Ulangan 16:18-20
Konteks16:18 You must appoint judges and civil servants 1 for each tribe in all your villages 2 that the Lord your God is giving you, and they must judge the people fairly. 3 16:19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort 4 the words of the righteous. 5 16:20 You must pursue justice alone 6 so that you may live and inherit the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Ulangan 16:17
Konteks16:17 Every one of you must give as you are able, 7 according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
Ulangan 8:1--13:18
Konteks8:1 You must keep carefully all these commandments 8 I am giving 9 you today so that you may live, increase in number, 10 and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. 11 8:2 Remember the whole way by which he 12 has brought you these forty years through the desert 13 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. 14 He did this to teach you 15 that humankind 16 cannot live by bread 17 alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. 18 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, 19 the Lord your God disciplines you. 8:6 So you must keep his 20 commandments, live according to his standards, 21 and revere him. 8:7 For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks, 22 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 23 in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron 24 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 25 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 26 and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow 27 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 28 and eventually bring good to you. 8:17 Be careful 29 not to say, “My own ability and skill 30 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, 31 even as he has to this day. 8:19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all 32 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 33 because you would not obey him. 34
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. 35 9:2 They include the Anakites, 36 a numerous 37 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 38 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, 39 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 40 made on oath to your ancestors, 41 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 42 people!
9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget 43 – 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. 44 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 45 forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger 46 of God, and on them was everything 47 he 48 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.” 49 9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn 50 lot! 9:14 Stand aside 51 and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, 52 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 53 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; 54 you had quickly turned aside from the way he 55 had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, 56 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 57 that threatened to destroy you. But he 58 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 59 too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing 60 that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, 61 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, 62 Massah, 63 and Kibroth-Hattaavah. 64 9:23 And when he 65 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 66 and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him 67 from the very first day I knew you!
9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, 68 for he 69 had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: 70 O, Lord God, 71 do not destroy your people, your valued property 72 that you have powerfully redeemed, 73 whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. 74 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 75 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.” 76 9:29 They are your people, your valued property, 77 whom you brought out with great strength and power. 78
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. 79 10:2 I will write on the tablets the same words 80 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 81 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 82 then wrote on the tablets the same words, 83 the ten commandments, 84 which he 85 had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he 86 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 87 to Moserah. 88 There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 10:7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, 89 and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, 90 a place of flowing streams. 10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi 91 to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings 92 in his name, as they do to this very day. 10:9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance 93 among his brothers; 94 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 95 said to me, “Get up, set out leading 96 the people so they may go and possess 97 the land I promised to give to their ancestors.” 98
10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, 99 to obey all his commandments, 100 to love him, to serve him 101 with all your mind and being, 102 10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving 103 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 104 show his loving favor, 105 and he chose you, their descendants, 106 from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse 107 your heart and stop being so stubborn! 108 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 109 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; 110 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. 111
11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 112 at all times. 11:2 Bear in mind today that I am not speaking 113 to your children who have not personally experienced the judgments 114 of the Lord your God, which revealed 115 his greatness, strength, and power. 116 11:3 They did not see 117 the awesome deeds he performed 118 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 119 overwhelm them while they were pursuing you and he 120 annihilated them. 121 11:5 They did not see 122 what he did to you in the desert before you reached this place, 11:6 or what he did to Dathan and Abiram, 123 sons of Eliab the Reubenite, 124 when the earth opened its mouth in the middle of the Israelite camp 125 and swallowed them, their families, 126 their tents, and all the property they brought with them. 127 11:7 I am speaking to you 128 because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of the Lord!
