholars, on the basis of v. 11, emend the MT reading שִׁכְנוֹ (shikhno, “his residence”) to the infinitive construct לְשָׁכֵן (lÿshakhen, “to make [his name] to dwell”), perhaps with the 3rd person masculine singular sf לְשַׁכְּנוֹ (lÿshakÿno, “to cause it to dwell”). Though the presupposed nounשֵׁכֶן (shekhen) is nowhere else attested, the parallel here with שַׁמָּה (shammah, “there”) favors retaining the MT as it stands.
[12:6] 107 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
[12:7] 108 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
[12:7] 109 tn Heb “the
[12:10] 111 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[12:10] 112 tn Heb “the
[12:10] 113 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 10-11 are one long, complex sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two sentences.
[12:11] 112 tn Heb “and it will be (to) the place where the Lord your God chooses to cause his name to dwell you will bring.”
[12:11] 113 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
[12:11] 114 tn Heb “the
[12:12] 113 tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”
[12:12] 114 sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.
[12:14] 114 tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
[12:14] 115 sn This injunction to worship in a single and central sanctuary – one limited and appropriate to the thrice-annual festival celebrations (see Exod 23:14-17; 34:22-24; Lev 23:4-36; Deut 16:16-17) – marks a departure from previous times when worship was carried out at local shrines (cf. Gen 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:1, 3, 7; Exod 17:15). Apart from the corporate worship of the whole theocratic community, however, worship at local altars would still be permitted as in the past (Deut 16:21; Judg 6:24-27; 13:19-20; 1 Sam 7:17; 10:5, 13; 2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Kgs 18:30).
[12:15] 115 tn Heb “only in all the desire of your soul you may sacrifice and eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given to you.”
[12:15] 116 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB; likewise in vv. 17, 18).
[12:18] 116 tn Heb “the
[12:18] 117 tn See note at Deut 12:12.
[12:18] 118 tn Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”
[12:20] 117 tn Heb “for my soul desires to eat meat.”
[12:20] 118 tn Heb “according to all the desire of your soul you may eat meat.”
[12:21] 118 tn Heb “the
[12:21] 119 tn Heb “the
[12:21] 120 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “in your own community.”
[12:23] 119 sn The blood is life itself. This is a figure of speech (metonymy) in which the cause or means (the blood) stands for the result or effect (life). That is, life depends upon the existence and circulation of blood, a truth known empirically but not scientifically tested and proved until the 17th century
[12:25] 120 tc Heb “in the eyes of the
[12:26] 121 tc Again, to complete a commonly attested wording the LXX adds after “choose” the phrase “to place his name there.” This shows insensitivity to deliberate departures from literary stereotypes. The MT reading is to be preferred.
[12:27] 122 sn These other sacrifices would be so-called peace or fellowship offerings whose ritual required a different use of the blood from that of burnt (sin and trespass) offerings (cf. Lev 3; 7:11-14, 19-21).
[12:27] 123 tn Heb “on the altar of the
[12:29] 123 tn Heb “dwell in their land” (so NASB). In the Hebrew text vv. 29-30 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides it into two.
[12:31] 124 tn Heb “you must not do thus to/for the
[12:31] 125 tn See note on this term at Deut 7:25.
[12:31] 126 tn Heb “every abomination of the
[12:32] 125 sn Beginning with 12:32, the verse numbers through 13:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 12:32 ET = 13:1 HT, 13:1 ET = 13:2 HT, 13:2 ET = 13:3 HT, etc., through 13:18 ET = 13:19 HT. With 14:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[12:32] 126 tn This verse highlights a phenomenon found throughout Deuteronomy, but most especially in chap. 12, namely, the alternation of grammatical singular and plural forms of the pronoun (known as Numeruswechsel in German scholarship). Critical scholarship in general resolves the “problem” by suggesting varying literary traditions – one favorable to the singular pronoun and the other to the plural – which appear in the (obviously rough) redacted text at hand. Even the ancient versions were troubled by the lack of harmony of grammatical number and in this verse, for example, offered a number of alternate readings. The MT reads “Everything I am commanding you (plural) you (plural) must be careful to do; you (singular) must not add to it nor should you (singular) subtract form it.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate suggest singular for the first two pronouns but a few Smr
[12:32] 127 sn Do not add to it or subtract from it. This prohibition makes at least two profound theological points: (1) This work by Moses is of divine origination (i.e., it is inspired) and therefore can tolerate no human alteration; and (2) the work is complete as it stands (i.e., it is canonical).
[9:14] 126 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
[19:7] 127 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
[19:7] 128 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the
[19:7] 129 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
[19:7] 130 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
[19:8] 128 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
[19:8] 129 tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.
[19:8] 130 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
[19:8] 131 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
[19:8] 132 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
[19:9] 129 tn Heb “the fear of the
[19:9] 130 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
[19:9] 131 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
[19:10] 130 tn Heb “more desirable.”
[19:10] 131 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
[19:11] 131 tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”
[19:11] 132 tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”
[2:11] 133 tn Grk “all men”; but ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpois) is generic here, referring to both men and women.
[2:12] 134 tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.
[2:12] 135 tn Grk “ungodliness.”
[2:13] 135 tn Grk “the blessed hope and glorious appearing.”
[2:13] 136 tn The terms “God and Savior” both refer to the same person, Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest statements in the NT concerning the deity of Christ. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. The only issue is whether terms such as “God” and “Savior” could be considered common nouns as opposed to proper names. Sharp and others who followed (such as T. F. Middleton in his masterful The Doctrine of the Greek Article) demonstrated that a proper name in Greek was one that could not be pluralized. Since both “God” (θεός, qeos) and “savior” (σωτήρ, swthr) were occasionally found in the plural, they did not constitute proper names, and hence, do fit Sharp’s rule. Although there have been 200 years of attempts to dislodge Sharp’s rule, all attempts have been futile. Sharp’s rule stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. For more information on Sharp’s rule see ExSyn 270-78, esp. 276. See also 2 Pet 1:1 and Jude 4.
[2:14] 136 tn Grk “who” (as a continuation of the previous clause).
