Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 4:31 
Context4:31 (for he 1 is a merciful God), he will not let you down 2 or destroy you, for he cannot 3 forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.
Deuteronomy 13:18
Context13:18 Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving 4 you today and doing what is right 5 before him. 6
Deuteronomy 17:1
Context17:1 You must not sacrifice to him 7 a bull or sheep that has a blemish or any other defect, because that is considered offensive 8 to the Lord your God.
1 tn Heb “the
2 tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
3 tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.
4 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
5 tc The LXX and Smr add “and good” to bring the phrase in line with a familiar cliché (cf. Deut 6:18; Josh 9:25; 2 Kgs 10:3; 2 Chr 14:1; etc.). This is an unnecessary and improper attempt to force a text into a preconceived mold.
6 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
7 tn Heb “to the
8 tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “an abomination”; cf. NAB) describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25.