11:8 Now pay attention to all the commandments 129 I am giving 130 you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed, 131 11:9 and that you may enjoy long life in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors 132 and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 11:10 For the land where you are headed 133 is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by hand 134 like a vegetable garden. 11:11 Instead, the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy 135 is one of hills and valleys, a land that drinks in water from the rains, 136 11:12 a land the Lord your God looks after. 137 He is constantly attentive to it 138 from the beginning to the end of the year. 139 11:13 Now, if you pay close attention 140 to my commandments that I am giving you today and love 141 the Lord your God and serve him with all your mind and being, 142 11:14 then he promises, 143 “I will send rain for your land 144 in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, 145 so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil. 11:15 I will provide pasture 146 for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”
11:16 Make sure you do not turn away to serve and worship other gods! 147 11:17 Then the anger of the Lord will erupt 148 against you and he will close up the sky 149 so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will soon be removed 150 from the good land that the Lord 151 is about to give you. 11:18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, 152 and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbols 153 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, 154 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. 155 11:22 For if you carefully observe all of these commandments 156 I am giving you 157 and love the Lord your God, live according to his standards, 158 and remain loyal to him, 11:23 then he 159 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 160 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. 161 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: 162 11:27 the blessing if you take to heart 163 the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, 11:28 and the curse if you pay no attention 164 to his 165 commandments and turn from the way I am setting before 166 you today to pursue 167 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. 168 11:30 Are they not across the Jordan River, 169 toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal 170 near the oak 171 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.
12:1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 172 has given you to possess. 173 12:2 You must by all means destroy 174 all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods – on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. 175 12:3 You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, 176 burn up their sacred Asherah poles, 177 and cut down the images of their gods; you must eliminate their very memory from that place. 12:4 You must not worship the Lord your God the way they worship. 12:5 But you must seek only the place he 178 chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence, 179 and you must go there. 12:6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, 180 your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 12:7 Both you and your families 181 must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he 182 has blessed you. 12:8 You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone 183 doing what seems best to him, 12:9 for you have not yet come to the final stop 184 and inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 12:10 When you do go across the Jordan River 185 and settle in the land he 186 is granting you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you, you will live in safety. 187 12:11 Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing 188 everything I am commanding you – your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, 189 and all your choice votive offerings which you devote to him. 190 12:12 You shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages 191 (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you). 192 12:13 Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, 12:14 for you may do so 193 only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas – there you may do everything I am commanding you. 194
12:15 On the other hand, you may slaughter and eat meat as you please when the Lord your God blesses you 195 in all your villages. 196 Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an ibex. 12:16 However, you must not eat blood – pour it out on the ground like water. 12:17 You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings. 12:18 Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he 197 chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites 198 in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor. 199 12:19 Be careful not to overlook the Levites as long as you live in the land.
12:20 When the Lord your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say, “I want to eat meat just as I please,” 200 you may do so as you wish. 201 12:21 If the place he 202 chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he 203 has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages 204 just as you wish. 12:22 Like you eat the gazelle or ibex, so you may eat these; the ritually impure and pure alike may eat them. 12:23 However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself 205 – you must not eat the life with the meat! 12:24 You must not eat it! You must pour it out on the ground like water. 12:25 You must not eat it so that it may go well with you and your children after you; you will be doing what is right in the Lord’s sight. 206 12:26 Only the holy things and votive offerings that belong to you, you must pick up and take to the place the Lord will choose. 207 12:27 You must offer your burnt offerings, both meat and blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; the blood of your other sacrifices 208 you must pour out on his 209 altar while you eat the meat. 12:28 Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
12:29 When the Lord your God eliminates the nations from the place where you are headed and you dispossess them, you will settle down in their land. 210 12:30 After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.” 12:31 You must not worship the Lord your God the way they do! 211 For everything that is abhorrent 212 to him, 213 everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods!
12:32 (13:1) 214 You 215 must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! 216 13:1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams 217 should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, 218 13:2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” 13:3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, 219 for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him 220 with all your mind and being. 221 13:4 You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 13:5 As for that prophet or dreamer, 222 he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge out evil from within. 223
13:6 Suppose your own full brother, 224 your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods 225 that neither you nor your ancestors 226 have previously known, 227 13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth 228 to the other). 13:8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! 229 Your own hand must be the first to strike him, 230 and then the hands of the whole community. 13:10 You must stone him to death 231 because he tried to entice you away from the Lord your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 13:11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you. 232
13:12 Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13:13 some evil people 233 have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, 234 saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). 235 13:14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, 236 13:15 you must by all means 237 slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate 238 with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. 13:16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza 239 and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin 240 forever – it must never be rebuilt again. 13:17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. 241 Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. 13:18 Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving 242 you today and doing what is right 243 before him. 244
[16:18] 1 tn The Hebrew term וְשֹׁטְרִים (vÿshoterim), usually translated “officers” (KJV, NCV) or “officials” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), derives from the verb שֹׁטֵר (shoter, “to write”). The noun became generic for all types of public officials. Here, however, it may be appositionally epexegetical to “judges,” thus resulting in the phrase, “judges, that is, civil officers,” etc. Whoever the שֹׁטְרִים are, their task here consists of rendering judgments and administering justice.
