1 tn (1:1) Heb "words."
2tn (1:1) Heb "to all Israel."
3tn (1:1) Heb "on the other side of the Jordan." This would appear to favor authorship by someone living on the west side of the Jordan, that is, in Canaan, whereas the biblical tradition locates Moses on the east side (cf. v. 5). However the Hebrew phrase /D}r+Yh^ rb#u@B= is a frozen form meaning "Transjordan," a name appropriate from any geographical vantage point. To this day, one standing east of the Jordan can describe himself as being in Transjordan.
4tn (1:1) The Hebrew term lom may also mean "in front of" or "near."
5sn (1:1) This place is otherwise unattested and its location is unknown. Perhaps it is Khirbet Sufah, 4 mi (6 km) south SE of Madaba, Jordan.
6tn (1:1) The Hebrew term /yB@ may suggest "in the area of" or the like.
7sn (1:1) Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Num 10:12; 12:16).
8sn (1:1) Tophel refers possibly to et£-T£afîleh, 15 mi (25 km) SE of the Dead Sea, or to Da,bîlu, another name for Paran. See H. Cazelles, "Tophel (Deut. 1:1)," VT 9 (1959): 412-15.
9sn (1:1) Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Num 33:20).
10sn (1:1) Hazeroth. This probably refers to àAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200.
11sn (1:1) Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the east Sinai coast.
12sn (1:2) An eleven-day journey would be about 140 miles (233 km).
13sn (1:2) Horeb is another name for Sinai. "Horeb" occurs 9 times in the Book of Deuteronomy and "Sinai" only once (33:2). "Sinai" occurs 13 times in the Book of Exodus and "Horeb" only 3 times.
14sn (1:2) Kadesh Barnea. Possibly this refers to àAin Qudeis, about 50 mi (80 km) SW of Beersheba, but more likely to àAin Qudeirat, 5 mi (8 km) NW of àAin Qudeis. See R. Cohen, BAR 7/3 (1981): 2-33.
15sn (1:2) Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom. "By way of Mount Seir" refers to the route from Horeb that ended up in Edom.
16tn (1:3) Heb "in" or "on." Here there is a contrast between the ordinary time of eleven days (v. 2) and the actual time of forty years, so "not until" brings out that vast disparity.
17sn (1:3) The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar.
18sn (1:3) The fortieth year would be 1406 B.C. according to the "early" date of the exodus. See E. H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 66-75.
19tn (1:4) Heb "when he struck [or, "smote"]."
20sn (1:4) See Deut 2:26-3:22.
21tn (1:4) Heb "who lived."
22sn (1:4) Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesba,,n, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south SW of Amman, Jordan.
23tn (1:4) Heb "who lived."
24sn (1:4) Ashtaroth is probably Tell àAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee.
25sn (1:4) Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31).
26tn (1:5) The Hebrew noun hr´ot is derived from the verb hry ("to teach") and here it means not the Pentateuch as a whole but the Book of Deuteronomy.
27tn (1:6) Heb "saying."
28tn (1:6) Heb "lived"; "dwelled."
29tn (1:7) Heb "turn."
30tn (1:7) Heb "go."
31tn (1:7) Heb "its dwelling places."
32tn (1:7) Heb "the Arabah."
33sn (1:7) The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country. The Hebrew term can be translated "lowlands" or "steppes."
34sn (1:7) The Hebrew term Negev means literally "desert" or "south." It refers to the area south of Beersheba and generally west of the Arabah Valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.
35tn (1:8) Heb "the land."
36tn (1:8) Heb "the LORD."
37tn (1:8) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 11, 21).
38tn (1:8) Heb "seed."
39tn (1:9) Heb "to carry."
40tn (1:10) Heb "multiplied you."
41tn (1:10) Or "heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
42tn (1:11) Heb "may he bless you."
43tn (1:12) Heb "your burden."
44tn (1:13) The Hebrew verb <yn]b)n+ (from /yb) is a Niphal form with the idea of skill or intelligence (see T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:652-53).
45tn (1:15) Heb "took."
46tn (1:16) Or "you." A number of translations treat the remainder of this verse and v. 17 as direct discourse rather than indirect discourse.
47tn (1:16) Heb "brothers." The term "brothers" could, in English, be understood to refer to blood relatives.
48tn (1:16) The Hebrew word qd#x# ("fairly") carries the basic idea of conformity to a norm of expected behavior or character, one established by God himself. Fair judgment is one that adheres strictly to that norm or standard (see D. Reimer, NIDOTTE 3:750).
49tn (1:16) Heb "man."
50tn (1:16) Heb "his brother."
51tn (1:16) Heb "his stranger" or "his sojourner." The Hebrew word rg} commonly means "foreigner."
52tn (1:17) Heb "you," and throughout the verse.
53tn (1:17) Heb "and I will hear it."
54tn (1:19) Heb "and we came."
55tn (1:21) Heb "the LORD your God."
56tn (1:21) Heb "given [the land] to you."
57tn (1:23) Heb "the thing was good in my eyes."
58tn (1:24) Or "Wadi Eshcol."
sn (1:24) The Eshcol Valley is a verdant valley near Hebron, still famous for its viticulture (cf. Num 13:22-23). The Hebrew name "Eshcol" means "trestle," that is, the frame on which grape vines grow.
59tn (1:27) Heb "in your tents," that is, privately.
60tn (1:28) Heb "where are we going up?"
61tn (1:28) Heb "have caused our hearts to melt."
62tn (1:28) Heb "greater." Many translations understand this to refer to physical size rather than numbers (cf. "stronger," NAB, NIV, NRSV; "bigger," NASB).
63tn (1:28) Or "as the sky." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
64tn (1:28) Heb "we have seen."
65sn (1:28) Anakites were giant people (Num 13:33; Deut 2:10, 21; 9:2) descended from a certain Anak whose own forefather Arba founded the city of Kiriath Arba, i.e., Hebron (Josh 21:11).
66tn (1:29) Heb "do not tremble and do not be afraid."
67tn (1:30) Heb "according to all he did for you in Egypt before your eyes."
68tn (1:31) Heb "the LORD your God."
69tn (1:34) Heb "the sound of your words."
70tn (1:35) Heb "a man among these men."
71tn (1:35) Heb "your."
72tn (1:35) Heb "fathers."
73sn (1:36) Caleb had, with Joshua, brought back to Israel a minority report from Canaan urging a conquest of the land, for he was confident of the LORD's power (Num 13:6, 8, 16, 30; 14:30, 38).
74tn (1:36) Heb "I will give to him."
75tn (1:38) Heb "the one who stands before you."
76tn (1:38) Heb "it"; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
77tn (1:39) Heb "would be a prey."
78sn (1:39) Do not know good from bad. This is a figure of speech called a merism, that is, one that suggests a whole by referring to its extreme opposites. Other examples are the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen 2:9), the boy who knows enough "to reject the wrong and choose the right" (Isa 7:16; 8:4), and those who "cannot tell their right hand from their left" (Jon 4:11). The very definition of a young child is his or her lack of knowledge.
79tn (1:40) Heb "the Reed Sea." "Reed" is a better translation of the Hebrew [Ws, usually rendered "red." The name "Red Sea" is based on the LXX which referred to it as erythra thalassa, "red sea." Nevertheless, because the body of water in question is known in modern times as the Red Sea, this term was used in the translation. The part of the Red Sea in view here is not the one crossed in the exodus but its eastern arm, now known as the Gulf of Eilat or Gulf of Aqaba.
80tn (1:41) Heb "the LORD our God."
81tn (1:42) Heb "I will not be."
82tn (1:42) Heb "before."
83tn (1:43) Heb "the mouth of the LORD."
84tn (1:44) Heb "in that hill country."
85tn (1:44) Heb "in."
86sn (1:44) Hormah is probably Khirbet el-Meshash, 5.5 mi (9 km) west of Arad and 7.5 mi (12 km) SE of Beersheba. Its name is a derivative of the verb <rj, "to ban; to exterminate." See Num 21:3.
87tn (1:45) Heb "the LORD."
88tn (1:45) Heb "did not hear your voice."
89tn (1:45) Heb "and turn ear to you."
90tn (1:46) Heb "many days."
91sn (1:46) The full time refers to the rest of the forty-year period in the desert before Israel arrived in Moab.
1tn (2:1) Heb "Reed Sea." See the note on the term "Red Sea" in Deut 1:40.
2tn (2:1) Heb "many days."
3tn (2:2) Heb "and" or "then."
4tn (2:4) Heb "command."
5tn (2:4) Heb "brothers."
6sn (2:4) The descendants of Esau (Heb "sons of Esau"; the phrase also occurs in 2:8, 12, 22, 29). These are the inhabitants of the land otherwise known as Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. Jacob's brother Esau had settled there after his bitter strife with Jacob (Gen 36:1-8). "Edom" means "reddish," probably because of the red sandstone of the region, but also by popular etymology because Esau, at birth, was reddish (Gen 25:25).
7tn (2:5) Heb "treading of the sole of the foot."
8sn (2:5) Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.
9tn (2:6) Heb adds "with silver."
10tn (2:7) Heb "the LORD your God."
11tn (2:7) Heb "all the work of your hands."
12tn (2:7) Heb "he has."
13tn (2:7) Heb "known."
14tn (2:7) Heb "the LORD your God has."
15tn (2:8) Or "relatives."
16tn (2:8) Heb "Arabah."
17sn (2:8) Elath was (and is, with the modern name Eilat) a port city at the head of the eastern arm of the Red Sea, that is, the Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilat). Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28), Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22), and Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:5-6) used it as a port but eventually it became permanently part of Edom. It may be what is known today as Tell el-Kheleifeh. See G. Pratico, BASOR 259 (1985): 1-32.
18sn (2:8) Ezion Geber. A place near the Gulf of Aqaba, Ezion-geber must be distinguished from Elath (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 2 Chr 8:17-18). It was, however, also a port city (1 Kgs 22:48-49). It may be the same as the modern site Gezirat al-Fauran, 15 mi (24 km) SSW from Tell el-Kheleifah.
19sn (2:9) Ar was a Moabite city on the Arnon River east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned elsewhere in the "Book of the Wars of Yahweh" (Num 21:15; cf. 21:28; Isa 15:1). Here it is synonymous with the whole land of Moab.
20sn (2:9) The descendants of Lot. Following the destruction of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, as God's judgment, Lot fathered two sons by his two daughters, namely, Moab and Ammon (Gen 19:30-38). Thus, these descendants of Lot in and around Ar are the Moabites.
21sn (2:10) Emites. These giant people, like the Anakites (Deut 1:28), were also known as Rephaites (v. 11). They appear elsewhere in the narrative of the invasion of the kings of the east where they are said to have lived around Shaveh Kiriathaim, perhaps 9 to 11 mi (15 to 18 km) east of the north end of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:5).
22sn (2:11) Rephaites. The earliest reference to this infamous giant race is, again, in the story of the invasion of the eastern kings (Gen 14:5). They lived around Ashteroth Karnaim, probably modern Tell àAshtarah (cf. Deut 1:4), in the Bashan plateau east of the Sea of Galilee. Og, king of Bashan, was a Rephaite (Deut 3:11; Josh 12:4; 13:12). Other texts speak of them or their kinfolk in both Transjordan (Deut 2:20; 3:13) and Canaan (Josh 11:21-22; 14:12, 15; 15:13-14; Judg 1:20; 1 Sam 17:4; 1 Chr 20:4-8). They also appear in extra-biblical literature, especially in connection with the city state of Ugarit. See C. L'Heureux, HTR 67 (1974): 265-74.
23sn (2:12) Horites. Most likely these are the same as the well-known people of ancient Near Eastern texts described as Hurrians. They were geographically widespread and probably non-Semitic. Genesis speaks of them as the indigenous peoples of Edom that Esau expelled (Gen 36:8-19, 31-43) and also as among those who confronted the kings of the east (Gen 14:6).
24tn (2:12) Heb "the LORD." The first person pronoun has been used in the translation to maintain consistency with v. 9.
25sn (2:13) Wadi Zered. Now known as Wadi el-H£esa, this valley marked the boundary between Moab to the north and Edom to the south.
26tn (2:13) Heb "we crossed the Wadi Zered." This has been translated as "we did so" for stylistic reasons.
27tn (2:14) Heb "the days."
28sn (2:18) Ar. See the note on this word in Deut 2:9.
29sn (2:19) Lot's descendants. See the note on this phrase in Deut 2:9.
30sn (2:20) Rephaites. See the note on this word in Deut 2:11.
31tn (2:20) Heb "formerly."
32sn (2:20) Zamzummites. Just as the Moabites called Rephaites by the name Emites, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (or Zazites; Gen 14:5).
33tn (2:21) Heb "them"; the referent (the Rephaites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34tn (2:21) Heb "them"; the referent (the Ammonites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35tn (2:22) Heb "and they dispossessed."
36sn (2:23) Avvites. Otherwise unknown, these people were probably also Anakite (or Rephaite) giants who lived in the lower Mediterranean coastal plain until they were expelled by the Caphtorites.
37sn (2:23) Caphtorites. These peoples are familiar from both the OT (Gen 10:14; 1 Chr 1:12; Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7) and ancient Near Eastern texts (M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:37-38; J. B. Pritchard, ANET, 138; Gadd, CAH 1/2:428-30). They originated in Crete (OT "Caphtor") and are identified as the ancestors of the Philistines (Gen 10:14; Jer 47:4).
38tn (2:23) Heb "and settled in their place."
39sn (2:24) Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tell Hesba,,n, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south SW of Amman, Jordan), Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26-30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
40tn (2:25) Heb "under heaven."
41tn (2:25) Heb "from before you."
42sn (2:26) Kedemoth. This is probably àAleiya,n, about 8 mi (13 km) north of the Arnon and between Dibon and Mattanah.
43tn (2:27) Heb "in the way in the way" (Er#D#B^ Er#D#B^). The repetition lays great stress on the idea of resolute determination to stick to the path. Waltke-O'Connor, Hebrew Syntax, 116.
44tn (2:28) Heb "silver."
45tn (2:30) Heb "hardened his spirit."
46tn (2:30) Heb "make his heart obstinate."
