1:6 The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, “You have stayed 1 in the area of this mountain long enough.
4:15 Be very careful, 19 then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire.
6:20 When your children 27 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, 28 “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. 29
7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you 30 as he promised 31 your ancestors.
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.
9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, 39 for he 40 had said he would destroy you.
11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 42 at all times.
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. 53
13:12 Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that
14:1 You are children 57 of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald 58 for the sake of the dead.
16:1 Observe the month Abib 66 and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month 67 he 68 brought you out of Egypt by night. 16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal 69 (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he 70 chooses to locate his name.
16:21 You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred Asherah pole 74 near the altar of the Lord your God which you build for yourself.
18:9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn the abhorrent practices of those nations.
18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you – from your fellow Israelites; 81 you must listen to him.
19:1 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he 82 is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses, 19:2 you must set apart for yourselves three cities 83 in the middle of your land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession.
21:1 If a homicide victim 97 should be found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you, 98 and no one knows who killed 99 him,
21:10 When you go out to do battle with your enemies and the Lord your God allows you to prevail 101 and you take prisoners,
23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite 104 may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever 105 do so, 106
26:1 When 110 you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it,
26:16 Today the Lord your God is commanding you to keep these statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul. 114 26:17 Today you have declared the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey him. 26:18 And today the Lord has declared you to be his special people (as he already promised you) so you may keep all his commandments.
27:9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be quiet and pay attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.
29:2 Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did 121 in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land.
32:6 Is this how you repay 132 the Lord,
you foolish, unwise people?
Is he not your father, your creator?
He has made you and established you.
32:27 But I fear the reaction 133 of their enemies,
for 134 their adversaries would misunderstand
and say, “Our power is great, 135
and the Lord has not done all this!”’
32:30 How can one man chase a thousand of them, 136
and two pursue ten thousand;
unless their Rock had delivered them up, 137
and the Lord had handed them over?
33:13 Of Joseph he said:
May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky, 138 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.
1 tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.”
2 tn Heb “multiplied you.”
3 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
4 tn Heb “may he bless you.”
5 tn The Hebrew participle has an imminent future sense here, although many English versions treat it as a present tense (“is giving us,” NAB, NIV, NRSV) or a predictive future (“will give us,” NCV).
6 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).
7 tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”
8 tn Heb “the mouth of the
9 tn Heb “from the middle of.” Although many recent English versions leave this expression untranslated, the point seems to be that these soldiers did not die in battle but “within the camp.”
10 tc The translation follows the Qere or marginal reading; the Kethib (consonantal text) has the singular, “his son.”
11 tn Heb “all his people.”
12 tn Heb “Lord
13 tn Heb “your servant.” The pronoun is used in the translation to clarify that Moses is speaking of himself, since in contemporary English one does not usually refer to oneself in third person.
14 tn Heb “your strong hand” (so NIV), a symbol of God’s activity.
15 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.
16 tn Heb “the
17 tn Or “
18 tn The words “was heard” are supplied in the translation to avoid the impression that the voice was seen.
19 tn Heb “give great care to your souls.”
20 tn A כּוּר (kur) was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19); cf. NAB “that iron foundry, Egypt.” The term is a metaphor for intense heat. Here it refers to the oppression and suffering Israel endured in Egypt. Since a crucible was used to burn away impurities, it is possible that the metaphor views Egypt as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.
21 tn Heb “to be his people of inheritance.” The Lord compares his people to valued property inherited from one’s ancestors and passed on to one’s descendants.
22 tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.
23 sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.
24 tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.
25 tn Heb “the
26 tn Heb “lest the anger of the
27 tn Heb “your son.”
28 tn Heb “to your son.”
29 tn Heb “by a strong hand.” The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The
30 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
31 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.”
32 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).
33 tn Or “wadis.”
34 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.
35 tn Heb “so you will perish.”
36 tn Heb “listen to the voice of the
37 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”).
38 tn Heb “the
39 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
40 tn Heb “the
41 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
42 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).
43 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 21).
44 tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.
45 tn Heb “the eyes of the
sn Constantly attentive to it. This attention to the land by the
46 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.
47 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
48 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
49 tn Heb “the
50 tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
51 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).
52 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.
53 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.
54 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
55 tc The LXX and Smr add “and good” to bring the phrase in line with a familiar cliché (cf. Deut 6:18; Josh 9:25; 2 Kgs 10:3; 2 Chr 14:1; etc.). This is an unnecessary and improper attempt to force a text into a preconceived mold.
56 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
57 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); TEV, NLT “people.”
58 sn Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald. These were pagan practices associated with mourning the dead; they were not be imitated by God’s people (though they frequently were; cf. 1 Kgs 18:28; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; Hos 7:14 [LXX]; Mic 5:1). For other warnings against such practices see Lev 21:5; Jer 16:5.
59 tn Heb “bind the silver in your hand.”
60 tc After the phrase “the
61 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.
62 tn Heb “the
63 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess.”
64 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “generously.”
65 tn Heb “any evil blemish”; NASB “any (+ other NAB, TEV) serious defect.”
66 sn The month Abib, later called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Esth 3:7), corresponds to March-April in the modern calendar.
67 tn Heb “in the month Abib.” The demonstrative “that” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
68 tn Heb “the
69 tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
70 tn Heb “the
71 tn The rules that governed the Passover meal are found in Exod 12:1-51, and Deut 16:1-8. The word translated “cook” (בָּשַׁל, bashal) here is translated “boil” in other places (e.g. Exod 23:19, 1 Sam 2:13-15). This would seem to contradict Exod 12:9 where the Israelites are told not to eat the Passover sacrifice raw or boiled. However, 2 Chr 35:13 recounts the celebration of a Passover feast during the reign of Josiah, and explains that the people “cooked (בָּשַׁל, bashal) the Passover sacrifices over the open fire.” The use of בָּשַׁל (bashal) with “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) suggests that the word could be used to speak of boiling or roasting.
