Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 6:1--11:32 
Context6:1 Now these are the commandments, 1 statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed 2 6:2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments 3 that I am giving 4 you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days. 6:3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number 5 – as the Lord, God of your ancestors, 6 said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.
6:4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 7 6:5 You must love 8 the Lord your God with your whole mind, 9 your whole being, 10 and all your strength. 11
6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach 12 them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 13 as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm 14 and fasten them as symbols 15 on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. 16
6:10 Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you – a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 6:11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – and you eat your fill, 6:12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery. 17 6:13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 6:14 You must not go after other gods, those 18 of the surrounding peoples, 6:15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God and his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land. 19
6:16 You must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 20 6:17 Keep his 21 commandments very carefully, 22 as well as the stipulations and statutes he commanded you to observe. 6:18 Do whatever is proper 23 and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he 24 promised your ancestors, 6:19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said.
6:20 When your children 25 ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 6:21 you must say to them, 26 “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. 27 6:22 And he 28 brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on his whole family 29 before our very eyes. 6:23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our ancestors. 6:24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him 30 so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day. 6:25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments 31 before the Lord our God, just as he demands.” 32
7:1 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, 33 Girgashites, 34 Amorites, 35 Canaanites, 36 Perizzites, 37 Hivites, 38 and Jebusites, 39 seven 40 nations more numerous and powerful than you – 7:2 and he 41 delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate 42 them. Make no treaty 43 with them and show them no mercy! 7:3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 7:4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you. 7:5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, 44 cut down their sacred Asherah poles, 45 and burn up their idols. 7:6 For you are a people holy 46 to the Lord your God. He 47 has chosen you to be his people, prized 48 above all others on the face of the earth.
7:7 It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you – for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples. 7:8 Rather it is because of his 49 love 50 for you and his faithfulness to the promise 51 he solemnly vowed 52 to your ancestors 53 that the Lord brought you out with great power, 54 redeeming 55 you from the place of slavery, from the power 56 of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 7:9 So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, 57 the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully 58 with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 7:10 but who pays back those who hate 59 him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore 60 those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve! 7:11 So keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that I today am commanding you to do.
7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you 61 as he promised 62 your ancestors. 7:13 He will love and bless you, and make you numerous. He will bless you with many children, 63 with the produce of your soil, your grain, your new wine, your oil, the offspring of your oxen, and the young of your flocks in the land which he promised your ancestors to give you. 7:14 You will be blessed beyond all peoples; there will be no barrenness 64 among you or your livestock. 7:15 The Lord will protect you from all sickness, and you will not experience any of the terrible diseases that you knew in Egypt; instead he will inflict them on all those who hate you.
7:16 You must destroy 65 all the people whom the Lord your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them or worship 66 their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 7:17 If you think, “These nations are more numerous than I – how can I dispossess them?” 7:18 you must not fear them. You must carefully recall 67 what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt, 7:19 the great judgments 68 you saw, the signs and wonders, the strength and power 69 by which he 70 brought you out – thus the Lord your God will do to all the people you fear. 7:20 Furthermore, the Lord your God will release hornets 71 among them until the very last ones who hide from you 72 perish. 7:21 You must not tremble in their presence, for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a great and awesome God. 7:22 He, 73 the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you. 7:23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great panic 74 until they are destroyed. 7:24 He will hand over their kings to you and you will erase their very names from memory. 75 Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them. 7:25 You must burn the images of their gods, but do not covet the silver and gold that covers them so much that you take it for yourself and thus become ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent 76 to the Lord your God. 7:26 You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house and thereby become an object of divine wrath 77 along with it. 78 You must absolutely detest 79 and abhor it, 80 for it is an object of divine wrath.
8:1 You must keep carefully all these commandments 81 I am giving 82 you today so that you may live, increase in number, 83 and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. 84 8:2 Remember the whole way by which he 85 has brought you these forty years through the desert 86 so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it within you to keep his commandments or not. 8:3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. 87 He did this to teach you 88 that humankind 89 cannot live by bread 90 alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. 91 8:4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years. 8:5 Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, 92 the Lord your God disciplines you. 8:6 So you must keep his 93 commandments, live according to his standards, 94 and revere him. 8:7 For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks, 95 springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills, 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, 8:9 a land where you may eat food 96 in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron 97 and from whose hills you can mine copper. 8:10 You will eat your fill and then praise the Lord your God because of the good land he has given you.