47tn (2:32) Heb "people."
48sn (2:32) Jahaz. This is probably Khirbet el-Medeiyineh. See J. Dearman, BASOR 276 (1984): 55-57.
49tn (2:33) Heb "all his people."
50tn (2:34) Heb "every city of men."
51sn (2:34) The divine curse refers to God's designation of certain persons, places, and things as objects of his special wrath and judgment because, in his omniscience, he knows them to be impure and hopelessly unrepentant. The verb employed is <r^j* (j*r^<, usually in the Hiphil) and the associated noun is <r#j@. See J. Naudé, NIDOTTE, 2:276-77.
52tn (2:35) Heb "take."
53sn (2:36) Aroer. Now known as àAraáir on the northern edge of the Arnon river, Aroer marked the southern limit of Moab and, later, of the allotment of the tribe of Reuben (Josh 13:9, 16).
54sn (2:36) The city in the wadi. This enigmatic reference may refer to Ar or, more likely, to Aroer itself. Epexegetically the text might read, "From Aroer..., that is, the city in the wadi." See D. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1-11, 49.
55sn (2:37) Wadi Jabbok. Now known as the Zerqa River, this is a major tributary of the Jordan that normally served as a boundary between Ammon and Gad (Deut 3:16).
1tn (3:1) Heb "turned and went up."
2sn (3:1) Bashan. This plateau country, famous for its oaks (Isa 2:13) and cattle (Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1), was north of Gilead along the Yarmuk River.
3tn (3:1) Heb "people."
4sn (3:1) Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31; also mentioned in Deut 1:4).
5tn (3:2) Heb "people."
6tn (3:3) Heb "we smote."
7tn (3:3) Heb "was left to him." The final phrase "to him" is redundant in English and has not been included in the translation.
8sn (3:4) Argob. This is a subdistrict of Bashan, perhaps north of the Yarmuk River. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 314.
9tn (3:5) The Hebrew term yz]r´P= refers to rural areas, at the most unwalled villages.
10tn (3:6) Heb "we put them under the ban" (<r@j&n^).
sn (3:6) The divine curse. See the note on this phrase in Deut 2:34.
11sn (3:8) Mount Hermon. This is the famous peak at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Known today as Jebel es-Sheik, it is probably the mountain of Jesus' transfiguration (Mark 9:2).
12sn (3:9) Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
13sn (3:9) Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sOE ryn. See C. Gordon, Ugaritic Textbook, 495.
14sn (3:9) Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see J. B. Pritchard, ANET, 280).
15sn (3:10) Salecah. Today this is known as S£alkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
16sn (3:10) Edrei. See the note on this term in 3:1.
17tn (3:11) Heb "behold" (hN}h!).
18tn (3:11) The Hebrew term cr#u#, traditionally translated "bed" (cf. NIV, NRSV) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, BAR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB "his sarcophagus of basalt."
19tn (3:11) Or "of iron-colored basalt." See the note on the word "sarcophagus" earlier in this verse.
20sn (3:11) Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means "great [one]," probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus "still remain[ed]" there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
21tn (3:11) Heb "nine cubits." Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 feet (4.1 m) long.
22tn (3:11) Heb "four cubits." This would be 6 feet (1.8 m) wide.
23tn (3:11) Heb "by the cubit of man." This probably refers to the "short" or "regular" cubit of approximately 18 inches.
24sn (3:12) Aroer. See note on this term in Deut 2:36.
25sn (3:12) Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses' address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
26sn (3:13) Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh split into clans with half opting to settle in Bashan and the other half in Canaan (cf. Num 32:39-42; Josh 17:1-13).
27sn (3:13) Argob. See note on this term in v. 4.
28sn (3:14) Geshurites. Geshur was a city and its surrounding area somewhere NE of Bashan (cf. Josh 12:5 ; 13:11, 13). One of David's wives was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur and mother of Absalom (cf. 2 Sam 13:37; 15:8; 1 Chr 3:2).
29sn (3:14) Maacathites. These were the people of a territory SW of Mount Hermon on the Jordan River. The name probably has nothing to do with David's wife from Geshur (see the note on "Geshurites" earlier in this verse).
30tn (3:14) Heb "them."
31sn (3:14) Havvoth-Jair. The Hebrew name means "villages of Jair," the latter being named after a son (i.e., descendant) of Manasseh who took the area by conquest.
32sn (3:15) Machir was the name of another descendant of Manasseh (cf. Num 32:41; 1 Chr 7:14-19). Eastern Manasseh was thus divided between the Jairites and the Machirites.
33tn (3:16) Heb "as far as."
34tn (3:17) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in vv. 20, 25).
35sn (3:17) Chinnereth. This is another name for the Sea of Galilee, so called because its shape is that of a harp (the Hebrew term for "harp" is K!Nor).
36sn (3:17) The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea (cf. Gen 14:3; Josh 3:16).
37tn (3:17) The meaning of the Hebrew term tD)v=a^ (a^v=D)t) is unclear. It is usually translated either "slopes" (NIV) or "watershed" (NEB).
38sn (3:17) Pisgah. This appears to refer to a small range of mountains, the most prominent peak of which is Mount Nebo (Num 21:20; 23:14; Deut 3:27; cf. 34:1).
39tn (3:18) Heb "commanded."
40tn (3:18) Heb "to possess it."
41tn (3:18) Heb "your brothers, the sons of Israel."
42tn (3:20) Heb "gives your brothers rest."
43tn (3:20) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
44tn (3:21) Heb "your eyes are seeing."
45tn (3:21) Heb "which you are crossing over there."
46tn (3:24) Heb "Lord LORD." The phrase hw]hy+ yn´d)a& is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as "Lord GOD."
47tn (3:24) Heb "your servant."
48tn (3:26) Heb "much to you."
49tn (3:28) Heb "he will cross over before this people."
50sn (3:29) Beth Peor. This is probably the spot near Pisgah where Balaam attempted to curse the nation Israel (Num 23:28). The Moabites also worshiped Baal there by the name "Baal [of] Peor" (Num 25:1-5).
1tn (4:1) Heb "hear."
2tn (4:1) These technical Hebrew terms (<y]Qj% and <yf!P*v=m!) occur repeatedly throughout the Book of Deuteronomy to describe the covenant stipulations to which Israel had been called to subscribe (see, in this chapter alone, vv. 1, 5, 6, 8). The word <y]Qj% derives from the verb qj ("to inscribe; to carve") and <yf!P*v=m! from fpv ("to judge"). They are virtually synonymous and are used interchangeably in Deuteronomy.
3tn (4:1) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 31, 37).
4tn (4:2) Heb "commanding."
5tn (4:3) Heb "your eyes."
6tc (4:3) The LXX and Syriac read "to Baal Peor," that is, the god worshiped at that place; see note on the name "Beth Peor" in Deut 3:29.
7tn (4:3) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
8tn (4:3) Heb "every man."
9tn (4:4) Heb "clung to."
10tn (4:5) Heb "the LORD my God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
11tn (4:5) Heb "to do thus."
12tn (4:6) Heb "it is wisdom and understanding."
13tn (4:6) Heb "wise and understanding."
14tn (4:8) Heb "righteous."
15tn (4:8) The Hebrew phrase taZ)h^ hr´oTh^, in this context, refers specifically to the Book of Deuteronomy. That is, it is the collection of all the <yQ!j% ("statutes," 4:1) and <yf!P*v=m! ("ordinances," 4:1) to be included in the covenant text. In a full canonical sense, of course, it pertains to the entire Pentateuch or Torah.
16tn (4:9) Heb "watch yourself and watch your soul."
17tn (4:9) Heb "turn your heart."
18tn (4:9) Heb "make them known."
19tn (4:10) Heb "[the] day when."
20tn (4:10) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
21tn (4:10) Heb "fear."
22tn (4:11) Heb "as far as the heart of the heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
23tn (4:11) Heb "darkness, cloud, and heavy cloud."
24tn (4:12) Heb "voice of words."
25sn (4:13) This is the first occurrence of the word tyr!B= ("covenant") in the Book of Deuteronomy but it appears commonly hereafter (4:23, 31; 5:2, 3; 7:9, 12; 8:18; 9:9, 10, 11, 15; 10:2, 4, 5, 8; 17:2; 29:1, 9, 12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 25; 31:9, 16, 20, 25, 26; 33:9). Etymologically, it derives from the notion of linking or yoking together. See M. Weinfeld, TDOT 2:255.
26tn (4:13) Heb "words."
27tn (4:15) Heb "give great care to your souls."
28tn (4:18) Heb "creeping thing."
29 tn (4:18) Heb "under the earth."
30tn (4:19) Or "heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
31tn (4:19) Heb "all the host of heaven."
32tn (4:19) Heb "under heaven."
33tn (4:20) Heb "taken."
34tn (4:20) The Hebrew term rWK ("furnace," cf. Akkadian ku,,ru) is a metaphor for the intense heat of purification. A rWK was not a source of heat but a crucible ("iron-smelting furnace") in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19). Thus Egypt served not as a place of punishment for the Israelites, but as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.
35tn (4:21) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
36tn (4:23) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
37tn (4:24) The juxtaposition of the Hebrew terms va@ ("fire") and aN´q^ ("jealous") is interesting in light of Deut 6:15 where the LORD is seen as a jealous God whose anger bursts into a destructive fire. For God to be "jealous" is to understand that his holiness and uniqueness cannot tolerate pretended or imaginary rivals. It is not petty envy but response to an act of insubordination that must be severely judged (see H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:937-40).
38tn (4:25) Heb "a form of anything."
39sn (4:26) I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a r]yb or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel's violation of the LORD's covenant with them (see Deut 30:19; Isa 1:2; 3:13; Jer 2:9). Since court proceedings required the testimony of witnesses, the LORD here summons heaven and earth (that is, all creation) to testify to his faithfulness, Israel's disobedience, and the threat of judgment.
40tn (4:26) Heb "you will not lengthen days upon it."
41tn (4:27) Heb "you will be left few of number."
42sn (4:29) Or "when."
43tn (4:30) Heb "when you find all these things."
44tn (4:30) Heb "to his voice."
45tn (4:31) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
46tn (4:32) The Hebrew term <d*a* may refer either to Adam or, more likely, to "man" in the sense of the human race. The idea here seems more universal in scope than reference to Adam alone would suggest.
47tn (4:32) Heb "has it been heard like it?"
48tn (4:34) Heb "tried to go to take."
49tn (4:34) Heb "outstretched arm."
50tn (4:35) Heb "you have been shown to know."
51tn (4:36) Heb "made you hear his voice."
52tn (4:36) Heb "and his words you heard from the midst."
53tn (4:37) The concept of love here is not primarily that of emotional affection but of elective grace. This verse suggests that God chose Israel because he loved them but, in effect, to "choose" (rjB) is to "love" (bha) and vice-versa. This is best seen in Deut 7:7 where rjB and bha appear as essentially synonymous terms. See E. Nicole, NIDOTTE 2:638-42.
54tc (4:37) The LXX, Samaritan Pentateuch, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read a third person masculine plural suffix for the MT's 3ms, "his descendants." Cf. Deut 10:15. Quite likely the MT should be emended in this instance.
55tn (4:37) Heb "after."
56sn (4:37) He chose their descendants who followed them. See the note on the word "loved" earlier in this verse.
57tn (4:37) Heb "in his presence."
58tn (4:40) Heb "commanding."
59tn (4:40) Heb "length of days."
60tn (4:42) Heb "the slayer who slew his neighbor without knowledge."
61tn (4:42) Heb "live."
62tn (4:45) Heb "Moses." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of the proper name "Moses" would seem redundant here.
63tn (4:45) Heb "the sons of Israel." See the note on the word "he" earlier in this verse.
64sn (4:48) Mount Siyon (the Hebrew name is c!yoa/, not to be confused with Zion [x!Yo/ in Hebrew]) is another name for Mount Hermon, also called Sirion and Senir (cf. Deut 3:9).
65tn (4:49) The meaning of the Hebrew term tD)v=a^ (a^v=D)t) is unclear. It is usually translated either "slopes" (NIV) or "watershed" (NEB).
1tn (5:1) Heb adds "saying to them." This has not been included in the translation because it is redundant in contemporary English.
2tn (5:1) Heb "speak in your ears."
3tn (5:3) Heb "the LORD." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD our God" (cf. v. 2) would seem redundant here.
4tn (5:3) Heb "fathers."
5tn (5:5) Heb "at that time."
6tn (5:6) Heb "from the house of slaves."
7tn (5:7) Heb "upon my face," or "before me" (y^n´P*-lu^). The idea is that of placing any other god before the LORD in the sense of taking his place.
8tn (5:8) Heb "under the earth."
9tn (5:9) Heb "visiting."
10tn (5:9) Heb "who hate." Just as "to love" (bha) means, in a covenant context, "to choose," so "to hate" (anc) means "to reject" (cf. the note on the word "loved" in Deut 4:37; see also 5:10).
11tn (5:10) This theologically rich term (ds#j#) describes God's loyalty to those who keep covenant with him. Sometimes it is used synonymously with tyr!B=, "covenant" (Deut 7:9), and sometimes interchangeably with it (Deut 7:12). See H.-J. Zobel, TDOT 5:44-64.
12tc (5:10) By a slight emendation (<yp!WLa&l^ for <yp!l*a&l^) "clans" could be read in place of the MT reading "thousands." However, no MS or versional evidence exists to support this emendation.
13tn (5:10) See note on the word "rejecting" in v. 9.
14tn (5:10) Heb "his."
15tn (5:11) Heb "take up."
16tn (5:11) Heb "to emptiness." The idea here is not cursing or profanity in the modern sense of these terms but the use of the divine Name for unholy, mundane purposes, that is, for meaningless (the Hebrew term is aw+v*) and empty ends.
17tn (5:11) Heb "who takes up his name to emptiness."
18sn (5:12) To set apart. That is, to put to special use, in this case, to sacred purposes.
19tn (5:14) There is some degree of paronomasia (play on words) here: "the seventh (yu!yb!V=h^) day is the Sabbath (tB*v^)." Otherwise, the words have nothing in common, since "Sabbath" is derived from the verb tbv ("to cease").
