2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea 10 just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time.
2:24 Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, 12 and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war!
3:12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer 14 by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites. 15 3:13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. 16 (All the region of Argob, 17 that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim.
3:18 At that time I instructed you as follows: “The Lord your God has given you this land for your possession. You warriors are to cross over before your fellow Israelites 18 equipped for battle.
4:25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, 21 if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind 22 and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, 23
6:1 Now these are the commandments, 28 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 29
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, 32 Girgashites, 33 Amorites, 34 Canaanites, 35 Perizzites, 36 Hivites, 37 and Jebusites, 38 seven 39 nations more numerous and powerful than you –
8:1 You must keep carefully all these commandments 40 I am giving 41 you today so that you may live, increase in number, 42 and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. 43
9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget 45 – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. 46
11:8 Now pay attention to all the commandments 49 I am giving 50 you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed, 51
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, 56 has given you to possess. 57
15:7 If a fellow Israelite 62 from one of your villages 63 in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive 64 to his impoverished condition. 65
17:14 When you come to the land the Lord your God is giving you and take it over and live in it and then say, “I will select a king like all the nations surrounding me,”
19:14 You must not encroach on your neighbor’s property, 69 which will have been defined 70 in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 71
20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry 72 and troops 73 who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
24:14 You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your fellow Israelites 74 or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land and villages. 75
29:1 (28:69) 86 These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 87
32:10 The Lord 94 found him 95 in a desolate land,
in an empty wasteland where animals howl. 96
He continually guarded him 97 and taught him; 98
he continually protected him 99 like the pupil 100 of his eye.
32:13 He enabled him 101 to travel over the high terrain of the land,
and he ate of the produce of the fields.
He provided honey for him from the cliffs, 102
and olive oil 103 from the hardest of 104 rocks, 105
32:43 Cry out, O nations, with his people,
for he will avenge his servants’ blood;
he will take vengeance against his enemies,
and make atonement for his land and people.
34:1 Then Moses ascended from the deserts of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. 106 The Lord showed him the whole land – Gilead to Dan,
1 tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.”
2 tn Heb “the
3 tn Heb “swore” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to God’s promise, made by solemn oath, to give the patriarchs the land.
4 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35).
5 tn Heb “their seed after them.”
6 tn Heb “the
7 tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
8 tn Heb “would be a prey.”
9 sn Do not know good from bad. This is a figure of speech called a merism (suggesting a whole by referring to its extreme opposites). Other examples are the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9), the boy who knows enough “to reject the wrong and choose the right” (Isa 7:16; 8:4), and those who “cannot tell their right hand from their left” (Jonah 4:11). A young child is characterized by lack of knowledge.
10 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.
11 sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.
12 sn Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tell Hesba„n, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south southwest of Amman, Jordan). Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26-30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
13 sn Wadi Jabbok. Now known as the Zerqa River, this is a major tributary of the Jordan that normally served as a boundary between Ammon and Gad (Deut 3:16).
14 tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
sn Aroer. See note on this term in Deut 2:36.
15 sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
16 sn Half the tribe of Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans, with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39-42; Josh 17:1-13).
17 sn Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.
18 tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”
19 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so ASV).
20 tn Heb “to which you are crossing over to possess it.”
21 tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.
22 tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”
23 tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.
24 tn Heb “by a strong hand and an outstretched arm,” the hand and arm symbolizing divine activity and strength. Cf. NLT “with amazing power and mighty deeds.”
25 tn Or “keep” (so KJV, NRSV).
26 tn Heb “the
27 tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”
28 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.
29 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”
30 tn Heb “upright.”
31 tn Heb “the
32 sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200
33 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).
34 sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200
35 sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000
36 sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
37 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).
38 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).
39 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.
40 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).
41 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11).
42 tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.”
43 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18).
44 tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
sn The Hebrew word translated stubborn means “stiff-necked.” The image is that of a draft animal that is unsubmissive to the rein or yoke and refuses to bend its neck to draw the load. This is an apt description of OT Israel (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:13).
