Deuteronomy 7:8
7:8 Rather it is because of his 1 love 2 for you and his faithfulness to the promise 3 he solemnly vowed 4 to your ancestors 5 that the Lord brought you out with great power, 6 redeeming 7 you from the place of slavery, from the power 8 of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 9:5
9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, 9 that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he 10 made on oath to your ancestors, 11 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
1 tn Heb “the Lord’s.” See note on “He” in 7:6.
2 tn For the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) as a term of choice or election, see note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
3 tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
4 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
5 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).
6 tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
7 sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the Lord as ransom in exchange for deliverance from bondage and death (Exod 12:1-14). Later, the firstborn sons of Israel, represented by the Levites, became the ransom (Num 3:11-13). These were all types of the redemption effected by the death of Christ who described his atoning work as “a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. 1 Pet 1:18).
8 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
9 tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the Lord’s favor. As he states in both vv. 4-5, the main reason he allowed Israel to take this land was the sinfulness of the Canaanites who lived there (cf. Gen 15:16).
10 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.
11 tn Heb “fathers.”