20tn (5:14) Heb "in your gates."
21tn (5:15) Heb "a slave."
22tn (5:16) The imperative here means, literally, "regard as heavy" (dB@K^). The meaning is that great importance must be ascribed to parents by their children.
23tn (5:16) Heb "commanded."
24tn (5:16) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "He" in v. 3.
25tn (5:17) Traditionally "kill." The verb here (jxr) is generic for homicide in general but since in the OT both killing in war and as capital punishment was permitted and even commanded (Deut 13:5, 9; 20:13, 16-17), the technical meaning here is "murder."
26tn (5:20) Heb "neighbor." Clearly this is intended generically, however, and not to be limited only to those persons who live nearby (frequently the way "neighbor" is understood in contemporary contexts). So also in v. 20.
27tn (5:21) The Hebrew verb used here (dmj) is different from the one translated "crave" (hwa) in the next line. The former has sexual overtones ("lust" or the like; cf. Song of Sol 2:3) whereas the latter has more the idea of a desire or craving for material things.
28tn (5:21) Heb "your neighbor's." See the note on the term "fellow man" in v. 19.
29tn (5:21) Heb "your neighbor's."
30tn (5:21) Heb "or anything that is your neighbor's."
31tn (5:22) Heb "and he did not add."
32tn (5:22) Heb "them"; the referent (the words spoken by the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33tn (5:24) Heb "his glory and his greatness."
34tn (5:24) Heb "this day we have seen."
35tn (5:26) Heb "flesh."
36tn (5:27) Heb "the LORD our God." See the note on the word "He" in v. 3.
37tn (5:28) Heb "the sound of your words."
38tn (5:29) Heb "who will give that their heart might be [like] this to them."
39tn (5:31) Heb "commandment." The MT actually has singular (hw´x=M!h^) suggesting, perhaps, that the following terms (<yQ!j% and <yf!p*v=m!) are in epexegetical apposition to "commandment." That is, the phrase could be translated "the entire command, namely, the statutes and ordinances." This would essentially make hw´x=m! synonymous with hr´oT, the usual term for the whole collection of law.
40tn (5:31) Heb "to possess it."
41tn (5:33) Heb "in all the way."
42tn (5:33) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
43tn (5:33) Heb "commanded you."
1tn (6:1) Heb "commandment." The word hw´x=m! ("commandment") again is in the singular, serving as a comprehensive term for the whole stipulation section of the book. See the note on the word "commandments" in 5:31.
2tn (6:1) Heb "where you are going over to possess it."
3tn (6:2) Here the terms are not the usual <yQ!j% and <yf!P*v=m! (as in v. 1) but tQ)j% ("statutes") and tox=m! ("commandments"). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.
4tn (6:2) Heb "commanding."
5tn (6:3) Heb "listen."
6tn (6:3) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 10, 18, 23).
7sn (6:4) Verses 4-5 constitute the so-called Shema (after the first word um^v=, "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). The most perplexing interpretive problem lies in the meaning of dj*a#, translated here as "one." It could also be rendered "alone": "as for the LORD your God, [he] alone is the LORD." This is most suitable in the context of covenant for it is an appeal to the LORD's claims to exclusive sovereignty. On the other hand, dj*a# bears overtones of unity and not just singularity so it provides entrée into the NT doctrine of a Triune God--three persons and one essence. See Jensen, NIDOTTE 1:349-51.
8tn (6:5) The verb bha ("to love") in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the LORD is to be absolutely obedient to him in every respect, a truth Jesus himself taught (cf. John 14:15). See also the note on the word "loved" in Deut 4:37.
9tn (6:5) Heb "heart." In OT physiology the heart (Heb bl@, bb*l@) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect. Thus, one could think with his/her heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.
10tn (6:5) 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" (vp#n\) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate vp#n\ as "being" or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.
11sn (6:5) For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.
12tn (6:6) Heb "upon your heart."
13tn (6:7) Heb "repeat." If from the root /nv [I], the verb means essentially to "engrave," that is, "to teach incisively" (Piel); cf. BDB 1041-42.
14sn (6:8) 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.
15sn (6:8) Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note), or, in Greek, a fulakthrion ("phylactery"). 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).
16tn (6:8) Heb "between your eyes."
17sn (6:9) The Hebrew term m=zWz)t 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. Tigay, Deuteronomy, 443-44.
18tn (6:11) Heb "fill."
19tn (6:11) Heb "you eat and you are full."
20tn (6:12) Heb "the house of slaves."
21tn (6:14) Heb "the gods." The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the gods" would seem redundant here.
22tn (6:15) Heb "be kindled."
23sn (6:16) The place name Massah (Hebrew hS*m^, m^S*h) derives from a root (hsn, nsh) 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 LORD, a wickedness that gave rise to the naming of the place (Exod 17:7; cf. Deut 9:22; 33:8).
24tn (6:17) Heb "the commandments of the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
25tn (6:18) Heb "upright."
26tn (6:18) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "his" in v. 17.
27tn (6:20) Heb "your son."
28tn (6:21) Heb "to your son."
29tn (6:21) Heb "by a strong hand." The image is that of a warrior who, with weapon in hand, overcomes his enemies. The LORD is commonly depicted as a divine warrior in the Book of Deuteronomy (cf. 5:15; 7:8; 9:26; 26:8).
30tn (6:22) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "his" in v. 17.
31tn (6:22) Heb "house." This refers to the entire household, i.e., "family."
32tn (6:23) Heb "he might bring us to give us."
33tn (6:24) Heb "the LORD our God." See the note on the word "his" in v. 17.
34tn (6:25) Heb "righteousness will be to us."
35tn (6:25) The term "commandment" (hw´x=m!), here in the singular, refers to the entire body of covenant stipulations.
1sn (7:1) Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.) they were at their zenith, establishing outposts and colonies near and far. Some elements were obviously in Canaan at the time of the Conquest (1400-1350 B.C.).
2sn (7:1) 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).
3sn (7:1) Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 B.C. or thereabouts.
4sn (7:1) Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000 B.C.). The OT identifies them as descendants of Ham (Gen 10:6), the only Hamites to have settled north and east of Egypt.
5sn (7:1) Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
6sn (7:1) 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 the note on the term "Horites" in Deut 2:12).
7sn (7:1) Jebusites. These inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).
8sn (7:1) 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.
9tn (7:2) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
10tn (7:3) Heb "daughter" (singular; here and elsewhere in the verse).
11sn (7:5) Sacred pillars. The Hebrew word (tb)X@m^, m^X@b)t) 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 LORD (Gen 28:18, 22; 31:13; 35:14; Exod 24:4), these pillars were usually associated with pagan cults and rituals (Exod 23:24; 34:13; Deut 12:3; 1 Kgs 14:23; 2 Kgs 17:10; Hos 3:4; 10:1; Jer 43:13).
12sn (7:5) 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 <yr!v@a& [a&v@r]<], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
13tn (7:6) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
14tn (7:6) Or "treasured." The Hebrew term hL*g%s= 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.
15tn (7:8) Heb "the LORD's." See the note on the word "He" in v. 6.
16tn (7:8) For the verb "to love" (bha) as a term of choice or election, see the note on the word "loved" in Deut 4:37.
17sn (7:8) The oath he swore to your ancestors. This is a reference to the promises of the so-called "Abrahamic Covenant" (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
18tn (7:8) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 12, 13).
19sn (7:8) Redeeming you from the place of slaves. The Hebrew verb translated "redeeming" (from the root pdh) 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 LORD as ransom in exchange for deliverance from bondage and death (Exod 12:1-14). Later, the firstborn sons of Israel, represented by the Levites, became the ransom (Num 3:11-13). These were all types of the redemption effected by the death of Christ who described his atoning work as "a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28; cf. 1 Pet 1:18).
20tn (7:8) Heb "the house of slaves."
21tn (7:9) Heb "who keeps covenant and loyalty." The syndetic construction of tyr!B= and ds#j\ should be understood not as "covenant" plus "loyalty" but as an adverbial construction in which ds#j# ("loyalty") modifies the verb rmv ("keeps").
22tn (7:10) For the term "hate" as synonymous with rejection or disobedience see note on the word "reject" in Deut 5:9.
23tn (7:10) Heb "to his face," that is, the face of the one hating the LORD.
24tn (7:10) Heb "he will not hesitate."
25tn (7:12) Heb "the covenant and loyalty." Again, this hendiadys should be understood as "gracious (or "faithful," or "loyal") covenant" or the like (see the note on the word "faithfully" in v. 9).
26tn (7:13) Heb "will bless the fruit of your womb."
27sn (7:14) 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 (hr*q*u&, u&q*r´h), an affliction that will no longer prevail in Canaan.
28tn (7:15) Heb "turn aside from you."
29tn (7:15) Heb "he will not place among you."
30tn (7:16) Heb "devour."
31tn (7:17) Heb "if you say in your heart."
32tn (7:19) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
33tn (7:20) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on "he" in the previous verse.
34tn (7:20) The meaning of the term translated "hornet" (hu*r+x!) is somewhat debated. Various suggestions are "discouragement" (HALOT 817; cf. NEB "panic") and "leprosy" (Ibn Ezra; J. Tigay, Deuteronomy, 360, n. 33; cf. NRSV "the pestilence"), as well as "hornet" (BDB 864; cf. NIV). The latter seems most suitable to the verb jlv ("send"; cf. Exod 23:28; Josh 24:12).
35tn (7:20) Heb "the remnant and those who hide themselves."
36tn (7:22) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 19.
37tn (7:22) Heb "the God before you."
38tn (7:22) Heb "devour."
39tn (7:24) Heb "you will destroy their name from under heaven."
40tn (7:25) The Hebrew word hb*u@oT ("abhorrent; detestable") describes anything detestable to the LORD because of its innate evil or inconsistency with his own nature and character. Frequently such things (or even persons) must be condemned to annihilation (<r#j@) lest they become a means of polluting or contaminating others (cf. Deut 13:17; 20:17-18). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:315.
41sn (7:26) The Hebrew word translated an object of divine annihilation (<r#j@, j@r#<) refers to persons or things placed under God's judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction. See the note on the phrase "the divine curse" in Deut 2:34.
42tn (7:26) This Hebrew verb (Jqv) is essentially synonymous with the next verb (but; cf. hb*u@oT; see the 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).
1tn (8:1) The singular term (hw´x=m!) 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 (tox=m!) refers to individual stipulations (as in vv. 2, 6).
2tn (8:1) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 16, 18).
3tn (8:2) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
4tn (8:2) Heb "that he might humble you to test you to know what was in your heart."
5tn (8:3) Heb "manna which you and your ancestors did not know." By popular etymology the word "manna" comes from the Hebrew phrase aWh /m*, 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).
6tn (8:3) Heb "man," but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race.
7sn (8:3) 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).
8tn (8:5) Heb "you know with your heart."
9tn (8:6) Heb "the commandments of the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
10tn (8:8) Heb "a land." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; the frequent repetition of the word "land" in this verse is somewhat redundant in terms of contemporary English style.
11tn (8:9) Heb "not in scarcity you may eat."
12sn (8:9) 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.
13tn (8:11) Heb "commanding."
14tn (8:12) Heb "and are satisfied."
15tn (8:14) The words "be careful" 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 careful" repeated from v. 11 to indicate the connection.
16tn (8:14) Heb "your heart lifts up."
17tn (8:14) Heb "the house of slaves."
18tn (8:15) Heb "flaming serpents." This figure of speech (metonymy) likely describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire ([r*c*).
19tn (8:17) For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 17 in the translation and the words "be careful" repeated from v. 11 to indicate the connection.
20tn (8:17) Heb "my strength and the might of my hand."
21tc (8:18) The SP 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 lectio difficilior presumptively argues for its originality, however.
22tn (8:20) Heb "to the voice of the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
1tn (9:1) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
2tn (9:1) Heb "to go to dispossess."
3tn (9:1) Heb "to the heavens."
4sn (9:2) Anakites. See the note on this term in Deut 1:28.
5tn (9:2) Heb "and you have heard."
6tn (9:3) Heb "the LORD." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD" would seem redundant here.
7tn (9:4) Heb "brought."
8tn (9:4) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
9tn (9:4) Heb "you."
10tn (9:5) Heb "uprightness of your heart." The Hebrew word hq*d*x= ("righteousness"), though essentially synonymous here with rv#y{ ("uprightness"), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term rv#y{ has more to do with an inner, moral quality. Neither, however, is grounds for appealing to the LORD's favor. He acts as he does on the basis of his grace and promises.
11tn (9:5) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
12tn (9:5) Heb "fathers."
13sn (9:6) The Hebrew word translated stubborn means "stiff-necked." The image is that of a draught 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).
14tn (9:7) By juxtaposing the positive (rk)z+, "remember") with the negative (jK^v=T!-la^, "do not forget"), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
15tn (9:7) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
16tn (9:8) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
17tn (9:8) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
18tn (9:9) Heb "in the mountain." The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19tn (9:9) Heb "no bread and no water."
20sn (9:10) 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).
21tn (9:10) Heb "according to all the words."
22tn (9:10) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
23tn (9:11) Heb "the tablets."
24tn (9:12) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
25tn (9:12) Heb "this mountain."
26tc (9:12) Heb "a casting." The MT reads hk*S@m^ ("a cast thing") but some MSS and SP add lg#u@ ("calf"), "a molten calf" or the like (Exod 32:8). Perhaps Moses here omits reference to the calf out of contempt for it.
27tn (9:13) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
28tn (9:13) Heb "stiff-necked." See the note on the word "stubborn" in 9:6.
29tn (9:14) Heb "flee from me."
30tn (9:14) Heb "from under heaven."
31tn (9:16) Heb "behold, you had."
32tn (9:16) On the phrase "cast calf," see the note on the term "cast image" in v. 12.
33tn (9:16) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
34tn (9:16) Heb "commanded."
35tn (9:17) The Hebrew text adds "from my two hands," but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
36tn (9:18) Heb "no bread and no water."
37tn (9:19) Heb "anger and wrath." This construction is a hendiadys for the purpose of intensifying the emotion.
38tn (9:19) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
39tn (9:21) Heb "your sin." This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the molten image).
