¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid repetition.

² tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).

³ tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style.

⁴ tn The Hebrew text does not have the first person pronoun; it has been supplied for purposes of English style (the Lord is speaking here).

⁵ tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”

⁶ tn Heb “he has.” This has been converted to first person in the translation in keeping with English style.

⁷ tn Heb “known” (so ASV, NASB); NAB “been concerned about.”

⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God has.” This has been replaced in the translation by the first person pronoun (“I”) in keeping with English style.

⁹ tc The translation follows the LXX in reading the first person pronoun. The MT, followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “hardened his spirit” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “made his spirit stubborn.”

¹¹ tn Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “made his heart defiant.”

¹² tn Heb “into your hand.”

¹³ sn Aroer. Now known as àAraáir on the northern edge of the Arnon river, Aroer marked the southern limit of Moab and, later, of the allotment of the tribe of Reuben (Josh 13:9, 16).

¹⁴ tn Heb “the city in the wadi.” This enigmatic reference may refer to Ar or, more likely, to Aroer itself. Epexegetically the text might read, “From Aroer…, that is, the city in the wadi.” See D. L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–11 (WBC), 49.

¹⁵ 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).

¹⁶ tn Heb “was left to him.” The final phrase “to him” is redundant in English and has been left untranslated.

¹⁷ tn Heb “your brothers, the sons of Israel.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” The translation uses the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

¹⁹ tn Heb “which you are crossing over there.”

²⁰ tn Heb “commanding.”

²¹ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so ASV).

²² tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

²³ tn Heb “commanded.”

²⁴ tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.

²⁵ tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”

²⁶ tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.

²⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

²⁸ tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

²⁹ tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.

³⁰ tn Heb “take up the name of the Lord your God to emptiness”; KJV “take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The idea here is not cursing or profanity in the modern sense of these terms but rather the use of the divine Name for unholy, mundane purposes, that is, for meaningless (the Hebrew term is שָׁוְא) and empty ends. In ancient Israel this would include using the Lord’s name as a witness in vows one did not intend to keep.

³¹ tn Heb “who takes up his name to emptiness.”

³² tn Heb “who is there of all flesh.”

³³ tn Heb “the Lord our God.” See note on “He” in 5:3.

³⁴ 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.

³⁵ tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”

³⁶ tn Here the terms are not the usual חֻקִּים (khuqqim) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim; as in v. 1) but חֻקֹּת (khuqqot, “statutes”) and מִצְוֹת (mitsot, “commandments”). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.

³⁷ tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.

³⁸ sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 b.c.) they were at their zenith, establishing outposts and colonies near and far. Some elements were obviously in Canaan at the time of the Conquest (1400-1350 b.c.).

³⁹ 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).

⁴⁰ sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 b.c. or thereabouts.

⁴¹ sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000 b.c.). The OT identifies them as descendants of Ham (Gen 10:6), the only Hamites to have settled north and east of Egypt.

⁴² sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).

⁴³ 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).

⁴⁴ 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).

⁴⁵ 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.

⁴⁶ tn That is, “set apart.”

⁴⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁴⁸ 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.

⁴⁹ tn Heb “devour” (so NRSV); KJV, NAB, NASB “consume.” The verbal form (a perfect with vav consecutive) is understood here as having an imperatival or obligatory nuance (cf. the instructions and commands that follow). Another option is to take the statement as a continuation of the preceding conditional promises and translate “and you will destroy.”

⁵⁰ tn Or “serve” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).

⁵¹ tn Heb “testings” (so NAB), a reference to the plagues. See note at 4:34.

⁵² tn Heb “the strong hand and outstretched arm.” See 4:34.

⁵³ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁵⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 7:19.

⁵⁵ tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).

⁵⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style to avoid redundancy.

⁵⁷ 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).

⁵⁸ tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.

⁵⁹ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise in the following verse with both “him” and “he”). See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁶⁰ sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself – not Moses in any way – was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).

⁶¹ tn Heb “according to all the words.”

⁶² tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise at the beginning of vv. 12, 13). See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁶³ tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.

⁶⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁶⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁶⁶ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.

⁶⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁶⁸ tn Heb “Lord Lord” (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, ’adonay yÿhvih). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהִים, ’adonay ’elohim). See also the note on the phrase “Lord God” in Deut 3:24.

⁶⁹ tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.