8:11 Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 8:12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 8:13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, 8:14 be sure 98 you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, 8:15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents 99 and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow 100 from a flint rock and 8:16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you 101 and eventually bring good to you. 8:17 Be careful 102 not to say, “My own ability and skill 103 have gotten me this wealth.” 8:18 You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, 104 even as he has to this day. 8:19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all 105 and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated. 8:20 Just like the nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you 106 because you would not obey him. 107
9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. 108 9:2 They include the Anakites, 109 a numerous 110 and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” 9:3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he 111 has told you. 9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, 112 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 113 made on oath to your ancestors, 114 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 9:6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn 115 people!
9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget 116 – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. 117 9:8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9:9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there 118 forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger 119 of God, and on them was everything 120 he 121 said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 9:11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 9:12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.” 122 9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn 123 lot! 9:14 Stand aside 124 and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, 125 and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”
9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it 126 was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 9:16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; 127 you had quickly turned aside from the way he 128 had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, 129 and shattered them before your very eyes. 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger 130 that threatened to destroy you. But he 131 listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him 132 too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing 133 that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, 134 ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, 135 Massah, 136 and Kibroth-Hattaavah. 137 9:23 And when he 138 sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God 139 and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him 140 from the very first day I knew you!
9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, 141 for he 142 had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: 143 O, Lord God, 144 do not destroy your people, your valued property 145 that you have powerfully redeemed, 146 whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. 147 9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 9:28 Otherwise the people of the land 148 from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.” 149 9:29 They are your people, your valued property, 150 whom you brought out with great strength and power. 151
10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. 152 10:2 I will write on the tablets the same words 153 that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” 10:3 So I made an ark of acacia 154 wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 10:4 The Lord 155 then wrote on the tablets the same words, 156 the ten commandments, 157 which he 158 had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he 159 gave them to me. 10:5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made – they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.
10:6 “During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan 160 to Moserah. 161 There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 10:7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, 162 and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, 163 a place of flowing streams. 10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi 164 to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings 165 in his name, as they do to this very day. 10:9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance 166 among his brothers; 167 the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him. 10:10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The Lord listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you. 10:11 Then he 168 said to me, “Get up, set out leading 169 the people so they may go and possess 170 the land I promised to give to their ancestors.” 171
10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, 172 to obey all his commandments, 173 to love him, to serve him 174 with all your mind and being, 175 10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving 176 you today for your own good? 10:14 The heavens – indeed the highest heavens – belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 10:15 However, only to your ancestors did he 177 show his loving favor, 178 and he chose you, their descendants, 179 from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse 180 your heart and stop being so stubborn! 181 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 10:18 who justly treats 182 the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 10:19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10:20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him and take oaths only in his name. 10:21 He is the one you should praise; 183 he is your God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for you that you have seen. 10:22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky. 184
11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 185 at all times. 11:2 Bear in mind today that I am not speaking 186 to your children who have not personally experienced the judgments 187 of the Lord your God, which revealed 188 his greatness, strength, and power. 189 11:3 They did not see 190 the awesome deeds he performed 191 in the midst of Egypt against Pharaoh king of Egypt and his whole land, 11:4 or what he did to the army of Egypt, including their horses and chariots, when he made the waters of the Red Sea 192 overwhelm them while they were pursuing you and he 193 annihilated them. 194 11:5 They did not see 195 what he did to you in the desert before you reached this place, 11:6 or what he did to Dathan and Abiram, 196 sons of Eliab the Reubenite, 197 when the earth opened its mouth in the middle of the Israelite camp 198 and swallowed them, their families, 199 their tents, and all the property they brought with them. 200 11:7 I am speaking to you 201 because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of the Lord!