40tn (9:21) Heb "burned it."
41sn (9:22) Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb rub (bur, "to burn"), thus, here, "burning." The reference is to the LORD's fiery wrath against Israel because of their constant complaints against him (Num 11:1-3).
42sn (9:22) Massah. See the note on this term in Deut 6:16.
43sn (9:22) Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew "burial places of appetite," that is, graves that resulted from over-indulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).
44tn (9:23) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
45tn (9:24) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
46tn (9:25) The Hebrew text adds "when I prostrated myself." Since this is redundant, it has not been included in the translation.
47tn (9:25) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
48tn (9:26) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
49tn (9:26) Heb "Lord LORD" (hw]hy+ yn´d)a&). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as "Lord GOD" (<yh!Oa^ yn´d)a&). See also the note on the phrase "Lord GOD" in Deut 3:24.
50tn (9:26) Heb "you have redeemed in your greatness."
51tn (9:26) Heb "by your strong hand."
52tn (9:27) Heb "do not turn toward."
53tc (9:28) The MT reads only "the land." SP supplies <u^ ("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.
54tn (9:29) Heb "outstretched arm."
1sn (10:1) This wooden ark, a chest made of acacia wood, is later known as the ark of the covenant.
2sn (10:2) The same words. The care with which the replacement copy must be made underscores the importance of verbal precision in relaying the LORD's commandments.
3sn (10:3) 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 N. Hepper, Baker Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.
4tn (10:4) Heb "he"; the referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5tn (10:4) Heb "according to the writing." See the note on the phrase "the same words" in v. 2.
6tn (10:4) Heb "ten words." The "Ten Commandments" are known in Hebrew as the "Ten Words," which in Greek became the "Decalogue."
7tn (10:4) Heb "the LORD." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD" would seem redundant here.
8tn (10:4) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" earlier in this verse.
9tn (10:6) Heb "and."
10sn (10:6) Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan. This Hebrew name could be translated "the wells of Bene-Yaaqan," a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).
11sn (10:6) 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.
12sn (10:7) Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).
13sn (10:7) Jotbathah. This place, whose Hebrew name can be translated "place of wadis," is possibly modern àAin T£a,,bah, just north of Eilat, or T£a,,bah, 6.5 mi (11 km) south of Eilat on the west shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.
14sn (10:8) The LORD set apart the tribe of Levi. This was not the initial commissioning of the tribe of Levi to this ministry (cf. Num 3:11-13; 8:12-26), but with Aaron's death it seemed appropriate to Moses to reiterate Levi's responsibilities. There is no reference in the Book of Numbers to this having been done, but the account of Eleazar's succession to the priesthood there (Num 20:25-28) would provide a setting for this to have occurred.
15sn (10:8) To render blessing. The most famous example of this is the priestly "blessing formula" of Num 6:24-26.
16sn (10:9) 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 LORD himself was their apportionment, that is, service to him would be their full-time and life-long privilege (Num 18:20-24; Deut 18:2; Josh 13:33).
17tn (10:11) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
18tn (10:11) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 15, 22).
19tn (10:12) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
20tn (10:12) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
21tn (10:12) Heb "heart."
22tn (10:12) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
23tn (10:14) Heb "heavens of heavens."
24tn (10:15) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
25tn (10:15) Heb "take delight."
26tn (10:15) Heb "love." Here again the verb bha ("love"), juxtaposed with rjb ("choose"), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the LORD's initiative in calling the patriarchal ancestors to be the founders of a people special to him (cf. the note on the word "loved" in Deut 4:37).
27tn (10:16) Heb "circumcise the foreskin of." 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).
28tn (10:16) Heb "stiff-necked." See the note on the word "stubborn" in Deut 9:6.
29tn (10:17) Heb "does not lift up faces."
30tn (10:21) Heb "your eyes."
31tn (10:22) Or "heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
1tn (11:1) This collocation of technical terms for elements of the covenant text lends support to its importance and also signals a new section of parenesis in which Moses will exhort Israel to covenant obedience. The Hebrew term torm*v=m! ("obligations") sums up the three terms that follow--tQ)j%, <yf!P*v=m!, and tox=m!.
2tn (11:2) Heb "know."
3tn (11:2) Heb "strong hand."
4tn (11:2) Heb "stretched-out arm."
5tn (11:4) Heb "Reed Sea." "Reed Sea" (or "Sea of Reeds") is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression [Ws <y´, traditionally translated "Red Sea." See the note on the term "Red Sea" in Exod 13:18.
6tn (11:4) Heb "the LORD." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD" would seem redundant here.
7sn (11:6) 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).
8tn (11:6) Or "the descendant of Reuben"; Heb "son of Reuben."
9tn (11:8) Heb "be careful."
10tn (11:8) The singular hw´x=m! ("commandment") speaks here as elsewhere of the whole corpus of covenant stipulations in Deuteronomy (cf. 6:1, 25; 7:11; 8:1).
11tn (11:8) Heb "commanding."
12tn (11:8) Heb "which you are crossing over there to possess it."
13tn (11:9) Heb "prolong days."
14tn (11:9) Heb "fathers" (also in v. 21).
15tn (11:10) Heb "you are going there to possess it."
16tn (11:10) Heb "with your foot." 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 shadu,,f) still used by Egyptian farmers (see C. Aldred, The Egyptians, 181).
17tn (11:11) Heb "rain of heaven."
18 tn (11:12) Heb "a land." For stylistic reasons (to avoid redundancy) "one" was used instead in the translation.
19tn (11:12) Heb "seeks."
20tn (11:12) Heb "the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it." This attention to the land by the LORD is understandable in light of the centrality of the land in the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Gen 12:1, 7; 13:15; 15:7, 16, 18; 17:8; 26:3).
21sn (11:12) 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 the note on the phrase "the former and the latter rains" in v. 14.
22tn (11:13) Again, the Hebrew term bha draws attention to the reciprocation of divine love as a condition or sign of covenant loyalty (cf. Deut 6:5).
23tn (11:13) Heb "heart."
24tn (11:13) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
25sn (11:14) The autumn and the spring rains. The "former" (hr#oy, yor#h) and "latter" (voql=m^, m^l=qov) 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.
26tn (11:15) Heb "give."
27tn (11:15) Heb "grass in your field."
28tn (11:15) Heb "and be full."
29tn (11:16) Heb "your heart is deceived."
30tn (11:17) Heb "become hot."
31tn (11:17) Or "heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
32tn (11:17) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
33tn (11:18) Heb "heart."
34tn (11:18) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
35tn (11:18) On the Hebrew term tp)f*of ("reminders"), cf. Deut 6:4-9.
36tn (11:18) Heb "between your eyes."
37tn (11:21) Heb "like the days of the heavens upon the earth," that is, forever.
38tn (11:23) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
39tn (11:24) 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.
40tn (11:24) Heb "the after sea," that is, the sea behind one when one is facing east, which is the normal OT orientation.
41tn (11:25) Heb "stand before you."
42tn (11:26) Heb "giving."
43sn (11:26) 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. In the Book of Deuteronomy these are fully developed in 27:1-28:68. Here Moses adumbrates the whole by way of anticipation.
44tn (11:27) Heb "listen to."
45tn (11:27) Heb "commanding."
46tn (11:28) Heb "do not listen to."
47tn (11:28) Heb "the commandments of the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
48tn (11:28) Heb "commanding."
49tn (11:28) Heb "walk after." This is a violation of the first commandment, the most serious of the covenant violations (Deut 5:6-7).
50tn (11:29) Heb "give."
51sn (11:29) 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 Abraham pitched his camp there and there he 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; Jn 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 Mount Gerizim and half on Mount Ebal and in antiphonal chorus pledged their loyalty to the LORD before Joshua and the Levites who stood in the valley below (Josh 8:33; cf. Deut 27:11-13).
52tn (11:30) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
53tn (11:30) Heb "after the way of the going down of the sun."
54sn (11:30) Gilgal. From a Hebrew verb root llg (gll, "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) NE of OT Jericho.
55tc (11:30) The MT plural "oaks" (yn}ola@) should probably be altered (with many Greek texts) to the singular "oak" (/ola@) in line with the only other occurrence of the phrase (Gen 12:6). The Syr, Tg Jn read mmrá, confusing this place with the "oaks of Mamre" near Hebron (Gen 13:18). The SP also appears to confuse "Moreh" with "Mamre" (reading mwrá, a combined form), adding the clarification mwl sOEkm ("near Shechem") apparently to distinguish it from Mamre near Hebron.
56tn (11:32) Heb "giving to your face."
1tn (12:1) Heb "fathers."
2tn (12:1) Heb "all the days which."
3sn (12:2) 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.
4sn (12:3) Sacred pillars. These are the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is tb)X@m^, m^X@b)t) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.
5sn (12:3) Sacred Asherah poles. The Hebrew term (plural) is <yr!v@a& (a&v@r]<). See the note on the word "(leafy) tree" in v. 2, and also Deut 7:5.
6tn (12:3) Heb "name."
7tn (12:4) Heb "You shall not do thus to the LORD your God."
8tn (12:5) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
9tc (12:5) Some scholars, on the basis of v. 11, emend the MT reading onk=v! ("his residence") to the infinitive construct /k@v*l= ("to make [his name] to dwell"), perhaps with the 3ms sf onK=v^l= ("to cause it to dwell"). Though the presupposed noun /k#v# is nowhere else attested, the parallel here with hM*v^ ("there") favors retaining the MT as it stands.
10tn (12:6) Heb "heave offerings of your hand."
11tn (12:6) Heb "your vows."
12tn (12:7) Heb "the sending out of your hands."
13tn (12:7) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
14tn (12:8) Heb "all that is right in his eyes."
15tn (12:9) Heb "rest."
16tn (12:10) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
17tn (12:10) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
18tn (12:10) Heb "causing you to inherit."
19tn (12:11) Heb "heave offerings of your hand."
20tn (12:11) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
21tn (12:12) Heb "within your gates."
22sn (12:12) He has no allotment or inheritance. See the note on the word "inheritance" in Deut 10:9.
23tn (12:13) Heb "see."
24tn (12:14) Heb "offer burnt offerings." The expression "do so" has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
25tn (12:14) Heb "tribes."
26sn (12:14) 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).
27tn (12:15) Heb "gates."
28tn (12:17) Heb "gates."
29tn (12:18) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
30tn (12:18) Heb "in your gates."
31tn (12:18) Heb "in all the sending forth of your hands."
32tn (12:19) Heb "leave."
33tn (12:20) Heb "according to all the desire of your soul you may eat meat."
34tn (12:21) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
35tn (12:21) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
36tn (12:21) Heb "gates."
37sn (12:23) 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 A.D. (cf. Lev 17:11).
38tc (12:25) Heb "in the eyes of the LORD." The LXX adds "your God" to create the common formula, "the LORD your God." The MT is preferred precisely because it fails to attest the stereotype thus preserving a more probably (uncorrected) original.
39tc (12:26) 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.
40sn (12:27) 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).
41tn (12:27) Heb "the altar of the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
42tn (12:30) Heb "after them."
43tn (12:31) Heb "every abomination of the LORD." See the note on the word "his" in v. 27.
44tn (12:31) The Hebrew text adds "with fire."
1sn (13:1) 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.
2tn (13:1) 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." The Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate suggest singular for the first two pronouns but a few SP MSS propose plural for the last two. What both ancient and modern scholars tend to overlook, however, is the covenantal theological tone of the Book of Deuteronomy, one that views Israel as a collective body (singular) made up of many individuals (plural). See M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy 1-11, 15-16; J. A. Thompson, Deuteronomy, 21-23.
3sn (13:1) 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).
4tn (13:1) Heb "dreamer of dreams." The difference between a prophet (ayb!n´) and one who foretells by dreams (<l@j) oa) 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. As Jeremiah put it, "Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word [that is, the prophet] speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" (Jer 23:28).
5tn (13:1) Heb "rise up."
6tn (13:1) Or "[miraculous] sign or wonder." The expression tp@om oa toa 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 shmeivwn, signs 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 LORD as a means of testing his people.
7tn (13:2) Heb "come."
8tn (13:3) Heb "dreamer of dreams." See the note on this expression in v. 1.
9tn (13:3) Heb "to know."
10tn (13:3) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
11tn (13:3) Heb "heart."
12tn (13:3) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
13tn (13:5) Heb "dreamer of dreams." See the note on this expression in v. 1.
14tn (13:5) Heb "spoke."
15tn (13:5) Heb "he redeemed."
16tn (13:5) Heb "the house of slaves" (also in v. 10).
17tn (13:5) Heb "your midst." 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).
18tn (13:6) Heb "son of your mother." In a polygamous society it was not rare, of course, to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.
19tn (13:6) Heb "the friend who is like your soul."
20tn (13:6) Heb "fathers" (also in v. 18).
21tn (13:9) Heb "people."
22sn (13:9) The accuser must be the first to impose punishment because he was the first to draw attention to the violation and also because this would put a restraint on wild and unsupported charges by him. Once the community was satisfied as to the validity of the claims they would join in on the execution of justice as a corporate entity.
23sn (13:10) 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).
24sn (13:11) This is understood by some as an argument for the deterrent effect of capital punishment (Deut 17:13; 19:20; 21:21).
25tn (13:12) Heb "if you should hear."
26tn (13:12) Heb "to live there."
27tn (13:13) Heb "men, sons of Belial." The Hebrew term lu^Y~l!B= has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 130).
28tn (13:13) Heb "and have drawn away."
29tc (13:13) The LXX and Tg read "your" for the MT's "their."
30tn (13:14) Heb "and search."
31tc (13:14) Theodotian adds "in Israel," perhaps to broaden the matter beyond the local village.
32sn (13:15) The Hebrew word translated the divine curse (<r#j@, j@r#<) 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 "the divine curse" in Deut 2:34.
33tn (13:16) Heb "street."
34tn (13:16) The Hebrew text adds "with fire."
35tn (13:16) Heb "a mound." The Hebrew word lT@ (T@l) refers to this day to a ruin represented especially by a built-up mound of dirt or debris (cf. Tel Aviv, "mound of grain").