⁷⁰ tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”

⁷¹ tn Heb “by your strong hand.”

⁷² tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

⁷³ tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”

⁷⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

⁷⁵ tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

⁷⁶ tn Heb “that not.” The words “I am speaking” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷⁷ tn Heb “who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord.” The collocation of the verbs “know” and “see” indicates that personal experience (knowing by seeing) is in view. The term translated “discipline” (KJV, ASV “chastisement”) may also be rendered “instruction,” but vv. 2b-6 indicate that the referent of the term is the various acts of divine judgment the Israelites had witnessed.

⁷⁸ tn The words “which revealed” have been supplied in the translation to show the logical relationship between the terms that follow and the divine judgments. In the Hebrew text the former are in apposition to the latter.

⁷⁹ tn Heb “his strong hand and his stretched-out arm.”

⁸⁰ tn Heb “if hearing, you will hear.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute to emphasize the verbal idea. The translation renders this emphasis with the word “close.”

⁸¹ tn Again, the Hebrew term אָהַב (’ahav) draws attention to the reciprocation of divine love as a condition or sign of covenant loyalty (cf. Deut 6:5).

⁸² tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

⁸³ tn Heb “this commandment.” See note at Deut 5:30.

⁸⁴ tn Heb “commanding you to do it.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation and “to do it” has been left untranslated.

⁸⁵ tn Heb “walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV); TEV “do everything he commands.”

⁸⁶ tn Heb “fathers.”

⁸⁷ tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days which you live in the land.” This adverbial statement modifies “to obey,” not “to possess,” so the order in the translation has been rearranged to make this clear.

⁸⁸ tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”

⁸⁹ sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.

⁹⁰ tn Heb “for my soul desires to eat meat.”

⁹¹ tn Heb “according to all the desire of your soul you may eat meat.”

⁹² sn These other sacrifices would be so-called peace or fellowship offerings whose ritual required a different use of the blood from that of burnt (sin and trespass) offerings (cf. Lev 3; 7:11-14, 19-21).

⁹³ tn Heb “on the altar of the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁹⁴ tn Heb “you must not do thus to/for the Lord your God.”

⁹⁵ tn See note on this term at Deut 7:25.

⁹⁶ tn Heb “every abomination of the Lord.” See note on the word “his” in v. 27.

⁹⁷ tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

⁹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁹⁹ tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

¹⁰⁰ 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).

¹⁰¹ tn Or “set apart.”

¹⁰² tn Heb “The Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

¹⁰³ 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).

¹⁰⁴ 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.

¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “gates.”

¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. NIV “hardhearted or tightfisted” (NRSV and NLT similar).

¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “from your needy brother.”

¹⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “by all means.”

¹⁰⁹ tc Heb “your heart must not be grieved in giving to him.” The LXX and Orig add, “you shall surely lend to him sufficient for his need,” a suggestion based on the same basic idea in v. 8. Such slavish adherence to stock phrases is without warrant in most cases, and certainly here.

¹¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁנֶה (mishneh, “twice”) could mean “equivalent to” (cf. NRSV) or, more likely, “double” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). The idea is that a hired worker would put in only so many hours per day whereas a bondslave was available around the clock.

¹¹¹ tn Heb “sanctify” (תַּקְדִּישׁ, taqdish), that is, put to use on behalf of the Lord.

¹¹² tn The words “on that day” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for clarification (cf. TEV, NLT).

¹¹³ tn The Hebrew phrase חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת (khag shavu’ot) is otherwise known in the OT (Exod 23:16) as קָצִיר (qatsir, “harvest”) and in the NT as πεντηχοστή (penthcosth, “Pentecost”).

¹¹⁴ tn Heb “the sufficiency of the offering of your hand.”

¹¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

¹¹⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

¹¹⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

¹¹⁸ tn Heb “in all the work of your hands” (so NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “in all your undertakings.”

¹¹⁹ tn The Hebrew term וְשֹׁטְרִים (vÿshoterim), usually translated “officers” (KJV, NCV) or “officials” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), derives from the verb שֹׁטֵר (shoter, “to write”). The noun became generic for all types of public officials. Here, however, it may be appositionally epexegetical to “judges,” thus resulting in the phrase, “judges, that is, civil officers,” etc. Whoever the שֹׁטְרִים are, their task here consists of rendering judgments and administering justice.