[16:18] 3 tn Heb “with judgment of righteousness”; ASV, NASB “with righteous judgment.”
[16:19] 4 tn Heb “twist, overturn”; NRSV “subverts the cause.”
[16:19] 5 tn Or “innocent”; NRSV “those who are in the right”; NLT “the godly.”
[16:20] 6 tn Heb “justice, justice.” The repetition is emphatic; one might translate as “pure justice” or “unadulterated justice” (cf. NLT “true justice”).
[16:17] 7 tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.
[8:1] 8 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).
[8:1] 9 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11).
[8:1] 10 tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.”
[8:1] 11 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18).
[8:2] 12 tn Heb “the
[8:2] 13 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NRSV, NLT); likewise in v. 15.
[8:3] 14 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).
[8:3] 15 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.
[8:3] 16 tn Heb “the man,” but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race (“mankind” or “humankind”).
[8:3] 17 tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. CEV).
[8:3] 18 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).
[8:5] 19 tn Heb “just as a man disciplines his son.” The Hebrew text reflects the patriarchal idiom of the culture.
[8:6] 20 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[8:6] 21 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.
[8:9] 23 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).
[8:9] 24 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.
[8:14] 25 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.
[8:15] 26 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).
[8:15] 27 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.
[8:16] 28 tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2.
[8:17] 29 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.
[8:17] 30 tn Heb “my strength and the might of my hand.”
[8:18] 31 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.
[8:19] 32 tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).
[8:20] 33 tn Heb “so you will perish.”
[8:20] 34 tn Heb “listen to the voice of the
[9:1] 35 tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.
[9:2] 36 sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.
[9:2] 37 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).
[9:3] 38 tn Heb “the
[9:5] 39 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
[9:5] 40 tn Heb “the
[9:6] 42 tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
[9:6] 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).
[9:7] 43 tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
[9:7] 44 tn Heb “the
[9:9] 45 tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:10] 46 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).
[9:10] 47 tn Heb “according to all the words.”
[9:10] 48 tn Heb “the
[9:12] 49 tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some
[9:13] 50 tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.
[9:14] 51 tn Heb “leave me alone.”
[9:14] 52 tn Heb “from under heaven.”
[9:15] 53 tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
[9:16] 54 tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.
[9:16] 55 tn Heb “the
[9:17] 56 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.
[9:19] 57 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”).
[9:19] 58 tn Heb “the
[9:20] 59 tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
[9:21] 60 tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).
[9:21] 61 tn Heb “burned it with fire.”
[9:22] 62 sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the
[9:22] 63 sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.
[9:22] 64 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).
[9:23] 65 tn Heb “the
[9:23] 66 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.
[9:24] 67 tn Heb “the
[9:25] 68 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
[9:25] 69 tn Heb “the
[9:26] 70 tn Heb “the
[9:26] 71 tn Heb “Lord
[9:26] 72 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.
[9:26] 73 tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”
[9:26] 74 tn Heb “by your strong hand.”
[9:28] 75 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.
[9:28] 76 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
[9:29] 77 tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.
[9:29] 78 tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”
[10:1] 79 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.
[10:2] 80 sn The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the
[10:3] 81 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.
[10:4] 82 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[10:4] 83 tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.
[10:4] 84 tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”
[10:4] 85 tn Heb “the
[10:4] 86 tn Heb “the
[10:6] 87 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).
[10:6] 88 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.
[10:7] 89 sn Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).
[10:7] 90 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.
[10:8] 91 sn The
[10:8] 92 sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.
[10:9] 93 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
[10:9] 94 tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.