36tn (13:17) Or "anything that has been put under the divine curse"; Heb "anything of the ban." See the note on the phrase "the divine curse" in v. 15 and also in Deut 2:34.
37tn (13:17) Heb "turn from."
38tn (13:18) Heb "commanding."
39tc (13:18) The LXX and SP 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.
40tn (13:18) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "him" in v. 3.
1sn (14:1) Do not cut yourselves nor make your forehead bald. These were pagan practices whose meaning is not altogether clear, but because they were pagan they should not be imitated by God's people (though they frequently were; cf. 1 Kgs 18:28; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5). For other warnings against such practices see Lev 21:5; Jer 16:5.
2tn (14:2) Heb "the LORD." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD" would seem redundant here.
3tn (14:2) Or "treasured." The Hebrew term hL*g%s= 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.
sn (14:2) The Hebrew term translated "select" (and the whole verse) is reminiscent of the classic covenant text (Exod 19:4-6) which describes Israel's entry into covenant relationship with the LORD. Israel must resist paganism and its trappings precisely because she is a holy people elected by the LORD from among the nations to be his instrument of world redemption (cf. Deut 7:6; 26:18; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 2:9).
4tn (14:3) The Hebrew word hb*u@oT ("forbidden; abhorrent") describes anything detestable to the LORD because of its innate evil or inconsistency with his own nature and character. See the note on the word "abhorrent" in Deut 7:25.
5tn (14:5) The Hebrew term lY´a^ may refer to a type of deer (cf. Arabic àayya,,l).
6tn (14:5) The Hebrew term yb!x= is sometimes rendered "roebuck"
7tn (14:5) The Hebrew term rWmj=y~ may refer to a "fallow deer"; cf. Arabic yah£mu,,r, "deer." Cf. NIV "roe deer"; NEB, NRSV "roebuck."
8tn (14:5) The Hebrew term /v)yD] is a hapax legomenon. Its referent is uncertain but the animal is likely a variety of antelope (cf. NEB "white-rumped deer"; NIV, NRSV "ibex").
9tn (14:5) The Hebrew term oaT= (a variant is aoT) could also be refer to another species of antelope. Cf. NEB "long-horned antelope"; NIV, NRSV "antelope."
10tn (14:5) The Hebrew term rm#z# is another hapax legomenon with the possible meaning "wild sheep." Cf. NEB "rock-goat"; NIV, NRSV "mountain sheep."
11tn (14:6) Heb "brings up."
12tn (14:6) The Hebrew text adds "among the animals." This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
13tn (14:7) Heb "bring up."
14tn (14:7) The Hebrew term /p*v* may refer to the coney or hyrax (rock badger).
15tc (14:8) The MT lacks (probably by haplography) the phrase hs*r=P^ us^v# us^v)w+ ("and is clovenfooted," i.e., "has parted hooves"), a phrase found in the otherwise exact parallel in Lev 11:7. The LXX and SP attest the longer reading here. The meaning is, however, clear without it.
16tn (14:8) Heb "corpse."
17tn (14:9) Heb "which is in the water."
18tn (14:12) NEB "the griffon-vulture."
19tn (14:12) The Hebrew term sr#P# describes a large vulture otherwise known as the ossifrage. This largest of the vultures takes its name from its habit of dropping skeletal remains from a great height so as to break the bones apart.
20tn (14:12) The Hebrew term hY´n]z+u* may describe the black vulture (so NIV) or it may refer to the osprey (so NRSV), an eagle-like bird subsisting mainly on fish.
21tn (14:13) The Hebrew term is hY´D^ (D^Y´h). This, with the previous two terms (ha*r´ and hY´a^), is probably a kite of some species but otherwise impossible to specify.
22tn (14:15) Or "owl." The Hebrew term hn´u&Y^h^ tb^ is traditionally taken as "ostrich" (so NASB, NRSV), but it may refer instead to some species of owl (cf. NEB "desert-owl"; NIV "horned owl").
23tn (14:15) The Hebrew term sm*j=T^ is either a type of owl (cf. NEB "short-eared owl"; NIV "screech owl") or possibly the nighthawk (so NRSV).
24tn (14:15) The Hebrew term Jn} may refer to the falcon or perhaps the hawk (so NEB, NIV).
25tn (14:16) The Hebrew term tm#v#n+T! may refer to a species of owl or perhaps to the swan. Cf. NRSV "water hen."
26tn (14:17) The Hebrew term ta^q* may also refer to a type of owl (NIV, NRSV "desert owl") perhaps the pelican (so NASB).
27tc (14:19) The MT reads the Niphal (passive) for expected Qal ("you [plural] must not eat"); cf. SP, LXX. However, the lectio difficilior should stand.
28tn (14:21) Heb "gates."
29sn (14:21) Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. This strange prohibition--one whose rationale is unclear but probably related to pagan ritual--may seem out of place here but, indeed, is not for the following reasons: (1) the passage as a whole opens with prohibition against heathen mourning rites (i.e., death, vv. 1-2) and closes with what appear to be birth and infancy rites. (2) In the other two places where the stipulation occurs (Exod 23:19 and Exod 34:26) it similarly concludes major sections. (3) Whatever the practice signified it clearly was abhorrent to the LORD and fittingly concludes the topic of various breaches of purity and holiness as represented by the ingestion of unclean animals (vv. 3-21). See C. M. Carmichael, "On Separating Life and Death: An Explanation of Some Biblical Laws," HTR 69 (1976): 1-7; J. Milgrom, "You Shall Not Boil a Kid In Its Mother's Milk," BRev 1 (1985): 48-55; R. J. Ratner and B. Zuckerman, "In Rereading the `Kid in Milk' Inscriptions," BRev 1 (1985): 56-58; and M. Haran, "Seething a Kid in its Mother's Milk," JJS 30 (1979): 23-35.
30tn (14:23) Heb "new wine" (voryT!), that is, wine in the early stages of fermentation. In its later stages it becomes wine (/y]y^) in its mature sense.
31tn (14:24) The Hebrew text adds "way is so far from you that you are unable to carry it because the." These words have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because they are redundant.
32tn (14:24) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 2.
33tn (14:24) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 2.
34tn (14:25) Heb "give.
35tn (14:25) Heb "bind the silver in your hand."
36tn (14:26) Heb "your soul asks you."
37tn (14:26) Heb "rejoice."
38tn (14:27) Heb "gates."
39tn (14:27) Heb "leave."
40tn (14:28) Heb "cause it to rest."
41tn (14:28) Heb "gates."
42tn (14:29) Heb "gates."
43tn (14:29) Heb "be satisfied."
44tn (14:29) Heb "labor of your hands that you do."
1tn (15:1) Heb "make."
2tn (15:1) The Hebrew term tF*m!v=, a derivative of the verb fmv ("to release; to relinquish"), refers to the cancellation of the debt and even pledges for the debt of a borrower by his creditor. This could be a full and final remission or, more likely, one for the seventh year only. See R. Wakely, NIDOTTE 4:155-60. Here the words "of debts" are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
3tn (15:2) Heb "master of the loan of his hand."
4tn (15:2) Heb "called."
5tn (15:3) Heb "your brother."
6tn (15:3) Heb "whatever of yours is with your brother."
7tn (15:3) Heb "your hand."
8tc (15:4) After the phrase "the LORD" many MSS and versions add "your God" to complete the usual full epithet.
9tn (15:4) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
10tn (15:4) The Hebrew text adds "to possess."
11tn (15:5) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
12tn (15:5) Heb "commanding."
13tn (15:6) Heb "much."
14tn (15:7) Heb "gates."
15tn (15:7) Heb "withdraw your hand."
16tn (15:8) Heb "whatever his need that he needs for himself." This redundant expression has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
17tn (15:9) Heb "your eye."
18tn (15:9) Heb "a sin to you."
19tc (15:10) Heb "your heart must not be grieved in giving to him." The LXX and Orig add, "you shall surely lend to him sufficient for his need," a suggestion based on the same basic idea in v. 8. Such slavish adherence to stock phrases is without warrant in most cases, and certainly here.
20tn (15:10) Heb "in all the sending forth of your hand."
21tn (15:11) Heb "commanding."
22tn (15:11) Heb "your brother."
23tn (15:11) Heb "to your needy and to your poor."
24sn (15:12) Elsewhere in the OT, the Israelites are called "Hebrews" (yr]b=u!, u!b=r]y) by outsiders, rarely by themselves (cf. Gen 14:13; 39:14, 17; 41:12; Exod 1:15, 16, 19; 2:6, 7, 11, 13; 1 Sam 4:6; Jon 1:9). Thus, here and in the parallel passage in Exod 21:2-6 the term yr]b=u! may designate non-Israelites, specifically a people well-known throughout the ancient Near East as `apiru or habiru. They lived a rather vagabond lifestyle, frequently hiring themselves out as laborers or mercenary soldiers. While accounting nicely for the surprising use of the term here in an Israelite law code, the suggestion has against it the unlikelihood that a set of laws would address such a marginal people so specifically (as opposed to simply calling them aliens or the like). More likely yr]b=u! is chosen as a term to remind Israel that when they were "Hebrews," that is, when they were in Egypt, they were slaves. Now that they are free they must not keep their fellow Israelites in economic bondage. See v. 15.
25tn (15:12) Heb "him." The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.
26tn (15:12) The Hebrew text adds "from you."
27tn (15:15) Heb "you shall remember."
28tn (15:16) Heb "he"; the referent (the indentured servant introduced in v. 12) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29tn (15:16) Heb "go out from."
30tn (15:16) Heb "it having been good for him to be with you."
31tn (15:17) Heb "give it to."
32sn (15:17) When the bondslave's ear was drilled through to the door, the door in question was that of the master's house. In effect, the bondslave is declaring his undying and lifelong loyalty to his creditor. The scar (or even hole) in the earlobe would testify to the community that the slave had surrendered independence and personal rights. This may be what Paul had in mind when he said "I bear on my body the marks of Jesus" (Gal 6:17).
33tn (15:18) Heb "let it not be hard in your eyes."
34tn (15:18) The Hebrew term hn\v=m! ("twice") could mean "equivalent to" (cf. NRSV) or, more likely, "double." The idea is that a hired worker would put in only so many hours per day whereas a bondslave was available around the clock.
35tn (15:19) Heb "sanctify" (vyD]q=T^), that is, put to use on behalf of the LORD.
36tn (15:20) Heb "it."
37tn (15:21) Heb "any evil blemish."
38tn (15:21) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 4.
39tn (15:22) Heb "in your gates."
40tc (15:22) The LXX adds ejn soi ("among you") to make clear that the antecedent is the people and not the animals. That is, the people, whether ritually purified or not, may eat such defective animals.
1sn (16:1) The month Abib, later called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Esth 3:7), corresponds to March-April in the modern calendar.
2tn (16:1) Heb "in the month Abib." The demonstrative "that" has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3tn (16:1) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
4tn (16:2) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in the previous verse.
5tn (16:4) Heb "leaven must not be seen among you in all your border."
6tn (16:4) The Hebrew text adds "until morning."
7tn (16:5) Heb "in one."
8tn (16:5) Heb "gates."
9tc (16:6) The MT reading la# ("unto") before "the place" should, following the Samaritan Pentateuch, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate, be omitted in favor of b (<oqM*B^), "in the place."
10tn (16:6) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
11tn (16:7) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
12tn (16:7) Heb "you shall turn in the morning and go to your tents."
13tn (16:9) Heb "from the beginning of the sickle against/to."
14tn (16:10) The Hebrew phrase toub%v* gj^ is otherwise known in the OT (Exod 23:16) as ryx!q* ("harvest") and in the NT as penthcosth (Pentecost).
15tn (16:10) Heb "offering of your hand."
16tn (16:10) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
17tn (16:11) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
18tn (16:11) Heb "gates."
19tn (16:13) Heb "do."
20tn (16:13) The Hebrew phrase tK)S%h^ [gj^] ("[festival of] huts" [or, "shelters"]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering "booths" (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional "tabernacles" in light of the meaning of the term hK*s% ("hut; booth"), but "booths" are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like "temporary shelters" is more appropriate.
21tn (16:13) Heb "when you gather in your threshing-floor and winepress."
22tn (16:14) Heb "in your gates."
23tn (16:15) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
24tn (16:15) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
25tn (16:15) Heb "the work of your hands."
26tn (16:16) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
27tn (16:16) Heb "emptily."
28tn (16:17) 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.
29tn (16:18) The Hebrew term <yr]f=vw+, usually translated "official, officer," or the like, derives from the verb rfv ("to write"). The noun became generic for all manner 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 <yr]f=v are, their task here is that of judging.
30tn (16:18) Heb "gates."
31tn (16:18) Heb "with judgment of righteousness."
32tn (16:19) Heb "the bribe."
33tn (16:20) Heb "justice, justice." The repetition is emphatic.
1tn (16:21) Heb "an Asherah, any tree."
sn (16:21) Sacred Asherah pole. This refers to a tree (or wooden pole) dedicated to the worship of Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. See also Deut 7:5.
2sn (16:22) Sacred pillar. This refers to the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is tb)X@m^, m^X@b)t) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.
3tn (16:22) Heb "which."
4tn (16:22) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in 16:1.
5tn (17:1) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in 16:1.
6tn (17:1) A number of English translations qualify this as "serious," although the degree of defect is not specified in the Hebrew text (cf. NAB, NRSV).
7tn (17:1) The Hebrew word hb*u@oT ("an abomination") describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word "abhorrent" in Deut 7:25.
8tn (17:2) Heb "gates."
9tn (17:2) Heb "in the eyes of the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
10tc (17:3) The MT reads "and to the sun," thus including the sun, the moon, and other heavenly spheres among the gods. However, Theodotion and Lucian read "or to the sun," suggesting perhaps that the sun and the other heavenly bodies are not in the category of actual deities.
11tn (17:3) Heb "I have not commanded you."
12tn (17:4) Heb "an abomination" (hb*u@oT); see note on the word "disgraceful" in v. 1.
13tn (17:5) Heb "bring forth."
14tn (17:5) Heb "gates."
15tn (17:5) Heb "stone them with stones so that they die."
16tn (17:6) Heb "mouth."
