Deuteronomy 7:6

7:6 For you are a people holy 1  to the Lord your God. He 2  has chosen you to be his people, prized 3  above all others on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 14:2

14:2 For you are a people holy 4  to the Lord your God. He 5  has chosen you to be his people, prized 6  above all others on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 21:5

21:5 Then the Levitical priests 7  will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, 8  and to decide 9  every judicial verdict 10 )

1 tn That is, “set apart.”

2 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

3 tn Or “treasured” (so NIV, NRSV); NLT “his own special treasure.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4-6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224.

4 tn Or “set apart.”

5 tn Heb “The Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

6 tn Or “treasured.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4-6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224.

sn The Hebrew term translated “select” (and the whole verse) is reminiscent of the classic covenant text (Exod 19:4-6) which describes Israel’s entry into covenant relationship with the Lord. Israel must resist paganism and its trappings precisely because she is a holy people elected by the Lord from among the nations to be his instrument of world redemption (cf. Deut 7:6; 26:18; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 2:9).

7 tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”

8 tn Heb “in the name of the Lord.” See note on Deut 10:8. The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

9 tn Heb “by their mouth.”

10 tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”