11:8 Now pay attention to all the commandments 202 I am giving 203 you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed, 204 11:9 and that you may enjoy long life in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors 205 and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 11:10 For the land where you are headed 206 is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by hand 207 like a vegetable garden. 11:11 Instead, the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy 208 is one of hills and valleys, a land that drinks in water from the rains, 209 11:12 a land the Lord your God looks after. 210 He is constantly attentive to it 211 from the beginning to the end of the year. 212 11:13 Now, if you pay close attention 213 to my commandments that I am giving you today and love 214 the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being, 215 11:14 then he promises, 216 “I will send rain for your land 217 in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, 218 so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil. 11:15 I will provide pasture 219 for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”
11:16 Make sure you do not turn away to serve and worship other gods! 220 11:17 Then the anger of the Lord will erupt 221 against you and he will close up the sky 222 so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will soon be removed 223 from the good land that the Lord 224 is about to give you. 11:18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, 225 and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbols 226 on your forehead. 11:19 Teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 227 as you lie down, and as you get up. 11:20 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates 11:21 so that your days and those of your descendants may be extended in the land which the Lord promised to give to your ancestors, like the days of heaven itself. 228 11:22 For if you carefully observe all of these commandments 229 I am giving you 230 and love the Lord your God, live according to his standards, 231 and remain loyal to him, 11:23 then he 232 will drive out all these nations ahead of you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. 11:24 Every place you set your foot 233 will be yours; your border will extend from the desert to Lebanon and from the River (that is, the Euphrates) as far as the Mediterranean Sea. 234 11:25 Nobody will be able to resist you; the Lord your God will spread the fear and terror of you over the whole land on which you walk, just as he promised you.
11:26 Take note – I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 235 11:27 the blessing if you take to heart 236 the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, 11:28 and the curse if you pay no attention 237 to his 238 commandments and turn from the way I am setting before 239 you today to pursue 240 other gods you have not known. 11:29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are to possess, you must pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 241 11:30 Are they not across the Jordan River, 242 toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal 243 near the oak 244 of Moreh? 11:31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to possess the land the Lord your God is giving you, and you will possess and inhabit it. 11:32 Be certain to keep all the statutes and ordinances that I am presenting to you today.
1 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.
2 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”
3 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.
4 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
5 tn Heb “may multiply greatly” (so NASB, NRSV); the words “in number” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 18, 23).
7 tn Heb “the
sn Verses 4-5 constitute the so-called Shema (after the first word שְׁמַע, shÿma’, “hear”), widely regarded as the very heart of Jewish confession and faith. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment of all, he quoted this text (Matt 22:37-38).
8 tn The verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the
9 tn Heb “heart.” In OT physiology the heart (לֵב, לֵבָב; levav, lev) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect, so that one could think with one’s heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.
10 tn Heb “soul”; “being.” Contrary to Hellenistic ideas of a soul that is discrete and separate from the body and spirit, OT anthropology equated the “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) as “being” or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.
11 sn For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.
12 tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.
13 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
14 sn Tie them as a sign on your forearm. Later Jewish tradition referred to the little leather containers tied to the forearms and foreheads as tefillin. They were to contain the following passages from the Torah: Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:5-9; 11:13-21. The purpose was to serve as a “sign” of covenant relationship and obedience.
15 sn Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note) or phylacteries (from the Greek term). These box-like containers, like those on the forearms, held the same scraps of the Torah. It was the hypocritical practice of wearing these without heartfelt sincerity that caused Jesus to speak scathingly about them (cf. Matt 23:5).
16 sn The Hebrew term מְזוּזֹת (mÿzuzot) refers both to the door frames and to small cases attached on them containing scripture texts (always Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21; and sometimes the decalogue; Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; and Num 10:35-36). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 443-44.
17 tn Heb “out of the house of slavery” (so NASB, NRSV).
18 tn Heb “from the gods.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
19 tn Heb “lest the anger of the
20 sn The place name Massah (מַסָּה, massah) derives from a root (נָסָה, nasah) meaning “to test; to try.” The reference here is to the experience in the Sinai desert when Moses struck the rock to obtain water (Exod 17:1-2). The complaining Israelites had, thus, “tested” the
21 tn Heb “the commandments of the
22 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb to emphasize the statement. The imperfect verbal form is used here with an obligatory nuance that can be captured in English through the imperative. Cf. NASB, NRSV “diligently keep (obey NLT).”
23 tn Heb “upright.”
24 tn Heb “the
25 tn Heb “your son.”
26 tn Heb “to your son.”
27 tn Heb “by a strong hand.” The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The
28 tn Heb “the
29 tn Heb “house,” referring to the entire household.