17tn (17:7) Heb "the hand of the witnesses."
18tn (17:8) Heb "between blood and blood."
19tn (17:8) Heb "between claim and claim."
20tn (17:8) Heb "between blow and blow."
21tn (17:8) Heb "gates."
22tn (17:8) Heb "must rise."
23tc (17:8) 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.
24tn (17:9) Heb "who will be."
25tn (17:9) Heb "show you the matter of judgment."
26tn (17:10) Heb "according to the word they declare to you."
27tn (17:11) Heb "the teaching."
28tn (17:11) Heb "the judgment that they say."
29tn (17:12) Heb "who acts presumptuously not to listen."
30tn (17:12) Heb "standing to serve."
31tn (17:15) Heb "your brothers."
32tn (17:15) Heb "you will not be able to give."
33tn (17:15) Heb "your brothers."
34tn (17:16) Heb "in order to multiply horses."
35tn (17:17) Heb "multiply."
36tn (17:18) Heb "the throne of his kingdom."
37tn (17:18) The LXX reads here toV deuteronovmion tou'to, "this second law." It is this phrase that gives rise to the name of the book in modern times, "Deuteronomy" or "second law," i.e., the second giving of the law. However, the MT's expression taZ)h^ hr´oTh^ hn#v=m! is better rendered "copy of this law." Here the term hr´oT probably means only the Book of Deuteronomy and not the whole Pentateuch.
38tn (17:19) Heb "do them."
39tn (17:20) Heb "lest his heart be lifted up."
40tn (17:20) Heb "his brothers."
41tn (17:20) Heb "days may be lengthened."
42tc (17:20) Heb "upon his kingship." The SP supplies as@K! ("throne") so as to read "upon the throne of his kingship." This overliteralizes what is a clearly understood figure of speech.
43tn (17:20) Heb "in the midst of."
1tn (18:1) The MT places the terms "priests" and "Levites" in apposition, thus creating an epexegetical construction in which the second term qualifies the first, i.e., "levitical priests." This is a way of asserting their legitimacy as true priests. The Syriac renders "to the priest and to the Levite," making a distinction but one that is out of place here.
2tn (18:1) Heb "fires."
3sn (18:1) Of his inheritance. This is a figurative way of speaking of the produce of the land the LORD will give to his people.
4tn (18:2) Heb "he" (and throughout the verse).
5tn (18:2) Heb "he."
6tn (18:3) Heb "judgment."
7tn (18:3) The words "they must give to the priest" are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied for clarification.
8tn (18:4) Heb "the firstfruits of your...."
9tc (18:5) The SP and some Greek texts add "before the LORD your God" to bring the language into line with a formula found elsewhere (Deut 10:8; 2 Chr 29:11). This reading is not likely to be original, however.
10tn (18:5) Heb "to."
11tn (18:5) Heb "the name of the LORD." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD" would seem redundant here.
12tn (18:6) Heb "the."
13tn (18:6) Heb "according to all the desire of his soul."
14tn (18:8) Heb "portion like portion."
15tn (18:10) Heb "who passes his son or his daughter through the fire." The expression "pass [his son or daughter] through the fire" is probably a euphemism for human sacrifice. See also Deut 12:31.
16tn (18:10) Heb "a diviner of divination" (<ym!s*q= <s@q)). This was a means employed to determine the future or the outcome of events by observation of various omens and signs (cf. Num 22:7; 23:23; Josh 13:22; 1 Sam 6:2; 15:23; 28:8; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 3:945-51.
17tn (18:10) Heb "one who causes to appear" (/n}oum=). Such a practitioner was thought to be able to conjure up spirits or apparitions (cf. Lev 19:26; Judg 9:37; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 2:6; 57:3; Jer 27:9; Mic 5:11).
18tn (18:10) Heb "a seeker of omens" (vj@n^m=). This is a subset of divination, one illustrated by the use of a "divining cup" in the story of Joseph (Gen 44:5).
19tn (18:10) Heb "a doer of sorcery" ([V@k^m=). This has to do with magic or the casting of spells in order to manipulate the gods or the powers of nature (cf. Lev 19:26-31; 2 Kgs 17:15b-17; 21:1-7; Isa 57:3, 5; etc.). M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 2:735-38.
20tn (18:11) Heb "a binder of binding" (rb#j* rb@j)). The connotation is that of immobilizing ("binding") someone or something by the use of magical words (cf. Ps 58:6; Isa 47:9, 12).
21tn (18:11) Heb "asker of a [dead] spirit" (boa la@v)). This is a form of necromancy (cf. Lev 19:31; 20:6; 1 Sam 28:8, 9; Isa 8:19; 19:3; 29:4).
22tn (18:11) Heb "a knowing [or, "familiar"] [spirit]" (yn]u)D=y]), i.e., one who is expert in mantic arts (cf. Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; 1 Sam 28:3, 9; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 8:19; 19:3).
23tn (18:11) Heb "a seeker of the dead." This is much the same as "one who consults a ghost" (cf. 1 Sam 28:6-7).
24tn (18:12) Heb "these detestable things."
25tc (18:15) The MT expands here on the usual formula by adding "from your midst" (cf. Deut 17:15; 18:18; SP; a number of Greek texts). The expansion seems to be for the purpose of emphasis, i.e., the prophet to come must be not just from Israel but an Israelite by blood.
tn (18:15) "from your brothers."
26tn (18:18) Heb "from their brothers."
27tn (18:18) Heb "command."
28tn (18:19) Heb "will seek from him."
29tn (18:19) Heb "will not hear."
30tn (18:19) Heb "he"; the referent (the prophet mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31tn (18:22) Heb "the."
32tn (18:22) Heb "the LORD's." See the note on the word "his" in v. 5.
33tn (18:22) Heb "does not happen nor come to pass."
34tn (18:22) Heb "the LORD has." See the note on the word "his" in v. 5.
1tn (19:1) Heb "cuts off."
2tn (19:1) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
3sn (19:2) These three cities, later designated by Joshua, were Kedesh of Galilee, Shechem, and Hebron (Josh 20:7-9).
4tn (19:3) Heb "the."
5tn (19:3) Heb "border."
6tn (19:4) Heb "word."
7tn (19:5) Heb "if."
8tn (19:5) Heb "iron."
9tn (19:5) Heb "slips off."
10tn (19:5) Heb "finds."
11tn (19:5) Heb "he"; the referent (the person responsible for his friend's death) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12tn (19:5) Heb "and live."
13tn (19:6) Heb "lest."
14tn (19:6) Heb "when his heart burns."
15tn (19:6) Heb "smite fatally."
16tn (19:6) Heb "no judgment of death."
17tn (19:8) Heb "fathers."
18tn (19:8) Heb "to give to your ancestors." The pronoun has been used in the translation instead for stylistic reasons.
19sn (19:9) The whole commandment refers here to the entire covenant agreement of the Book of Deuteronomy as encapsulated in the Shema (6:4-5).
20tn (19:9) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
21sn (19:9) You will add three more cities. Since these are alluded to nowhere else and thus were probably never added, this must be a provision for other cities of refuge should they be needed (cf. v. 8). See P. Craigie, Deuteronomy, 267.
22tn (19:10) The Hebrew phrase yq!n´ <D´ means the blood of a person to whom no culpability or responsibility adheres because what he did was without malice aforethought (HALOT 632).
23tn (19:10) Heb "blood will be upon you."
24tn (19:11) Heb "rises against him and strikes him fatally."
25tn (19:12) The <D´h^ la@g) ("avenger of blood") would ordinarily be a member of the victim's family who, after due process of law, was invited to initiate the process of execution (cf. Num 35:16-28). See R. Hubbard, NIDOTTE 1:789-94.
26sn (19:13) Purge out the blood of the innocent. Because of the corporate nature of Israel's community life, the whole community shared in the guilt of unavenged murder unless and until vengeance occurred. Only this would restore spiritual and moral equilibrium (Num 35:33).
27tn (19:14) Heb "border."
28tn (19:14) Heb "which they set off from the beginning."
29tn (19:15) Heb "rise up."
30tn (19:15) Heb "any sin."
31tn (19:15) Heb "sinned."
32tn (19:15) Heb "may stand."
33tn (19:16) Heb "violent" (sm*j*). This is a witness whose motivation from the beginning is to do harm to the accused and who, therefore, resorts to calumny and deceit. See I. Swart and C. VanDam, NIDOTTE 2:177-80.
34tn (19:16) Heb "rise up."
35tn (19:16) Heb "a man."
36tn (19:17) Heb "men."
37tn (19:17) The appositional construction ("before the LORD, that is, before the priests and judges") indicates that these human agents represented the LORD himself, that is, they stood in his place (cf. Deut 16:18-20; 17:8-9).
38tn (19:18) Heb "judgment."
39tn (19:18) Heb "his fellow man."
40tn (19:19) Heb "his fellow man."
41tn (19:19) Heb "you will burn out" (T*r+u^B!). Like a cancer, unavenged sin would infect the whole community. It must, therefore, be excised by the purging out of its perpetrators who, presumably, remained unrepentant (cf. Deut 13:6; 17:7, 12; 21:21; 22:21-22, 24; 24:7).
42sn (19:21) This kind of justice is commonly called lex talionis or "measure for measure" (cf. Exod 21:23-25; Lev 24:19-20). It is likely that it is the principle that is important and not always a strict application. That is, the punishment should fit the crime and it may do so by the payment of fines or other suitable and equitable compensation (cf. Exod 22:21; Num 35:31). See T. Frymer-Kensky, BA 43 (1980): 230-34.
1tn (20:1) Heb "horse and chariot."
2tn (20:1) Heb "people."
3sn (20:2) The reference to the priest suggests also the presence of the ark of the covenant, the visible sign of God's accompaniment. The whole setting is clearly that of "holy war" or "Yahweh war," in which God himself takes initiative as the true commander of the forces of Israel (cf. Exod 14:14-18; 15:3-10; Deut 3:22; 7:18-24; 31:6, 8).
4tn (20:3) Heb "drawing near."
5tn (20:5) Heb "Who [is] the man."
6tn (20:5) The Hebrew term inj occurs elsewhere only with respect to the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 8:63 = 2 Chr 7:5). There it has a religious connotation which, indeed, may be the case here as well. The noun form (hK*n%j*) is associated with the consecration of the great temple altar (2 Chr 7:9) and of the post-exilic wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12:27). In Maccabean times the festival of Hanukkah was introduced to celebrate the rededication of the temple following its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes IV (1 Macc 4:36-61).
7tn (20:5) Heb "to his house."
8tn (20:6) Heb "the man."
9tn (20:6) Heb "begun to use it."
10tn (20:7) Heb "the man."
11tn (20:7) Heb "taken."
12tn (20:8) Heb "And the officers shall add to the words to the people and say."
13tn (20:8) Heb "the man."
14tn (20:8) Heb "afraid and fainthearted."
15tn (20:8) Heb "his brother's."
16tn (20:8) Heb "heart."
17tn (20:8) Heb "melted."
18tn (20:9) The Hebrew text adds "to the people," but this phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19tn (20:9) Heb "princes of hosts."
20tn (20:9) Heb "at the head of."
21tn (20:10) Heb "call out peace to it."
22tn (20:11) Heb "if it answers you peace."
23tn (20:11) Heb "opens to you."
24sn (20:11) The Hebrew term translated compulsory servants (sm^, m^s) refers either to Israelites who were pressed into civil service, especially under Solomon (1 Kgs 5:27; 9:15, 21; 12:18), or (as here) to foreigners forced as prisoners of war to become slaves to Israel. The Gibeonites became an illustrative case in point (Josh 9:3-27; cf. Josh 16:10; 17:13; Judg 1:28, 30-35; Isa 31:8; Lam 1:1).
25tn (20:11) Heb "become as a vassal and will serve you."
26tn (20:12) Heb "it"; the referent (the city which makes war) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27tn (20:13) Heb "to your hands."
28tn (20:14) Heb "only."
29tn (20:14) Heb "eat."
30tn (20:16) Heb "any breath."
31tn (20:16) Heb "to live."
32sn (20:17) The Hebrew word translated the divine curse (<r#j@, j@r#<) refers to placing persons or things so evil and/or impure as to be irredeemable under God's judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction. See also the note on the phrase "the divine curse" in Deut 2:34.
33sn (20:17) Hittite. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.) they were at their zenith, establishing outposts and colonies near and far. Some elements were obviously in Canaan at the time of the Conquest (1400-1350 B.C.).
34sn (20:17) Amorite. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 B.C. or thereabouts.
35sn (20:17) Canaanite. These were the indigenous peoples of the land of Palestine, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000 B.C.). The OT identifies them as descendants of Ham (Gen 10:6), the only Hamites to have settled north and east of Egypt.
36sn (20:17) Perizzite. This probably refers to a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).
37sn (20:17) Hivite. 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 "Horites" in Deut 2:12).
38tc (20:17) The LXX adds "Girgashites" here at the end of the list in order to list the full (and usual) complement of seven (see the note on "seven" in Deut 7:1).
sn (20:17) Jebusite. These people inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).
39tn (20:19) The Hebrew text adds "with an iron" (i.e., an axe). This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is somewhat redundant.
40tn (20:19) Heb "to go before you in siege."
41tn (20:20) Heb "[an] enclosure." The term roxm* may refer to encircling ditches or to surrounding stagings. See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 238.
1tn (21:1) Heb "pierced one." The term ll*j* suggests something other than a natural death (cf. Num 19:16; 23:24; Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15; 30:24; 31:17-18).
2tn (21:1) Heb "to possess it."
3tn (21:1) Heb "struck."
4tn (21:2) Heb "slain [one]."
5tn (21:3) Heb "slain [one]."
6tn (21:4) Heb "the elders of that city."
7tn (21:4) The combination "a wadi with flowing water" is necessary because a wadi (lj^n^) was ordinarily a dry stream or riverbed. For this ritual, however, a perennial stream must be chosen so that there would be fresh, rushing water.
8sn (21:4) The unworked heifer, fresh stream, and uncultivated valley speak of ritual purity--of freedom from human contamination.
9tn (21:5) Heb "the priests, the sons of Levi."
