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 29:13
Context29:13 Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God, 4 just as he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 29:19
Context29:19 When such a person 6 hears the words of this oath he secretly 7 blesses himself 8 and says, “I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.” 9 This will destroy 10 the watered ground with the parched. 11
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 “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.
5 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “in his heart.”
8 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
9 tn Heb “heart.”
10 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
11 tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches – “the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
