Joshua 22:27-28

22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, ¹  and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence ²  with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. ³  Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ ⁴  22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing ⁵  to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors ⁶  made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ ⁷ 

Joshua 22:34

22:34 The Reubenites and Gadites named the altar, “Surely it is a Reminder to us ⁸  that the Lord is God.”

Genesis 31:44-52

31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, ⁹  you and I, and it will be ¹⁰  proof that we have made peace.” ¹¹ 

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he ¹²  said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. ¹³  They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, ¹⁴  but Jacob called it Galeed. ¹⁵ 

31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement ¹⁶  today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah ¹⁷  because he said, “May the Lord watch ¹⁸  between us ¹⁹  when we are out of sight of one another. ²⁰  31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize ²¹  that God is witness to your actions.” ²² 

31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. ²³  31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. ²⁴ 

Deuteronomy 4:26

4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you ²⁵  today that you will surely and swiftly be removed ²⁶  from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be ²⁷  annihilated.

Deuteronomy 30:19

30:19 Today I invoke heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live!

Deuteronomy 31:19

31:19 Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my witness against the Israelites!

Deuteronomy 31:21

31:21 Then when ²⁸  many disasters and distresses overcome them ²⁹  this song will testify against them, ³⁰  for their ³¹  descendants will not forget it. ³²  I know the ³³  intentions they have in mind ³⁴  today, even before I bring them ³⁵  to the land I have promised.”

Deuteronomy 31:26

31:26 “Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. It will remain there as a witness against you,

Deuteronomy 31:1

Succession of Moses by Joshua

31:1 Then Moses went ³⁶  and spoke these words ³⁷  to all Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:12

Promises of Good for Covenant Obedience

7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you ³⁸  as he promised ³⁹  your ancestors.

[22:27]  ¹ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

[22:27]  ² tn Heb “to do the service of the Lord before him.”

[22:27]  ³ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:27]  ⁴ tn Heb “You have no portion in the Lord.”

[22:28]  ⁵ tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[22:28]  ⁶ tn Heb “fathers.”

[22:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

[22:34]  ⁸ tn Heb “a witness between us.”

[31:44]  ⁹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ¹⁰ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

[31:44]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”

[31:46]  ¹² tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:46]  ¹³ sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.

[31:47]  ¹⁴ sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”

[31:47]  ¹⁵ sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.

[31:48]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”

[31:49]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and Mizpah.”

[31:49]  ¹⁸ sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.

[31:49]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:49]  ²⁰ tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”

[31:50]  ²¹ tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ²² tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:51]  ²³ tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:52]  ²⁴ tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”

[4:26]  ²⁵ sn 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]  ²⁶ tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”

[4:26]  ²⁷ tn 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.

[31:21]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”

[31:21]  ²⁹ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ³⁰ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ³² tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”

[31:21]  ³³ tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “which he is doing.”

[31:21]  ³⁵ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:1]  ³⁶ tc For the MT reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “he went”), the LXX and Qumran have וַיְכַל (vaykhal, “he finished”): “So Moses finished speaking,” etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.

[31:1]  ³⁷ tn In the MT this refers to the words that follow (cf. NIV, NCV).

[7:12]  ³⁸ tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.

[7:12]  ³⁹ 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.”