10tn (21:5) Heb "in the name of the LORD." See note on Deut 10:8. The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
11tn (21:5) Heb "by their mouth."
12tn (21:5) Heb "blow."
13tn (21:6) Heb "slain [one]."
14tn (21:6) Heb "wadi."
15tn (21:7) Heb "and they will answer and say."
16tn (21:7) Heb "our eyes." This is a figure of speech known as synecdoche in which the part (the eyes) is put for the whole (the entire person).
17tn (21:7) Heb "it"; the referent (the crime committed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18tn (21:8) Heb "atone for."
19tn (21:8) Heb "in the midst of your people Israel."
20tn (21:10) Heb "gives him into your hands."
21tn (21:11) Heb "the prisoners." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
22sn (21:12) This requirement for the woman to shave her head perhaps symbolizes the putting away of the old life and customs in preparation for being numbered among the people of the LORD. The same is true for the two following requirements.
23tn (21:13) Heb "she is to...remove the clothing of her captivity."
24tn (21:13) Heb "go unto," a common Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations.
25sn (21:14) Heb "let her go." The Hebrew term hT*j=L^v! is a somewhat euphemistic way of referring to divorce, the matter clearly in view here (cf. Deut 22:19, 29; 24:1, 3; Jer 3:1; Mal 2:16). This passage does not have the matter of divorce as its principal objective so it should not be understood as endorsing divorce generally. It merely makes the point that should grounds for divorce exist (see Deut 24:1-4), and then divorce ensue, the husband could in no way gain profit from it.
26tn (21:14) The Hebrew text adds "for money." This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
27tn (21:14) Or perhaps "must not enslave her"; Heb "[must not] be tyrannical over."
28sn (21:14) You have humiliated her. Since divorce was considered as rejection, the wife subjected to it would "lose face." Furthermore, the Hebrew verb translated "humiliated" here (hn´u*, u´n´h), commonly used to speak of rape (cf. Gen 34:2; 2 Sam 13:12, 14, 22, 32; Judg 19:24), likely has sexual overtones here as well. The woman is humiliated because she is "damaged goods."
29tn (21:15) Heb "one whom he loves and one whom he hates." For the idea of anc ("hate") meaning to be rejected or loved less, see Gen 29:31, 33; Mal 1:2-3. Cf. A. Konkel, NIDOTTE 3:1256-60.
30tn (21:15) Heb "both the one whom he loves and the one whom he hates." See the note on the word "other" earlier in this verse.
31tn (21:15) Heb "sons."
32tn (21:16) Heb "when he causes his sons to inherit what is his."
33tn (21:16) Heb "the hated."
34tn (21:17) See the note on the word "other" in v. 15.
35tn (21:17) Heb "measure of two." The Hebrew expression <y]n^v= yP! suggests a two-thirds split; that is, the elder gets two parts and the younger one. Cf. 2 Kgs 2:9; Zech 13:8. The practice is implicit in Isaac's blessing of Jacob (Gen 25:31-34) and Jacob's blessing of Ephraim (Gen 48:8-22).
36tn (21:17) Heb "his generative power" (/oa, cf. HALOT 20).
37tn (21:18) Heb "he does not listen to them."
38tc (21:20) The LXX and SP read "to the men," probably to conform to this phrase in v. 21. However, since judicial cases were the responsibility of the elders in such instances (cf. Deut 19:12; 21:3, 6; 25:7-8) the reading of the MT is likely original and correct here.
39tn (21:21) The Hebrew term hT*r+u^B!, here and elsewhere in such contexts (cf. Deut 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19; 21:9), suggests God's anger which consumes like fire (thus rub, "to burn"). See H. Ringgren, TDOT 2:203-204.
40tc (21:21) Some LXX traditions read <yr]a*v=N]h^ ("those who remain") for the MT's la@r´c=y] ("Israel"), understandable in light of Deut 19:20. However, the more difficult reading found in the MT is more likely original.
41tn (21:22) Heb "a sin of a judgment of death."
42sn (21:23) The idea behind the phrase cursed by God seems to be not that the person was impaled because he was cursed but that to leave him exposed there was to invite the curse of God upon the whole land. Why this would be so is not clear, though the rabbinic idea that even a criminal is created in the image of God may give some clue (thus J. Tigay, Deuteronomy, 198). Paul cites this text (see Gal 3:13) to make the point that Christ, suspended from a cross, thereby took upon himself the curse associated with such a display of divine wrath and judgment (T. George, Galatians, 238-39).
1tn (22:1) Heb "brother's" (also later in this verse).
2tn (22:1) Heb "hide yourself."
3tn (22:2) Heb "your brother" (also later in this verse).
4tn (22:2) Heb "is not." The idea of "living" or "dwelling" is implied.
5tn (22:2) Heb "and you do not know him."
6tn (22:2) Heb "it"; the referent (the ox or sheep mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7tn (22:3) Heb "your brother" (also in v. 4).
8tn (22:3) Heb "you must not hide yourself."
9tn (22:4) Heb "hide yourself from them."
10tn (22:5) Heb "a man's clothing."
11tn (22:5) The Hebrew term hb*u@oT ("offense") speaks of anything that runs counter to ritual or moral order, especially (in the OT) to divine standards. Cross-dressing in this covenant context may suggest homosexuality, fertility cult ritual, or some other practice contrary to God's nature and will.
12tn (22:6) Heb "and the mother sitting upon the chicks or the eggs."
13tn (22:8) Heb "that you not place bloodshed in your house."
14tn (22:9) Heb "be set apart." The verb vdq in Qal (as here) has the idea of being holy or being treated with special care. One would expect the use of the Hitpael to place something into a state of special use, a reading attested by the Syriac. Some take the meaning as "be forfeited," i.e., the total produce of the vineyard, both crops and grapes, have to be forfeited to the sanctuary (cf. Lev 19:19; Josh 6:19).
15tn (22:11) The Hebrew term zn}f=u^v^ occurs only here and in Lev 19:19. HALOT 1000 takes it to be a contraction of words (vv^, "headdress" + zn^f=u^, "strong"). BDB 1043 offers the translation "mixed stuff" (cf. NEB "woven with two kinds of yarn"; NIV, NRSV "woven together"). The general meaning is clear if not the etymology.
16tn (22:12) Heb "twisted threads" (<yl!d]G=) appears to be synonymous with tx!yx! which, in Num 15:38, occurs in a passage instructing Israel to remember the covenant. Perhaps that is the purpose of the tassels here as well.
17tn (22:12) Heb "in which you dress."
18tn (22:13) Heb "take[s]."
19tn (22:13) Heb "hate." See the note on the word "other" in Deut 21:15.
20tn (22:14) Heb "deeds of things."
21tn (22:14) Heb "brings against her a bad name."
22tn (22:14) Heb "drew near to her." This is another Hebrew euphemism for having sexual relations.
23tn (22:15) Heb "bring forth."
24sn (22:15) In light of v. 17 this would evidently be blood-stained sheets indicative of the first instance of intercourse. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, 302-303.
25tn (22:16) Heb "hated." See the note on the word "other" in Deut 21:15.
26tn (22:17) Heb "they will spread the garment."
27tn (22:18) Heb "discipline."
28tn (22:19) Heb "for he"; the referent (the man who made the accusation) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion with the young woman's father, the last-mentioned male.
29tn (22:19) Heb "send her away."
30tn (22:21) The Hebrew term hl*b*n+ means more than just something stupid. It refers to a moral lapse so serious as to jeopardize the whole covenant community (cf. Gen 34:7; Judg 19:23; 20:6, 10; Jer 29:23). See C. Pan, NIDOTTE 3:11-13.
31tn (22:21) Heb "burn." See note on Deut 21:21.
32tn (22:22) Heb "found."
33tn (22:22) Heb "a woman married to a husband."
34tn (22:22) Heb "burn." See the note on the phrase "purge out" in Deut 21:21.
35tn (22:24) Heb "humbled."
36tn (22:24) Heb "burn." See the note on the phrase "purge out" in Deut 21:21.
37tn (22:25) Heb "lay with" here refers to a forced sexual relationship, as the accompanying verb "seized" (qzj) makes clear.
38tn (22:25) Heb "lay with her." This is another Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations. In the translation it has been rendered as "did this" for stylistic reasons.
39tn (22:26) Heb "a man."
40tn (22:26) Heb "his neighbor."
41tn (22:27) Heb "he"; the referent (the man who attacked the woman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42tn (22:28) Heb "finds."
43tn (22:28) Heb "seizes."
44tn (22:29) Heb "the girl's."
45sn (23:1) Beginning with 22:30, the verse numbers through 23:25 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 22:30 ET = 23:1 HT, 23:1 ET = 23:2 HT, 23:2 ET = 23:3 HT, etc., through 23:25 ET = 23:26 HT. With 24:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
46tn (23:1) Heb "take." In context this refers to marriage, as in the older English expression "take a wife."
47sn (23:1) This presupposes either the death of the father or their divorce since it would be impossible for one to marry his stepmother while his father was still married to her.
48tn (23:1) Heb "uncover his father's skirt." This appears to be a circumlocution for describing the dishonor that would come to a father by having his own son share his wife's sexuality (cf. NIV "must not dishonor his father's bed").
1tn (23:1) Heb "bruised by crushing."
2sn (23:1) The Hebrew term translated "assembly" (lh*q*, q*h*l) does not refer here to the nation as such but to the formal services of the tabernacle or temple. Since emasculated or other sexually abnormal persons were commonly associated with pagan temple personnel, the thrust here may be primarily polemical in intent. One should not, of course, read into this anything having to do with the mentally and physically handicapped as fit to participate in the life and ministry of the church.
3tn (23:2) Or "a person born of an illegitimate marriage."
4tn (23:2) Heb "not to him."
5tn (23:2) Heb "enter the assembly of the LORD." The phrase "do so" has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of the entire Hebrew phrase would seem redundant here.
6sn (23:3) An Ammonite or Moabite. These descendants of Lot by his two daughters (cf. Gen 19:30-38) were thereby the products of incest and therefore excluded from the worshiping community. However, these two nations also failed to show proper hospitality to Israel on their way to Canaan (v. 4).
7tn (23:3) Heb "not to them."
8tn (23:3) Heb "enter the assembly of the LORD." The phrase "do so" has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of the entire Hebrew phrase would seem redundant here.
9tn (23:3) The Hebrew term translated "forever" (<l*ou-du^) suggests that "tenth generation" (vv. 2, 3) also means "forever." However, in the OT sense "forever" means not "for eternity" but for an indeterminate future time. See A. Tomasino, NIDOTTE 3:346.
10tn (23:4) Heb "he."
11tn (23:4) Heb "hired against you."
12tn (23:5) Heb "the LORD your God changed." The phrase "the LORD your God" has not been included in the translation here for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here. Use of the pronoun "he" could create confusion regarding the referent (the LORD or Balaam).
13tn (23:5) The verb bha ("love") here and commonly elsewhere in the Book of Deuteronomy speaks of God's elective grace toward Israel. See the note on the word "loved" in Deut 4:37.
14tn (23:6) Heb "good."
15tn (23:6) Heb "all your days forever."
16tn (23:7) Heb "brother."
17tn (23:7) Heb "sojourner."
18sn (23:8) Concessions were made to the Edomites and Egyptians (as compared to the others listed in vv. 1-6) because the Edomites (i.e., Esauites) were full "brothers" of Israel and the Egyptians had provided security and sustenance for Israel for more than four centuries.
19tn (23:9) Heb "camp."
20tn (23:9) Heb "evil." The context makes clear that this is a matter of ritual impurity, not moral impurity, so it is "evil" in the sense that it disbars one from certain religious activity.
21tn (23:10) Heb "nocturnal happening." The Hebrew term hrq merely means "to happen" so the phrase here is euphemistic (a "night happening") for some kind of bodily emission such as excrement or semen. Such otherwise normal physical functions rendered one ritually unclean whether accidental or not. See Lev 15:16-18; 22:4.
22tn (23:10) Heb "come within the camp."
23tn (23:11) Heb "come into the midst of."
24tn (23:12) Heb "so that one may go outside there." This expression is euphemistic.
25tn (23:13) Heb "sit." This expression is euphemistic.
26tn (23:13) Heb "with it"; the referent (the spade mentioned at the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27tn (23:13) Heb "what comes from you." This expression is euphemistic.
28tn (23:14) Heb "give [over] your enemies."
29tn (23:14) Heb "nakedness of a thing." The expression rb*D´ tw~r+u# refers specifically to sexual organs and, by extension, to any function associated with them. There are some aspects of human life that are so personal and private that they ought not be publicly paraded. Cultically speaking, even God is offended by such impropriety (cf. Gen 9:22-23; Lev 18:6-12, 16-19; 20:11, 17-21). See B. Seevers, NIDOTTE 3:528-30.
30tn (23:16) Heb "one."
31tn (23:17) The Hebrew term translated "sacred prostitute" here (hv*d}q=, from vdq, "holy") refers to the pagan fertility cults that employed female and male prostitutes in various rituals designed to evoke agricultural and even human fecundity (cf. Gen 38:21-22; 1 Kgs 14:24; 15:12; 22:47; 2 Kgs 23:7; Hos 4:14). The Hebrew term for a regular, non-cultic (i.e., "secular") female prostitute is hn´oz.
32tn (23:17) Heb "daughters."
33tn (23:17) The male cultic prostitute was called vd}q*. See note on the phrase "sacred prostitute" earlier in this verse. The colloquial Hebrew term for a "secular" male prostitute (i.e., a sodomite) is the disparaging epithet bl#K# (that is, "dog") which occurs in the following verse.
34tn (23:17) Heb "sons."
35tn (23:18) Here the Hebrew term hn´oz refers to a non-cultic (i.e., "secular") female prostitute; see the note on the phrase "sacred prostitute" in v. 17.
36tn (23:18) Heb "of a dog." This is the common Hebrew term for a non-cultic (i.e., "secular") male prostitute. See the note on the phrase "sacred male prostitute" in v. 17.
37tn (23:19) Heb "to your brother."
38tn (23:20) Heb "to your brother."
39tn (23:20) Heb "all the reaching out of your hand."
