2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea 1 just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time.
15:19 You must set apart 4 for the Lord your God every firstborn male born to your herds and flocks. You must not work the firstborn of your bulls or shear the firstborn of your flocks.
30:1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses 6 I have set before you, you will reflect upon them 7 in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you.
32:8 When the Most High 8 gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind, 9
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly. 10
32:36 The Lord will judge his people,
and will change his plans concerning 11 his servants;
when he sees that their power has disappeared,
and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.
33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,
for the portion of the ruler 12 is set aside 13 there;
he came with the leaders 14 of the people,
he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord
and his ordinances with Israel.
1 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.
2 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.
3 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.”
4 tn Heb “sanctify” (תַּקְדִּישׁ, taqdish), that is, put to use on behalf of the
5 tn Heb “the
6 tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”
7 tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”
8 tn The Hebrew term עֶליוֹן (’elyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Ps 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.
9 tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).
10 tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bÿney yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelwn qeou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bÿney ’el) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (beney ’elim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.
11 tn The translation understands the verb in the sense of “be grieved, relent” (cf. HALOT 689 s.v. נחם hitp 2); cf. KJV, ASV “repent himself”; NLT “will change his mind.” Another option is to translate “will show compassion to” (see BDB 637 s.v. נחם); cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV.
12 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.
13 tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).
14 tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).