72 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.
73 tn Heb “justice, justice.” The repetition is emphatic; one might translate as “pure justice” or “unadulterated justice” (cf. NLT “true justice”).
74 tn Heb “an Asherah, any tree.”
sn Sacred Asherah pole. This refers to a tree (or wooden pole) dedicated to the worship of Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. See also Deut 7:5.
75 tn Heb “to the
76 tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “an abomination”; cf. NAB) describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25.
77 tn Heb “he” (and throughout the verse).
78 tn Heb “brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NASB “their countrymen”; NRSV “the other members of the community.”
79 tc Smr and some Greek texts add “before the
80 tn Heb “the name of the
81 tc The MT expands here on the usual formula by adding “from among you” (cf. Deut 17:15; 18:18; Smr; a number of Greek texts). The expansion seems to be for the purpose of emphasis, i.e., the prophet to come must be not just from Israel but an Israelite by blood.
tn “from your brothers,” but not referring to actual siblings. Cf. NAB “from among your own kinsmen”; NASB “from your countrymen”; NRSV “from among your own people.” A similar phrase occurs in v. 17.
82 tn Heb “the
83 sn These three cities, later designated by Joshua, were Kedesh of Galilee, Shechem, and Hebron (Josh 20:7-9).
84 tn Heb “fathers.”
85 tn Heb “he said to give to your ancestors.” The pronoun has been used in the translation instead for stylistic reasons.
86 tn Heb “innocent blood must not be shed.” The Hebrew phrase דָּם נָקִי (dam naqiy) means the blood of a person to whom no culpability or responsibility adheres because what he did was without malice aforethought (HALOT 224 s.v דָּם 4.b).
87 tn Heb “and blood will be upon you” (cf. KJV, ASV); NRSV “thereby bringing bloodguilt upon you.”
88 tn The appositional construction (“before the
89 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “utterly.” Cf. CEV “completely wipe out.”
sn The Hebrew verb refers to placing persons or things so evil and/or impure as to be irredeemable under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction. See also the note on the phrase “the divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
90 sn Hittite. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200
91 sn Amorite. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200
92 sn Canaanite. These were the indigenous peoples of the land of Palestine, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000
93 sn Perizzite. This probably refers to a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
94 sn Hivite. 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 “Horites” in Deut 2:12).
95 tc The LXX adds “Girgashites” here at the end of the list in order to list the full (and usual) complement of seven (see note on “seven” in Deut 7:1).
sn Jebusite. These people inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).
96 tn Heb “to do according to all their abominations which they do for their gods.”
97 tn Heb “slain [one].” The term חָלָל (khalal) suggests something other than a natural death (cf. Num 19:16; 23:24; Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15; 30:24; 31:17-18).
98 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
99 tn Heb “struck,” but in context a fatal blow is meant; cf. NLT “who committed the murder.”
100 tn Heb “in the eyes of” (so ASV, NASB, NIV).
101 tn Heb “gives him into your hands.”
102 tn Or “a person born of an illegitimate marriage.”
103 tn Heb “enter the assembly of the
104 sn An Ammonite or Moabite. These descendants of Lot by his two daughters (cf. Gen 19:30-38) were thereby the products of incest and therefore excluded from the worshiping community. However, these two nations also failed to show proper hospitality to Israel on their way to Canaan (v. 4).
105 tn The Hebrew term translated “ever” (עַד־עוֹלָם, ’ad-’olam) suggests that “tenth generation” (vv. 2, 3) also means “forever.” However, in the OT sense “forever” means not “for eternity” but for an indeterminate future time. See A. Tomasino, NIDOTTE 3:346.
106 tn Heb “enter the assembly of the
107 tn Heb “the
108 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by “surely.”
109 tn Heb “and it will be a sin to you”; NIV, NCV, NLT “be guilty of sin.”
110 tn Heb “and it will come to pass that.”
111 tn Heb “the
112 tn Heb “by a powerful hand and an extended arm.” These are anthropomorphisms designed to convey God’s tremendously great power in rescuing Israel from their Egyptian bondage. They are preserved literally in many English versions (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
113 tn Or “household” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); Heb “house” (so KJV, NRSV).
114 tn Or “mind and being”; cf. NCV “with your whole being”; TEV “obey them faithfully with all your heart.”
115 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
116 tn Heb “plaster” (so KJV, ASV; likewise in v. 4). In the translation “cover” has been used for stylistic reasons.
117 tn Heb “the commandments of the
118 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
119 tn Heb “will cause pestilence to cling to you.”
120 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹרָה (torah) can refer either (1) to the whole Pentateuch or, more likely, (2) to the book of Deuteronomy or even (3) only to this curse section of the covenant text. “Scroll” better reflects the actual document, since “book” conveys the notion of a bound book with pages to the modern English reader. Cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “the book of this law”; NIV, NLT “this Book of the Law”; TEV “this book of God’s laws and teachings.”
121 tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation.
122 tc The LXX reads “that he is the
123 tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shofÿtekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”
124 tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
125 tn Heb “this great burning of anger”; KJV “the heat of this great anger.”
126 tn Heb “the entire curse.”
127 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “children.”
128 tn Or “heart and soul” (also in vv. 6, 10).
129 tn Heb “according to all.”
130 tn Heb “are at the farthest edge of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
131 tn Heb “before all Israel.”
132 tn Or “treat” (TEV).
133 tn Heb “anger.”
134 tn Heb “lest.”
135 tn Heb “Our hand is high.” Cf. NAB “Our own hand won the victory.”
136 tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
137 tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
138 tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.
139 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.