30 tn Heb “the
31 tn The term “commandment” (מִצְוָה, mitsvah), here in the singular, refers to the entire body of covenant stipulations.
32 tn Heb “as he has commanded us” (so NIV, NRSV).
33 sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200
34 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).
35 sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200
36 sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000
37 sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
38 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).
39 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).
40 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.
41 tn Heb “the
42 tn In the Hebrew text the infinitive absolute before the finite verb emphasizes the statement. The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here. Cf. ASV “shalt (must NRSV) utterly destroy them”; CEV “must destroy them without mercy.”
43 tn Heb “covenant” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “alliance.”
44 sn Sacred pillars. The Hebrew word (מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) denotes a standing pillar, usually made of stone. Its purpose was to mark the presence of a shrine or altar thought to have been visited by deity. Though sometimes associated with pure worship of the
45 sn Sacred Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
46 tn That is, “set apart.”
47 tn Heb “the
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 “the
50 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.
51 tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
52 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
53 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).
54 tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
55 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
56 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
57 tn Heb “the God.” The article here expresses uniqueness; cf. TEV “is the only God”; NLT “is indeed God.”
58 tn Heb “who keeps covenant and loyalty.” The syndetic construction of בְּרִית (bÿrit) and חֶסֶד (khesed) should be understood not as “covenant” plus “loyalty” but as an adverbial construction in which חֶסֶד (“loyalty”) modifies the verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “keeps”).
59 tn For the term “hate” as synonymous with rejection or disobedience see note on the word “reject” in Deut 5:9 (cf. NRSV “reject”).
60 tn Heb “he will not hesitate concerning.”
61 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
62 tn Heb “which he swore on oath.” The relative pronoun modifies “covenant,” so one could translate “will keep faithfully the covenant (or promise) he made on oath to your ancestors.”
63 tn Heb “will bless the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
64 sn One of the ironies about the promises to the patriarchs concerning offspring was the characteristic barrenness of the wives of the men to whom these pledges were made (cf. Gen 11:30; 25:21; 29:31). Their affliction is in each case described by the very Hebrew word used here (עֲקָרָה, ’aqarah), an affliction that will no longer prevail in Canaan.
65 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.”
66 tn Or “serve” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).
67 tn Heb “recalling, you must recall.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis. Cf. KJV, ASV “shalt well remember.”
68 tn Heb “testings” (so NAB), a reference to the plagues. See note at 4:34.
69 tn Heb “the strong hand and outstretched arm.” See 4:34.
70 tn Heb “the
71 tn The meaning of the term translated “hornets” (צִרְעָה, tsir’ah) is debated. Various suggestions are “discouragement” (HALOT 1056-57 s.v.; cf. NEB, TEV, CEV “panic”; NCV “terror”) and “leprosy” (J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy [JPSTC], 360, n. 33; cf. NRSV “the pestilence”), as well as “hornet” (BDB 864 s.v.; cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT). The latter seems most suitable to the verb שָׁלַח (shalakh, “send”; cf. Exod 23:28; Josh 24:12).
72 tn Heb “the remnant and those who hide themselves.”
73 tn Heb “the
74 tn Heb “he will confuse them (with) great confusion.” The verb used here means “shake, stir up” (see Ruth 1:19; 1 Sam 4:5; 1 Kgs 1:45; Ps 55:2); the accompanying cognate noun refers to confusion, unrest, havoc, or panic (1 Sam 5:9, 11; 14:20; 2 Chr 15:5; Prov 15:16; Isa 22:5; Ezek 7:7; 22:5; Amos 3:9; Zech 14:13).
75 tn Heb “you will destroy their name from under heaven” (cf. KJV); NRSV “blot out their name from under heaven.”
76 tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abhorrent; detestable”) describes anything detestable to the
77 tn Heb “come under the ban” (so NASB); NRSV “be set apart for destruction.” The same phrase occurs again at the end of this verse.
sn The Hebrew word translated an object of divine wrath (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to persons or things placed under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction. See note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
78 tn Or “like it is.”
79 tn This Hebrew verb (שָׁקַץ, shaqats) is essentially synonymous with the next verb (תָעַב, ta’av; cf. תּוֹעֵבָה, to’evah; see note on the word “abhorrent” in v. 25), though its field of meaning is more limited to cultic abomination (cf. Lev 11:11, 13; Ps 22:25).