¹²⁰ tn Heb “gates.”

¹²¹ tn Heb “with judgment of righteousness”; ASV, NASB “with righteous judgment.”

¹²² tn Heb “between blood and blood.”

¹²³ tn Heb “between claim and claim.”

¹²⁴ tn Heb “between blow and blow.”

¹²⁵ tn Heb “gates.”

¹²⁶ tc Several Greek recensions add “to place his name there,” thus completing the usual formula to describe the central sanctuary (cf. Deut 12:5, 11, 14, 18; 16:6). However, the context suggests that the local Levitical towns, and not the central sanctuary, are in mind.

¹²⁷ tn Heb “who acts presumptuously not to listen” (cf. NASB).

¹²⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “without fail.”

¹²⁹ tn Heb “your brothers,” but not referring to siblings (cf. NIV “your brother Israelites”; NLT “a fellow Israelite”). The same phrase also occurs in v. 20.

¹³⁰ tn Heb “your brothers.” See the preceding note on “fellow citizens.”

¹³¹ tn Heb “border.”

¹³² tn Heb “all this commandment.” This refers here to the entire covenant agreement of the Book of Deuteronomy as encapsulated in the Shema (Deut 6:4-5).

¹³³ tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today.”

¹³⁴ sn You will add three more cities. Since these are alluded to nowhere else and thus were probably never added, this must be a provision for other cities of refuge should they be needed (cf. v. 8). See P. C. Craigie, Deuteronomy (NICOT), 267.

¹³⁵ tn Heb “border.” Cf. NRSV “You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker.”

¹³⁶ tn Heb “which they set off from the beginning.”

¹³⁷ tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it.” This phrase has been left untranslated to avoid redundancy.

¹³⁸ tn Heb “horse and chariot.”

¹³⁹ tn Heb “people.”

¹⁴⁰ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is “cities.”

¹⁴¹ tn Heb “any breath.”

¹⁴² tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”

¹⁴³ 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.

¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “by their mouth.”

¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”

¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “a man’s clothing.”

¹⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “offense”) speaks of anything that runs counter to ritual or moral order, especially (in the OT) to divine standards. Cross-dressing in this covenant context may suggest homosexuality, fertility cult ritual, or some other forbidden practice.

¹⁴⁸ tn Or “just”; Heb “righteous.”

¹⁴⁹ sn See Exod 17:8-16.

¹⁵⁰ tc For the MT reading “your God,” certain LXX mss have “my God,” a contextually superior rendition followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, TEV). Perhaps the text reflects dittography of the kaf (כ) at the end of the word with the following preposition כִּי (ki).

¹⁵¹ tc The Syriac adds “your God” to complete the usual formula.

¹⁵² tn Heb “swore on oath.”

¹⁵³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 15).

¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 26:2.

¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “so that.” Verses 18-19 are one sentence in the Hebrew text, but the translation divides it into three sentences for stylistic reasons. The first clause in verse 19 gives a result of the preceding clause. When Israel keeps God’s law, God will bless them with fame and honor (cf. NAB “he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory”; NLT “And if you do, he will make you greater than any other nation”).

¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “for praise and for a name and for glory.”

¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “and to be.” A new sentence was started here for stylistic reasons.

¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “do not hear the voice of.”

¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and overtake you” (so NIV, NRSV); NAB, NLT “and overwhelm you.”

¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “commanded”; NAB, NIV, TEV “he gave you.”

¹⁶¹ tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NRSV); NASB “the offspring of your own body.”

¹⁶² tn Heb “siege and stress.”

¹⁶³ tn Heb “If you are not careful to do.”

¹⁶⁴ tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “have not listened to the voice of.”

¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).

¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV “children.”

¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”

¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”

¹⁷¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

¹⁷² tn Heb “circumcise” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “will give you and your descendents obedient hearts.” See note on the word “cleanse” in Deut 10:16.

¹⁷³ tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).

¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.

¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.

¹⁷⁶ 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”).

¹⁷⁷ tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).

sn Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). Here it speaks of Israel “in an ideal situation, with its ‘uprightness’ due more to God’s help than his own efforts” (M. Mulder, TDOT 6:475).

¹⁷⁸ tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.

¹⁷⁹ tn Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “deliver from” (so NRSV, NLT).