10:6 “During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan 2 to Moserah. 3 There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place.
29:2 Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did 15 in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land.
32:4 As for the Rock, 16 his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
He is a reliable God who is never unjust,
he is fair 17 and upright.
32:5 His people have been unfaithful 18 to him;
they have not acted like his children 19 – this is their sin. 20
They are a perverse 21 and deceitful generation.
33:24 Of Asher he said:
Asher is blessed with children,
may he be favored by his brothers
and may he dip his foot in olive oil. 22
1 tn Heb “and his words you heard from the midst of the fire.”
2 sn Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan. This Hebrew name could be translated “the wells of Bene-Yaaqan” or “the wells of the sons of Yaaqan,” a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).
3 sn Moserah. Since Aaron in other texts (Num 20:28; 33:38) is said to have died on Mount Hor, this must be the Arabah region in which Hor was located.
4 sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the
5 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
6 tn Heb “the
7 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.
8 tn Heb “your brother” (also in v. 4).
9 tn Heb “you must not hide yourself.”
10 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”).
11 tn See note at Deut 22:30.
12 tn Heb “he uncovers his father’s skirt” (NASB similar). See note at Deut 22:30.
13 tn Heb “the commandments of the
14 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
15 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.
16 tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”
sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.
17 tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).
18 tc The 3rd person masculine singular שָׁחַת (shakhat) is rendered as 3rd person masculine plural by Smr, a reading supported by the plural suffix on מוּם (mum, “defect”) as well as the plural of בֵּן (ben, “sons”).
tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”
19 tn Heb “(they are) not his sons.”
20 tn Heb “defect” (so NASB). This highly elliptical line suggests that Israel’s major fault was its failure to act like God’s people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.
21 tn Heb “twisted,” “crooked.” See Ps 18:26.
22 sn Dip his foot in olive oil. This is a metaphor for prosperity, one especially apt in light of the abundance of olive groves in the area settled by Asher. The Hebrew term refers to olive oil, which symbolizes blessing in the OT. See R. Way, NIDOTTE 4:171-73.