80 tn Heb “detesting you must detest and abhorring you must abhor.” Both verbs are preceded by a cognate infinitive absolute indicating emphasis.
81 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).
82 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11).
83 tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.”
84 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18).
85 tn Heb “the
86 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NRSV, NLT); likewise in v. 15.
87 tn Heb “manna which you and your ancestors did not know.” By popular etymology the word “manna” comes from the Hebrew phrase מָן הוּא (man hu’), i.e., “What is it?” (Exod 16:15). The question remains unanswered to this very day. Elsewhere the material is said to be “white like coriander seed” with “a taste like honey cakes” (Exod 16:31; cf. Num 11:7). Modern attempts to associate it with various desert plants are unsuccessful for the text says it was a new thing and, furthermore, one that appeared and disappeared miraculously (Exod 16:21-27).
88 tn Heb “in order to make known to you.” In the Hebrew text this statement is subordinated to what precedes, resulting in a very long sentence in English. The translation makes this statement a separate sentence for stylistic reasons.
89 tn Heb “the man,” but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race (“mankind” or “humankind”).
90 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. CEV).
91 sn Jesus quoted this text to the devil in the midst of his forty-day fast to make the point that spiritual nourishment is incomparably more important than mere physical bread (Matt 4:4; cf. Luke 4:4).
92 tn Heb “just as a man disciplines his son.” The Hebrew text reflects the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
93 tn Heb “the commandments of the
94 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.” The “ways” of the Lord refer here to his moral standards as reflected in his commandments. The verb “walk” is used frequently in the Bible (both OT and NT) for one’s moral and ethical behavior.
95 tn Or “wadis.”
96 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. NASB, NCV, NLT) or “bread” in particular (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
97 sn A land whose stones are iron. Since iron deposits are few and far between in Palestine, the reference here is probably to iron ore found in mines as opposed to the meteorite iron more commonly known in that area.
98 tn The words “be sure” are not in the Hebrew text; vv. 12-14 are part of the previous sentence. For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation and the words “be sure” repeated from v. 11 to indicate the connection.
99 tn Heb “flaming serpents”; KJV, NASB “fiery serpents”; NAB “saraph serpents.” This figure of speech (metonymy) probably describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire (שָׂרָף, saraf).
100 tn Heb “the one who brought out for you water.” In the Hebrew text this continues the preceding sentence, but the translation begins a new sentence here for stylistic reasons.
101 tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2.
102 tn For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 17 in the translation and the words “be careful” supplied to indicate the connection.
103 tn Heb “my strength and the might of my hand.”
104 tc Smr and Lucian add “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the standard way of rendering this almost stereotypical formula (cf. Deut 1:8; 6:10; 9:5, 27; 29:13; 30:20; 34:4). The MT’s harder reading presumptively argues for its originality, however.
105 tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).
106 tn Heb “so you will perish.”
107 tn Heb “listen to the voice of the
108 tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.
109 sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.
110 tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
111 tn Heb “the
112 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
113 tn Heb “the
114 tn Heb “fathers.”
115 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).
116 tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
117 tn Heb “the
118 tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
119 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).
120 tn Heb “according to all the words.”
121 tn Heb “the
122 tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some
123 tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.
124 tn Heb “leave me alone.”
125 tn Heb “from under heaven.”
126 tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
127 tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.
128 tn Heb “the
129 tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
130 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).
131 tn Heb “the
132 tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
133 tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).
134 tn Heb “burned it with fire.”
135 sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the
136 sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.
137 sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).
138 tn Heb “the
139 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.
140 tn Heb “the
141 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
142 tn Heb “the
143 tn Heb “the
144 tn Heb “Lord
145 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.
146 tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”
147 tn Heb “by your strong hand.”
148 tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (’am, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
149 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
150 tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.
151 tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”
152 tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.
153 sn The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the
154 sn Acacia wood (Heb “shittim wood”). This is wood from the acacia, the most common timber tree of the Sinai region. Most likely it is the species Acacia raddiana because this has the largest trunk. See F. N. Hepper, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.
155 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
156 tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.
157 tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”
158 tn Heb “the
159 tn Heb “the
160 sn Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan. This Hebrew name could be translated “the wells of Bene-Yaaqan” or “the wells of the sons of Yaaqan,” a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).