[10:11] 95 tn Heb “the
[10:11] 96 tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”
[10:11] 97 tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.
[10:11] 98 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).
[10:12] 99 tn Heb “the
[10:12] 100 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”
[10:12] 101 tn Heb “the
[10:12] 102 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[10:13] 103 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
[10:15] 104 tn Heb “the
[10:15] 105 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
[10:15] 106 tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.
[10:16] 107 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).
[10:16] 108 tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
[10:18] 109 tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”
[10:21] 110 tn Heb “your praise.” The pronoun is subjective and the noun “praise” is used here metonymically for the object of their praise (the Lord).
[10:22] 111 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[11:1] 112 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).
[11:2] 113 tn Heb “that not.” The words “I am speaking” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[11:2] 114 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.
[11:2] 115 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.
[11:2] 116 tn Heb “his strong hand and his stretched-out arm.”
[11:3] 117 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.
[11:3] 118 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.
[11:4] 119 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.
[11:4] 120 tn Heb “the
[11:4] 121 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.
[11:5] 122 tn See note on these same words in v. 3.
[11:6] 123 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).
[11:6] 124 tn Or “the descendant of Reuben”; Heb “son of Reuben.”
[11:6] 125 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.
[11:6] 126 tn Heb “their houses,” referring to all who lived in their household. Cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “households.”
[11:6] 127 tn Heb “and all the substance which was at their feet.”
[11:7] 128 tn On the addition of these words in the translation see note on “They did not see” in v. 3.
[11:8] 129 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).
[11:8] 130 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in vv. 13, 27).
[11:8] 131 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
[11:9] 132 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 21).
[11:10] 133 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.”
[11:10] 134 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.
[11:11] 135 tn Heb “which you are crossing over there to possess it.”
[11:11] 136 tn Heb “rain of heaven.”
[11:12] 137 tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.
[11:12] 138 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[11:12] sn Constantly attentive to it. This attention to the land by the
[11:12] 139 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.
[11:13] 140 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.”
[11:13] 141 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).
[11:13] 142 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[11:14] 143 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.
[11:14] 144 tn Heb “the rain of your land.” In this case the genitive (modifying term) indicates the recipient of the rain.
[11:14] 145 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.
[11:15] 146 tn Heb “grass in your field.”
[11:16] 147 tn Heb “Watch yourselves lest your heart turns and you turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
[11:17] 148 tn Heb “will become hot”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “will be kindled”; NAB “will flare up”; NIV, NLT “will burn.”
[11:17] 149 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[11:17] 150 tn Or “be destroyed”; NAB, NIV “will soon perish.”
[11:17] 151 tn Heb “the
[11:18] 152 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[11:18] 153 tn On the Hebrew term טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “reminders”), cf. Deut 6:4-9.
[11:19] 154 tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”
[11:21] 155 tn Heb “like the days of the heavens upon the earth,” that is, forever.
[11:22] 156 tn Heb “this commandment.” See note at Deut 5:30.
[11:22] 157 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.
[11:22] 158 tn Heb “walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV); TEV “do everything he commands.”
[11:23] 159 tn Heb “the
[11:24] 160 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.
[11:24] 161 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.”
[11:26] 162 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.
[11:27] 163 tn Heb “listen to,” that is, obey.
[11:28] 164 tn Heb “do not listen to,” that is, do not obey.
[11:28] 165 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[11:28] 166 tn Heb “am commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
[11:28] 167 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).
[11:29] 168 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
[11:30] 169 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:30] 170 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.
[11:30] 171 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.
[12:1] 173 tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the
[12:2] 174 tn Heb “destroying you must destroy”; KJV “Ye shall utterly (surely ASV) destroy”; NRSV “must demolish completely.” The Hebrew infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by the words “by all means.”
[12:2] 175 sn Every leafy tree. This expression refers to evergreens which, because they keep their foliage throughout the year, provided apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan. The deity particularly in view is Asherah, wife of the great god El, who was considered the goddess of fertility and whose worship frequently took place at shrines near or among clusters (groves) of such trees (see also Deut 7:5). See J. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:569-70; J. DeMoor, TDOT 1:438-44.
