7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you 15 as he promised 16 your ancestors.
11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 23 at all times.
16:1 Observe the month Abib 38 and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month 39 he 40 brought you out of Egypt by night. 16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal 41 (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he 42 chooses to locate his name.
19:1 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he 46 is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses,
24:10 When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you may not go into his house to claim what he is offering as security. 54 24:11 You must stand outside and the person to whom you are making the loan will bring out to you what he is offering as security. 55
32:7 Remember the ancient days;
bear in mind 71 the years of past generations. 72
Ask your father and he will inform you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
32:20 He said, “I will reject them, 73
I will see what will happen to them;
for they are a perverse generation,
children 74 who show no loyalty.
33:3 Surely he loves the people; 75
all your holy ones 76 are in your power. 77
And they sit 78 at your feet,
each receiving 79 your words.
33:13 Of Joseph he said:
May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky, 80 by the dew,
and by the depths crouching beneath;
33:23 Of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, overflowing with favor,
and full of the Lord’s blessing,
possess the west and south.
33:27 The everlasting God is a refuge,
and underneath you are his eternal arms; 81
he has driven out enemies before you,
and has said, “Destroy!”
1 tn The Hebrew participle indicates imminent future action here, though some English versions treat it as a predictive future (“will go ahead of you,” NCV; cf. also TEV, CEV).
2 tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”
3 tn Heb “command”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “charge Joshua.”
4 tc The LXX and Syriac read “to Baal Peor,” that is, the god worshiped at that place; see note on the name “Beth Peor” in Deut 3:29.
5 tn Heb “the
6 tn Or “
7 tn Heb “the
8 tn Heb “fathers.”
9 tn Heb “the
10 tn Heb “the
11 tn Heb “house,” referring to the entire household.
12 tn Heb “the
13 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.”
14 tn Heb “covenant” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “alliance.”
15 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
16 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.”
17 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).
18 tn Heb “you will destroy their name from under heaven” (cf. KJV); NRSV “blot out their name from under heaven.”
19 tn Heb “so you will perish.”
20 tn Heb “listen to the voice of the
21 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).
22 tn Heb “the
23 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).
24 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.
25 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.
26 tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.
27 tn Heb “the eyes of the
sn Constantly attentive to it. This attention to the land by the
28 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.
29 tn Heb “the
30 tn Heb “the
31 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.
32 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
33 tn Heb “the
34 tc After the phrase “the
35 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “surely.” Note however, that the use is rhetorical, for the next verse attaches a condition.
36 tn Heb “the
37 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess.”
38 sn The month Abib, later called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Esth 3:7), corresponds to March-April in the modern calendar.
39 tn Heb “in the month Abib.” The demonstrative “that” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
40 tn Heb “the
41 tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “the
43 tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.
44 tn Heb “he” (and throughout the verse).
45 tn Heb “brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NASB “their countrymen”; NRSV “the other members of the community.”
46 tn Heb “the
47 tn Heb “you will burn out” (בִּעַרְתָּ, bi’arta). Like a cancer, unavenged sin would infect the whole community. It must, therefore, be excised by the purging out of its perpetrators who, presumably, remained unrepentant (cf. Deut 13:6; 17:7, 12; 21:21; 22:21-22, 24; 24:7).
48 tn Heb “hated.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15.
49 tn Heb “brother.”
50 tn Heb “sojourner.”
51 tn Heb “the
52 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by “surely.”
53 tn Heb “and it will be a sin to you”; NIV, NCV, NLT “be guilty of sin.”
54 tn Heb “his pledge.” This refers to something offered as pledge of repayment, i.e., as security for the debt.
55 tn Heb “his pledge.”
56 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57 tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.
58 tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”
59 tn Heb “the
60 tn Heb “who lies with” (so NASB, NRSV); also in vv. 22, 23. This is a Hebrew idiom for having sexual relations (cf. NIV “who sleeps with”; NLT “who has sexual intercourse with”).
61 tn See note at Deut 22:30.
62 tn Heb “he uncovers his father’s skirt” (NASB similar). See note at Deut 22:30.
63 tn Heb “the commandments of the
64 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
65 tn Heb “will cause pestilence to cling to you.”
66 tn Heb “did not assign to them”; NASB, NRSV “had not allotted to them.”
67 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
68 tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּה (shÿmittah), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “to release; to relinquish”), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See note on this word at Deut 15:1.
69 tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] ([khag] hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.
sn For the regulations on this annual festival see Deut 16:13-15.
70 tn Heb “before all Israel.”
71 tc The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read 2nd person masculine singular whereas the MT has 2nd person masculine plural. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (בִּינוּ [binu] for בִּינָה [binah]). Both the preceding (“remember”) and following (“ask”) imperatives are singular forms in the Hebrew text.
72 tn Heb “generation and generation.” The repetition of the singular noun here singles out each of the successive past generations. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3b.
73 tn Heb “I will hide my face from them.”
74 tn Heb “sons” (so NAB, NASB); TEV “unfaithful people.”
75 tc Heb “peoples.” The apparent plural form is probably a misunderstood singular (perhaps with a pronominal suffix) with enclitic mem (ם). See HALOT 838 s.v. עַם B.2.
76 tc Heb “his holy ones.” The third person masculine singular suffix of the Hebrew MT is problematic in light of the second person masculine singular suffix on בְּיָדֶךָ (bÿyadekha, “your hands”). The LXX versions by Lucian and Origen read, therefore, “the holy ones.” The LXX version by Theodotion and the Vulgate, however, presuppose third masculine singular suffix on בְּיָדָיו (bÿyadayv, “his hands”), and thus retain “his holy ones.” The efforts to bring pronominal harmony into the line is commendable but unnecessary given the Hebrew tendency to be untroubled by such grammatical inconsistencies. However, the translation harmonizes the first pronoun with the second so that the referent (the Lord) is clear.
77 tn Heb “hands.” For the problem of the pronoun see note on the term “holy ones” earlier in this verse.
78 tn The Hebrew term תֻּכּוּ (tuku, probably Pual perfect of תָּכָה, takhah) is otherwise unknown. The present translation is based on the reference to feet and, apparently, receiving instruction in God’s words (cf. KJV, ASV). Other options are as follows: NIV “At your feet they all bow down” (cf. NCV, CEV); NLT “They follow in your steps” (cf. NAB, NASB); NRSV “they marched at your heels.”
79 tn The singular verbal form in the Hebrew text (lit. “he lifts up”) is understood in a distributive manner, focusing on the action of each individual within the group.
80 tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.
81 tn Heb “and from under, arms of perpetuity.” The words “you” and “his” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Some have perceived this line to be problematic and have offered alternative translations that differ significantly from the present translation: “He spread out the primeval tent; he extended the ancient canopy” (NAB); “He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old” (NRSV). These are based on alternate meanings or conjectural emendations rather than textual variants in the
82 tc Smr and some LXX
83 tn Heb “to,” “with respect to.” In the Hebrew text vv. 10-12 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two, using the verb “he did” at the beginning of v. 11 and “he displayed” at the beginning of v. 12.