45 tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
46 tn Heb “the
47 tn Heb “the
48 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.
49 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).
50 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in vv. 13, 27).
51 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
52 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.
53 tn Heb “the rain of your land.” In this case the genitive (modifying term) indicates the recipient of the rain.
54 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.
55 tn Heb “like the days of the heavens upon the earth,” that is, forever.
56 tn Heb “fathers.”
57 tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the
58 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Heb “the
60 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 10-11 are one long, complex sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two sentences.
61 sn Execution by means of pelting the offender with stones afforded a mechanism whereby the whole community could share in it. In a very real sense it could be done not only in the name of the community and on its behalf but by its members (cf. Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Deut 21:21; Josh 7:25).
62 tn Heb “one of your brothers” (so NASB); NAB “one of your kinsmen”; NRSV “a member of your community.” See the note at v. 2.
63 tn Heb “gates.”
64 tn Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. NIV “hardhearted or tightfisted” (NRSV and NLT similar).
65 tn Heb “from your needy brother.”
66 tn Heb “leaven must not be seen among you in all your border.”
67 tn Heb “remain all night until the morning” (so KJV, ASV). This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
68 tn Heb “border.”
69 tn Heb “border.” Cf. NRSV “You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker.”
70 tn Heb “which they set off from the beginning.”
71 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it.” This phrase has been left untranslated to avoid redundancy.
72 tn Heb “horse and chariot.”
73 tn Heb “people.”
74 tn Heb “your brothers,” but not limited only to actual siblings; cf. NASB “your (+ own NAB) countrymen.”
75 tn Heb “who are in your land in your gates.” The word “living” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
76 tn Or “just”; Heb “righteous.”
77 tc For the MT reading “your God,” certain LXX
78 tc The Syriac adds “your God” to complete the usual formula.
79 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
80 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 15).
81 tn Heb “the
82 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “will give you a lot of children.”
83 tn Heb “the
84 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 36, 64).
85 tn Heb “the
86 sn Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
87 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (which some English versions substitute here for clarity, cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
88 tn Heb “will say and see.” One expects a quotation to appear, but it seems to be omitted. To avoid confusion in the translation, the verb “will say” is omitted.
89 tn Heb “the
90 tn Heb “fathers” (also later in this verse and in vv. 9, 20).
91 tn The phrase “this law” is not in the Hebrew text, but English style requires an object for the verb here. Other translations also supply the object which is otherwise implicit (cf. NIV “who do not know this law”; TEV “who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God”).
92 tn Heb “he.” Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as “the
93 tc The LXX reads, “as the
94 tn Heb “he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
95 tn The reference is to “his people/Jacob” (cf. v. 9), that is, Israel (using a collective singular). The singular pronouns are replaced by plural ones throughout vv. 10-14 by some English versions as an aid to the modern reader (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT).
96 tn Heb “in an empty, howling wasteland.” The word “howling” is derived from a verbal root that typically refers to the wailing of mourners. Here it likely refers to the howling of desert animals, or perhaps to the howling wind, in which case one may translate, “in an empty, windy wasteland.”
97 tn Heb “was surrounding him.” The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing care during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
98 tn Heb “he gave him understanding.” The form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
99 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing protection during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
100 tn Heb “the little man.” The term אִישׁוֹן (’ishon) means literally “little man,” perhaps because when one looks into another’s eyes he sees himself reflected there in miniature. See A. Harman, NIDOTTE 1:391.
101 tn The form of the suffix on this verbal form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. Note as well the preterites with vav (ו) consecutive that follow in the verse.
102 tn Heb “he made him suck honey from the rock.”
103 tn Heb “oil,” but this probably refers to olive oil; see note on the word “rock” at the end of this verse.
104 tn Heb “flinty.”
105 sn Olive oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 415; cf. TEV “their olive trees flourished in stony ground.”
106 sn For the geography involved, see note on the term “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17.
map For the location of Jericho see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
107 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
108 tn The Hebrew text includes “with your eyes,” but this is redundant in English and is left untranslated.