161 sn Moserah. Since Aaron in other texts (Num 20:28; 33:38) is said to have died on Mount Hor, this must be the Arabah region in which Hor was located.
162 sn Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).
163 sn Jotbathah. This place, whose Hebrew name can be translated “place of wadis,” is possibly modern Ain Tabah, just north of Eilat, or Tabah, 6.5 mi (11 km) south of Eilat on the west shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.
164 sn The
165 sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.
166 sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the
167 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
168 tn Heb “the
169 tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”
170 tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.
171 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).
172 tn Heb “the
173 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”
174 tn Heb “the
175 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
176 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
177 tn Heb “the
178 tn Heb “take delight to love.” Here again the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”), juxtaposed with בָחַר (bakhar, “choose”), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the
179 tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.
180 tn Heb “circumcise the foreskin of” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). Reference to the Abrahamic covenant prompts Moses to recall the sign of that covenant, namely, physical circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). Just as that act signified total covenant obedience, so spiritual circumcision (cleansing of the heart) signifies more internally a commitment to be pliable and obedient to the will of God (cf. Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:26).
181 tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
182 tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”
183 tn Heb “your praise.” The pronoun is subjective and the noun “praise” is used here metonymically for the object of their praise (the Lord).
184 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
185 tn This collocation of technical terms for elements of the covenant text lends support to its importance and also signals a new section of paraenesis in which Moses will exhort Israel to covenant obedience. The Hebrew term מִשְׁמָרוֹת (mishmarot, “obligations”) sums up the three terms that follow – חֻקֹּת (khuqot), מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishppatim), and מִצְוֹת (mitsot).
186 tn Heb “that not.” The words “I am speaking” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
187 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.
188 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.
189 tn Heb “his strong hand and his stretched-out arm.”
190 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 2-7 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the English translation divides the passage into three sentences. To facilitate this stylistic decision the words “They did not see” are supplied at the beginning of both v. 3 and v. 5, and “I am speaking” at the beginning of v. 7.
191 tn Heb “his signs and his deeds which he did” (NRSV similar). The collocation of “signs” and “deeds” indicates that these acts were intended to make an impression on observers and reveal something about God’s power (cf. v. 2b). The word “awesome” has been employed to bring out the force of the word “signs” in this context.
192 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
193 tn Heb “the
194 tn Heb “and the Lord destroyed them to this day” (cf. NRSV); NLT “he has kept them devastated to this very day.” The translation uses the verb “annihilated” to indicate the permanency of the action.
195 tn See note on these same words in v. 3.
196 sn Dathan and Abiram. These two (along with others) had challenged Moses’ leadership in the desert with the result that the earth beneath them opened up and they and their families disappeared (Num 16:1-3, 31-35).
197 tn Or “the descendant of Reuben”; Heb “son of Reuben.”
198 tn Heb “in the midst of all Israel” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB “among all Israel.” In the Hebrew text these words appear at the end of the verse, but they are logically connected with the verbs. To make this clear the translation places the phrase after the first verb.
199 tn Heb “their houses,” referring to all who lived in their household. Cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “households.”
200 tn Heb “and all the substance which was at their feet.”
201 tn On the addition of these words in the translation see note on “They did not see” in v. 3.
202 tn Heb “the commandment.” The singular מִצְוָה (mitsvah, “commandment”) speaks here as elsewhere of the whole corpus of covenant stipulations in Deuteronomy (cf. 6:1, 25; 7:11; 8:1).
203 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in vv. 13, 27).
204 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
205 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 21).
206 tn Heb “you are going there to possess it”; NASB “into which you are about to cross to possess it”; NRSV “that you are crossing over to occupy.”
207 tn Heb “with your foot” (so NASB, NLT). There is a two-fold significance to this phrase. First, Egypt had no rain so water supply depended on human efforts at irrigation. Second, the Nile was the source of irrigation waters but those waters sometimes had to be pumped into fields and gardens by foot-power, perhaps the kind of machinery (Arabic shaduf) still used by Egyptian farmers (see C. Aldred, The Egyptians, 181). Nevertheless, the translation uses “by hand,” since that expression is the more common English idiom for an activity performed by manual labor.
208 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
209 tn Heb “rain of heaven.”
210 tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.