[12:3] 176 sn Sacred pillars. These are the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.
[12:3] 177 sn Sacred Asherah poles. The Hebrew term (plural) is אֲשֵׁרִים (’asherim). See note on the word “(leafy) tree” in v. 2, and also Deut 7:5.
[12:5] 178 tn Heb “the
[12:5] 179 tc Some scholars, on the basis of v. 11, emend the MT reading שִׁכְנוֹ (shikhno, “his residence”) to the infinitive construct לְשָׁכֵן (lÿshakhen, “to make [his name] to dwell”), perhaps with the 3rd person masculine singular sf לְשַׁכְּנוֹ (lÿshakÿno, “to cause it to dwell”). Though the presupposed nounשֵׁכֶן (shekhen) is nowhere else attested, the parallel here with שַׁמָּה (shammah, “there”) favors retaining the MT as it stands.
[12:6] 180 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
[12:7] 181 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
[12:7] 182 tn Heb “the
[12:10] 185 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[12:10] 186 tn Heb “the
[12:10] 187 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 10-11 are one long, complex sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two sentences.
[12:11] 188 tn Heb “and it will be (to) the place where the Lord your God chooses to cause his name to dwell you will bring.”
[12:11] 189 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
[12:11] 190 tn Heb “the
[12:12] 191 tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”
[12:12] 192 sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.
[12:14] 193 tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
[12:14] 194 sn This injunction to worship in a single and central sanctuary – one limited and appropriate to the thrice-annual festival celebrations (see Exod 23:14-17; 34:22-24; Lev 23:4-36; Deut 16:16-17) – marks a departure from previous times when worship was carried out at local shrines (cf. Gen 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:1, 3, 7; Exod 17:15). Apart from the corporate worship of the whole theocratic community, however, worship at local altars would still be permitted as in the past (Deut 16:21; Judg 6:24-27; 13:19-20; 1 Sam 7:17; 10:5, 13; 2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Kgs 18:30).
[12:15] 195 tn Heb “only in all the desire of your soul you may sacrifice and eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given to you.”
[12:15] 196 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB; likewise in vv. 17, 18).
[12:18] 197 tn Heb “the
[12:18] 198 tn See note at Deut 12:12.
[12:18] 199 tn Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”
[12:20] 200 tn Heb “for my soul desires to eat meat.”
[12:20] 201 tn Heb “according to all the desire of your soul you may eat meat.”
[12:21] 202 tn Heb “the
[12:21] 203 tn Heb “the
[12:21] 204 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “in your own community.”
[12:23] 205 sn The blood is life itself. This is a figure of speech (metonymy) in which the cause or means (the blood) stands for the result or effect (life). That is, life depends upon the existence and circulation of blood, a truth known empirically but not scientifically tested and proved until the 17th century
[12:25] 206 tc Heb “in the eyes of the
[12:26] 207 tc Again, to complete a commonly attested wording the LXX adds after “choose” the phrase “to place his name there.” This shows insensitivity to deliberate departures from literary stereotypes. The MT reading is to be preferred.
[12:27] 208 sn These other sacrifices would be so-called peace or fellowship offerings whose ritual required a different use of the blood from that of burnt (sin and trespass) offerings (cf. Lev 3; 7:11-14, 19-21).
[12:27] 209 tn Heb “on the altar of the
[12:29] 210 tn Heb “dwell in their land” (so NASB). In the Hebrew text vv. 29-30 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides it into two.
[12:31] 211 tn Heb “you must not do thus to/for the
[12:31] 212 tn See note on this term at Deut 7:25.
