Deuteronomy 4:16-23

4:16 I say this¹ so you will not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the form of any kind of figure. This includes the likeness of a human male or female, 4:17 any kind of land animal, any bird that flies in the sky, 4:18 anything that crawls² on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters of the earth.³ 4:19 When you look up⁴ to the sky⁵ and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation⁶ – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them,⁷ for the Lord your God has assigned⁸ them to all the people⁹ of the world.¹⁰ 4:20 You, however, the Lord has selected and brought from Egypt, that iron-smelting furnace,¹¹ to be his special people¹² as you are today. 4:21 But the Lord became angry with me because of you and vowed that I would never cross the Jordan nor enter the good land that he¹³ is about to give you.¹⁴ 4:22 So I must die here in this land; I will not cross the Jordan. But you are going over and will possess that¹⁵ good land. 4:23 Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he has made with you, and that you do not make an image of any kind, just as he¹⁶ has forbidden¹⁷ you.

¹tn The words “I say this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 16 is subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.

²tn Heb “creeping thing.”

³tn Heb “under the earth.”

⁴tn Heb “lest you lift up your eyes.” In the Hebrew text vv. 16-19 are subordinated to “Be careful” in v. 15, but this makes for an unduly long sentence in English.

⁵tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

⁶tn Heb “all the host of heaven.”

⁷tn In the Hebrew text the verbal sequence in v. 19 is “lest you look up…and see…and be seduced…and worship them…and serve them.” However, the first two actions are not prohibited in and of themselves. The prohibition pertains to the final three actions. The first two verbs describe actions that are logically subordinate to the following actions and can be treated as temporal or circumstantial: “lest, looking up…and seeing…, you are seduced.” See Joüon 2:635 §168.h.

⁸tn Or “allotted.”

⁹tn Or “nations.”

¹⁰tn Heb “under all the heaven.”

sn The OT views the heavenly host as God’s council, which surrounds his royal throne ready to do his bidding (see 1 Kgs 22:19). God has given this group, sometimes called the “sons of God” (cf. Job 1:6; 38:7; Ps 89:6), jurisdiction over the nations. See Deut 32:8 (LXX). Some also see this assembly as the addressee in Ps 82. While God delegated his council to rule over the nations, he established a theocratic government over Israel and ruled directly over his chosen people via the Mosaic covenant. See v. 20, as well as Deut 32:9.

¹¹tn 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.

¹²tn 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.

¹³tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

¹⁴tn The Hebrew text includes “(as) an inheritance,” or “(as) a possession.”

¹⁵tn Heb “this.” The translation uses “that” to avoid confusion; earlier in the verse Moses refers to Transjordan as “this land.”

¹⁶tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

¹⁷tn Heb “commanded.”