Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 8:1 
Context8:1 You must keep carefully all these commandments 1 I am giving 2 you today so that you may live, increase in number, 3 and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. 4
Deuteronomy 25:2
Context25:2 Then, 5 if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating, 6 the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves. 7
Deuteronomy 32:8
Context32:8 When the Most High 8 gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind, 9
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly. 10
1 tn The singular term (מִצְוָה, mitsvah) includes the whole corpus of covenant stipulations, certainly the book of Deuteronomy at least (cf. Deut 5:28; 6:1, 25; 7:11; 11:8, 22; 15:5; 17:20; 19:9; 27:1; 30:11; 31:5). The plural (מִצְוֹת, mitsot) refers to individual stipulations (as in vv. 2, 6).
2 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11).
3 tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.”
4 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18).
5 tn Heb “and it will be.”
6 tn Heb “if the evil one is a son of smiting.”
7 tn Heb “according to his wickedness, by number.”
8 tn The Hebrew term עֶליוֹן (’elyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Ps 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.
9 tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).
10 tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bÿney yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelwn qeou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bÿney ’el) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (beney ’elim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.