[12:31] 213 tn Heb “every abomination of the
[12:32] 214 sn Beginning with 12:32, the verse numbers through 13:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 12:32 ET = 13:1 HT, 13:1 ET = 13:2 HT, 13:2 ET = 13:3 HT, etc., through 13:18 ET = 13:19 HT. With 14:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[12:32] 215 tn This verse highlights a phenomenon found throughout Deuteronomy, but most especially in chap. 12, namely, the alternation of grammatical singular and plural forms of the pronoun (known as Numeruswechsel in German scholarship). Critical scholarship in general resolves the “problem” by suggesting varying literary traditions – one favorable to the singular pronoun and the other to the plural – which appear in the (obviously rough) redacted text at hand. Even the ancient versions were troubled by the lack of harmony of grammatical number and in this verse, for example, offered a number of alternate readings. The MT reads “Everything I am commanding you (plural) you (plural) must be careful to do; you (singular) must not add to it nor should you (singular) subtract form it.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate suggest singular for the first two pronouns but a few Smr
[12:32] 216 sn Do not add to it or subtract from it. This prohibition makes at least two profound theological points: (1) This work by Moses is of divine origination (i.e., it is inspired) and therefore can tolerate no human alteration; and (2) the work is complete as it stands (i.e., it is canonical).
[13:1] 217 tn Heb “or a dreamer of dreams” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). The difference between a prophet (נָבִיא, navi’) and one who foretells by dreams (חֹלֵם אוֹ, ’o kholem) was not so much one of office – for both received revelation by dreams (cf. Num 12:6) – as it was of function or emphasis. The prophet was more a proclaimer and interpreter of revelation whereas the one who foretold by dreams was a receiver of revelation. In later times the role of the one who foretold by dreams was abused and thus denigrated as compared to that of the prophet (cf. Jer 23:28).
[13:1] 218 tn The expression אוֹת אוֹ מוֹפֵת (’ot ’o mofet) became a formulaic way of speaking of ways of authenticating prophetic messages or other works of God (cf. Deut 28:46; Isa 20:3). The NT equivalent is the Greek term σημεῖον (shmeion), a sign performed (used frequently in the Gospel of John, cf. 2:11, 18; 20:30-31). They could, however, be counterfeited or (as here) permitted to false prophets by the
[13:3] 219 tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.
[13:3] 220 tn Heb “the
[13:3] 221 tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.
[13:5] 222 tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.
[13:5] 223 tn Heb “your midst” (so NAB, NRSV). The severity of the judgment here (i.e., capital punishment) is because of the severity of the sin, namely, high treason against the Great King. Idolatry is a violation of the first two commandments (Deut 5:6-10) as well as the spirit and intent of the Shema (Deut 6:4-5).
[13:6] 224 tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.
[13:6] 225 tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”
[13:6] 226 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).
[13:6] 227 tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).
[13:7] 228 tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”
[13:9] 229 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).
[13:9] 230 tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.
[13:10] 231 sn Execution by means of pelting the offender with stones afforded a mechanism whereby the whole community could share in it. In a very real sense it could be done not only in the name of the community and on its behalf but by its members (cf. Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Deut 21:21; Josh 7:25).
[13:11] 232 sn Some see in this statement an argument for the deterrent effect of capital punishment (Deut 17:13; 19:20; 21:21).
[13:13] 233 tn Heb “men, sons of Belial.” The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל (bÿliyya’al) has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 133-34 s.v.). Cf. NAB, NRSV “scoundrels”; TEV, CEV “worthless people”; NLT “worthless rabble.”
[13:13] 234 tc The LXX and Tg read “your” for the MT’s “their.”
[13:13] 235 tn The translation understands the relative clause as a statement by Moses, not as part of the quotation from the evildoers. See also v. 2.
[13:14] 236 tc Theodotian adds “in Israel,” perhaps to broaden the matter beyond the local village.
[13:15] 237 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “by all means.” Cf. KJV, NASB “surely”; NIV “certainly.”
[13:15] 238 tn Or “put under divine judgment. The Hebrew word (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to placing persons or things under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction.Though primarily applied against the heathen, this severe judgment could also fall upon unrepentant Israelites (cf. the story of Achan in Josh 7). See also the note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
[13:16] 240 tn Heb “mound”; NAB “a heap of ruins.” The Hebrew word תֵּל (tel) refers to this day to a ruin represented especially by a built-up mound of dirt or debris (cf. Tel Aviv, “mound of grain”).
[13:17] 241 tn Or “anything that has been put under the divine curse”; Heb “anything of the ban” (cf. NASB). See note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.
[13:18] 242 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).
[13:18] 243 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.
[13:18] 244 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