211 tn Heb “the eyes of the
sn Constantly attentive to it. This attention to the land by the
212 sn From the beginning to the end of the year. This refers to the agricultural year that was marked by the onset of the heavy rains, thus the autumn. See note on the phrase “the former and the latter rains” in v. 14.
213 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.”
214 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).
215 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
216 tn The words “he promises” do not appear in the Hebrew text but are needed in the translation to facilitate the transition from the condition (v. 13) to the promise and make it clear that the Lord is speaking the words of vv. 14-15.
217 tn Heb “the rain of your land.” In this case the genitive (modifying term) indicates the recipient of the rain.
218 sn The autumn and the spring rains. The “former” (יוֹרֶה, yoreh) and “latter” (מַלְקוֹשׁ, malqosh) rains come in abundance respectively in September/October and March/April. Planting of most crops takes place before the former rains fall and the harvests follow the latter rains.
219 tn Heb “grass in your field.”
220 tn Heb “Watch yourselves lest your heart turns and you turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
221 tn Heb “will become hot”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “will be kindled”; NAB “will flare up”; NIV, NLT “will burn.”
222 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
223 tn Or “be destroyed”; NAB, NIV “will soon perish.”
224 tn Heb “the
225 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
226 tn On the Hebrew term טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “reminders”), cf. Deut 6:4-9.
227 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
228 tn Heb “like the days of the heavens upon the earth,” that is, forever.
229 tn Heb “this commandment.” See note at Deut 5:30.
230 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.
231 tn Heb “walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV); TEV “do everything he commands.”
232 tn Heb “the
233 tn Heb “the sole of your foot walks.” The placing of the foot symbolizes conquest and dominion, especially on land or on the necks of enemies (cf. Deut 1:36; Ps 7:13; Isa 63:3 Hab 3:19; Zech 9:13). See E. H. Merrill, NIDOTTE 1:992.
234 tn Heb “the after sea,” that is, the sea behind one when one is facing east, which is the normal OT orientation. Cf. ASV “the hinder sea.”
235 sn A blessing and a curse. Every extant treaty text of the late Bronze Age attests to a section known as the “blessings and curses,” the former for covenant loyalty and the latter for covenant breach. Blessings were promised rewards for obedience; curses were threatened judgments for disobedience. In the Book of Deuteronomy these are fully developed in 27:1–28:68. Here Moses adumbrates the whole by way of anticipation.
236 tn Heb “listen to,” that is, obey.
237 tn Heb “do not listen to,” that is, do not obey.
238 tn Heb “the commandments of the
239 tn Heb “am commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
240 tn Heb “walk after”; NIV “by following”; NLT “by worshiping.” This is a violation of the first commandment, the most serious of the covenant violations (Deut 5:6-7).
241 sn Mount Gerizim…Mount Ebal. These two mountains are near the ancient site of Shechem and the modern city of Nablus. The valley between them is like a great amphitheater with the mountain slopes as seating sections. The place was sacred because it was there that Abraham pitched his camp and built his first altar after coming to Canaan (Gen 12:6). Jacob also settled at Shechem for a time and dug a well from which Jesus once requested a drink of water (Gen 33:18-20; John 4:5-7). When Joshua and the Israelites finally brought Canaan under control they assembled at Shechem as Moses commanded and undertook a ritual of covenant reaffirmation (Josh 8:30-35; 24:1, 25). Half the tribes stood on Mt. Gerizim and half on Mt. Ebal and in antiphonal chorus pledged their loyalty to the
242 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
243 sn Gilgal. From a Hebrew verb root גָלַל (galal, “to roll”) this place name means “circle” or “rolling,” a name given because God had “rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (Josh 5:9). It is perhaps to be identified with Khirbet el-Metjir, 1.2 mi (2 km) northeast of OT Jericho.
244 tc The MT plural “oaks” (אֵלוֹנֵי, ’eloney) should probably be altered (with many Greek texts) to the singular “oak” (אֵלוֹן, ’elon; cf. NRSV) in line with the only other occurrence of the phrase (Gen 12:6). The Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J. read mmrá, confusing this place with the “oaks of Mamre” near Hebron (Gen 13:18). Smr also appears to confuse “Moreh” with “Mamre” (reading mwr’, a combined form), adding the clarification mwl shkm (“near Shechem”) apparently to distinguish it from Mamre near Hebron.
