Ulangan 4:32

The Uniqueness of Israel’s God

4:32 Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting from the day God created humankind ¹  on the earth, and ask ²  from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a rumor of it.

Ulangan 17:8

Appeal to a Higher Court

17:8 If a matter is too difficult for you to judge – bloodshed, ³  legal claim, ⁴  or assault ⁵  – matters of controversy in your villages ⁶  – you must leave there and go up to the place the Lord your God chooses. ⁷ 

[4:32]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term אָדָם (’adam) may refer either to Adam or, more likely, to “man” in the sense of the human race (“mankind,” “humankind”). The idea here seems more universal in scope than reference to Adam alone would suggest.

[4:32]  ² tn The verb is not present in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification. The challenge has both temporal and geographical dimensions. The people are challenged to (1) inquire about the entire scope of past history and (2) conduct their investigation on a worldwide scale.

[17:8]  ³ tn Heb “between blood and blood.”

[17:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “between claim and claim.”

[17:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “between blow and blow.”

[17:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:8]  ⁷ 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.