40tn (23:21) Heb "vow."
41tn (23:21) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 5.
42tn (23:21) Heb "will seek from you."
43tn (23:21) Heb "and it will be a sin to you."
44tn (23:22) Heb "it will not be a sin to you."
45tn (23:23) Heb "what comes from your lips."
46tn (23:23) Heb "that which your mouth has spoken."
47tn (23:24) Heb "according to your appetite, your fullness."
48tn (23:24) Heb "your."
49sn (23:25) For the continuation of these practices into NT times see Matt 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5.
1tn (24:1) Heb "takes a woman and marries her."
2tn (24:1) Heb "she finds no favor in his eyes."
3tn (24:1) Heb "nakedness of a thing." The Hebrew phrase rb*D´ tw~r+u# refers here to some gross sexual impropriety (see note on "indecent" in Deut 23:14). Though the term usually has to do only with indecent exposure of the genitals, it can also include such behavior as adultery (cf. Lev 18:6-18; 20:11, 17, 20-21; Ezek 22:10; 23:29; Hos 2:10). Jesus, citing this text, clearly had adultery in mind by the use in the narrative of the Greek term porneiva as the only justification for divorce (Matt 5:31-32; 19:7-9).
4tn (24:2) Heb "his house."
5tn (24:3) Heb "later."
6tn (24:3) Heb "write her a document of divorce."
7tn (24:3) Heb "who took her as wife."
8tn (24:4) Heb "sent her away."
9tn (24:4) Heb "take her to be his wife."
10sn (24:4) The issue here is not divorce and its grounds per se but prohibition of remarriage to a mate whom one has previously divorced.
11tn (24:4) Or "guilt."
12tn (24:4) Heb "cause the land to sin."
13tn (24:5) Heb "takes a new wife."
14tn (24:5) Heb "not come over upon him anything."
15tc (24:5) For the MT's reading Piel jM^c! ("bring joy to"), the Syriac and others read jm^c* ("enjoy").
16tn (24:7) Or "and enslaves him."
17tn (24:7) Heb "that thief."
18tn (24:7) Heb "burn." See the note on the word "purge" in Deut 19:19.
19tn (24:8) Heb "to watch and to do."
20sn (24:9) What the LORD your God did to Miriam. The reference is to Miriam's having contracted leprosy because of her intemperate challenge to Moses' leadership (Num 12:1-15). The purpose for the allusion here appears to be the assertion of the theocratic leadership of the priests who, like Moses, should not be despised.
21tn (24:10) Heb "his pledge." This refers to something offered as pledge of repayment, i.e., as security for the debt.
22tn (24:11) Heb "man."
23tn (24:11) Heb "his pledge."
24tn (24:12) Heb "man."
25tn (24:12) Heb "may not lie down in his pledge." What is in view is the use of clothing as guarantee for the repayment of loans, a matter already addressed elsewhere (Deut 23:19-20; 24:6; cf. Exod 22:25-26; Lev 25:35-37).
26tn (24:14) Heb "your brothers."
27tn (24:15) Heb "in his."
28tn (24:15) Heb "upon it he carries his soul."
29tn (24:16) Heb "sons."
30tn (24:16) Heb "sons."
31tn (24:19) Heb "in the field."
32tn (24:19) Heb "of your hands." This law was later applied in the story of Ruth who, as a poor widow, was allowed by generous Boaz to glean in his fields (Ruth 2:1-13).
33tn (24:20) Heb "knock down after you."
34tn (24:21) Heb "glean after you."
1tn (25:1) Heb "men."
2tn (25:1) Heb "they"; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3tn (25:1) Heb "declare to be just."
4tn (25:1) Heb "declare to be evil."
5tn (25:1) Heb "the evil."
6tn (25:2) Heb "and it will be."
7tn (25:2) Heb "the evil one."
8tn (25:2) Heb "if the evil is a son of smiting."
9tn (25:2) Heb "according to his wickedness, by number."
10tn (25:3) Heb "he"; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11tn (25:3) Heb "he may strike him."
12tn (25:4) Heb "an."
13tn (25:5) Heb "take her as wife."
14sn (25:5) This is the so-called "levirate" custom (from the Latin term levir, "brother-in-law"), an ancient provision whereby a man who died without male descendants to carry on his name could have a son by proxy, that is, through a surviving brother who would marry his widow and whose first son would then be attributed to the brother who had died. This is the only reference to this practice in an OT legal text but it is illustrated in the story of Judah and his sons (Gen 38) and possibly in the account of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 2:8; 3:12; 4:6).
15tn (25:6) Heb "and it will be that."
16tn (25:6) Heb "the firstborn." This refers to the oldest male child.
17tn (25:6) Heb "his."
18tn (25:7) Heb "his sister-in-law."
19tn (25:7) Heb "raise up."
20sn (25:9) The removal of the sandal was likely symbolic of the relinquishment by the man of any claim to his dead brother's estate since the sandal was associated with the soil or land (cf. Ruth 4:7-8). Spitting in the face was a sign of utmost disgust or disdain, an emotion the rejected widow would feel toward her uncooperative brother-in-law (cf. Num 12:14; Lev 15:8). See W. Bailey, NIDOTTE 2:544.
21tn (25:10) Heb "called."
22tn (25:10) Heb "house."
23tn (25:11) Heb "a man and his brother."
24tn (25:11) Heb "draws near."
25tn (25:11) Heb "shameful parts." Besides the inherent indelicacy of what she has done, the woman has also threatened the progenitive capacity of the injured man. The level of specificity given this term in modern translations varies: "private parts" (NAB, NIV); "genitals" (NASB, NRSV); "testicles" (NLT).
26tn (25:13) Heb "there must not be."
27tn (25:13) Heb "a large and a small," but since the issue is the weight, "a heavy and a light one" conveys the idea better in English.
28tn (25:14) Heb "an ephah and an ephah, large and small." An ephah refers to a unit of dry measure roughly equivalent to five U. S. gallons (just under 20 liters).
29tn (25:15) Heb "full."
30tn (25:15) Heb "righteous."
31tn (25:16) The Hebrew term translated here "detestable" (hb*u@oT) speaks of attitudes and/or behaviors so vile as to be reprehensible to a holy God. See the note on the word "abhorrent" in Deut 7:25.
32tn (25:17) Heb "what Amalek." Here the individual ancestor, the namesake of the tribe, is cited as representative of the entire tribe at the time Israel was entering Canaan. Consistent with this, singular pronouns are used in v. 18 and the singular name appears again in v. 19. Since readers unfamiliar with the tribe of Amalakites might think this refers to an individual, the term "Amalakites" and the corresponding plural pronouns have been used throughout these verses.
33sn (25:18) See Exod 17:8-16.
34tn (25:19) Heb " the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
35tn (25:19) Or "from beneath the sky." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
36sn (25:19) For the fulfillment of this command, see 1 Sam 15:1-33.
1tn (26:1) Heb "and it will come to pass that."
2tn (26:2) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" would seem redundant here.
3tn (26:2) Heb "to place."
4sn (26:2) The place where he has chosen to locate his name. This is a circumlocution for the central sanctuary, first the tabernacle and later the Jerusalem temple. See Deut 12:1-14 and especially the note on the word "you" in v. 14.
5tn (26:3) Heb "who will be."
6tc (26:3) For the MT reading "your God," certain LXX MSS have "my God," a contextually superior rendition. Perhaps the text reflects dittography (yK! hk*yh@Oa^).
7tc (26:3) The Syriac adds "your God" to complete the usual formula.
8tn (26:3) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 7, 15).
9tn (26:4) Heb "your hand."
10tn (26:5) Heb "answer and say."
11tn (26:5) Though the Hebrew term dba generally means "to perish" or the like (HALOT 2-3; BDB 1-2), a meaning "to go astray" or "to be lost" is also attested. The ambivalence in the Hebrew text is reflected in the versions where LXX Vaticanus reads ajpevbalen ("lose") for a possibly metathesized reading found in Alexandrinus, Ambrosianus, ajpevlaben ("receive"); others attest katevleipen ("leave, abandon"). "Wandering" seems to suit best the contrast with the sedentary life Israel would enjoy in Canaan (v. 9).
12sn (26:5) A wandering Aramean. This is a reference to Jacob whose mother Rebekah was an Aramean (Gen 24:10; 25:20, 26) and who himself lived in Aram for at least twenty years (Gen 31:41-42).
13tn (26:5) Heb "father."
14tn (26:5) Heb "sojourned there few in number." The words "with a household" have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
15tn (26:7) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 2.
16tn (26:7) Heb "our voice."
17sn (26:8) The expressions by a powerful hand and an extended arm are anthropomorphisms designed to convey God's tremendously great power in rescuing Israel from their Egyptian bondage.
18tn (26:10) Heb "bow yourself down."
19tn (26:10) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 2.
20tn (26:11) Or "household"; Heb "house."
21tn (26:12) Heb adds "the tithes of."
22tn (26:12) The terms "Levite, resident foreigner, orphan, and widow" are collective singulars in the Hebrew text (also in v. 13).
23tn (26:12) Heb "eat and be full."
24tn (26:13) Heb "the sacred thing." The term vd#Q)h^ likely refers to an offering normally set apart for the LORD but, as a third-year tithe, given on this occasion to people in need. Frequently this is translated as "the sacred portion," but that could sound to a modern reader as if a part of the house were being removed and given away.
25tn (26:13) Heb "according to all your commandment that you commanded me."
26sn (26:14) These practices suggest overtones of pagan ritual, all of which the confessor denies having undertaken. In Canaan they were connected with fertility practices associated with harvest time. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, 335-36.
27tn (26:14) Heb "listened to."
28tn (26:14) Heb "the LORD my God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 2.
29tn (26:16) Heb "and you must watch and do them."
30tn (26:16) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
31tn (26:17) Heb "listen to his voice."
1tn (27:1) Heb "commanding."
2tn (27:2) Heb "in the day."
3tn (27:2) Heb "plaster."
4tn (27:3) Heb "fathers."
5tc (27:4) The Samaritan Pentateuch reads "Mount Gerizim" for the MT reading "Mount Ebal" to justify the location of the Samaritan temple there in the post-exilic period. This reading is patently self-serving and does not reflect the original. When the woman of Samaria referred to "this mountain" as the place of worship for her community she obviously had Gerizim in mind (cf. John 4:20).
6tn (27:4) Heb "plaster."
7tn (27:7) Heb "and you shall rejoice."
8tn (27:10) Heb "of the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 3.
9tn (27:10) Heb "do."
10tn (27:10) Heb "commanding."
11tn (27:12) Heb "these."
12tn (27:14) Heb "Israelite man."
13tn (27:15) Heb "man."
14tn (27:15) The Hebrew term translated here "detestable" (hb*u@oT) speaks of attitudes and/or behaviors so vile as to be reprehensible to a holy God. See the note on the word "abhorrent" in Deut 7:25.
15tn (27:15) Heb "craftsman's hands."
16tn (27:16) The Hebrew term hlq means to treat with disdain or lack of due respect. It is the opposite of dbK ("to be heavy," that is, to treat with reverence and proper deference). To treat a parent lightly is to dishonor him or her and thus violate the fifth commandment (Deut 5:16; cf. Exod 21:17).
17tn (27:20) Heb "who lies." This is a Hebrew idiom for having sexual relations.
18tn (27:20) Heb "he uncovers his father's skirt." See the note on the word "nakedness" in Deut 22:30.
19tn (27:21) Heb "lies with any animal." "To lie with" is a Hebrew euphemism for having sexual relations with someone (or in this case, some animal).
20tn (27:22) Heb "lies." This is a Hebrew idiom for having sexual relations.
21tn (27:24) Or "strikes down," i.e., kills.
22tn (27:26) Heb "stand."
1tn (28:1) Heb "and it will be that."
2tn (28:1) Heb "listen to the voice of."
3tn (28:1) Heb "do."
4tn (28:1) Heb "commanding."
5tn (28:2) Heb "upon."
6tn (28:2) Heb "and overtake."
7tn (28:2) Heb "listen to the voice of."
8tn (28:3) Or "in the country." This expression also occurs in v. 15.
9tn (28:4) Heb "the fruit of your womb."
10sn (28:6) Come in...go out. To "come in" and "go out" is a figure of speech (merism) indicating all of life and its activities.
11tn (28:7) Heb "who rise up against."
12tn (28:7) Heb "way" (also later in this verse and in v. 25).
13tn (28:8) Heb "with."
14tn (28:8) Heb "all the sending out of your hands."
15tn (28:8) Heb "and."
16tn (28:8) Heb "the LORD your God." Because English would not typically reintroduce the proper name following a relative pronoun ("he will bless...the LORD your God is giving"), the pronoun ("he") has been employed here in the translation.
17tn (28:9) Heb "the commandments of the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 8.
18tn (28:10) Heb "is called upon you."
19tn (28:11) Heb "will increase to the good."
20tn (28:11) Heb "the fruit of your womb."
21tn (28:11) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 8.
22tn (28:11) Heb "fathers" (also in vv. 36, 64).
23tn (28:12) Heb "all the work of your hands."
24tn (28:13) Heb "will only be above and not underneath."
25tn (28:13) Heb "listen to."
26tn (28:13) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the word "he" in v. 8.
27tn (28:13) Heb "commanding."
28tn (28:13) Heb "to observe and to do."
29tn (28:14) Heb "in order to serve."
30tn (28:15) Heb "do not hear."
31tn (28:15) Heb "do."
32tn (28:15) Heb "commanding."
33tn (28:18) Heb "the fruit of your womb."
34sn (28:19) See the note on the similar expression in v. 6.
35tn (28:20) Heb "in all the stretching out of your hand."
36tc (28:20) For the MT first person common singular suffix ("me"), the LXX reads either kurion ("Lord"; Lucian) or third person masculine singular suffix ("him"; various codices). The MT lectio difficilior probably represents the original reading.
tn (28:20) Heb "the evil of your doings wherein you have forsaken me."
37tn (28:21) Heb "will cause pestilence to cling to you."
38tn (28:22) Heb "The LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 8.
39tn (28:22) Heb "hot fever."
40tn (28:22) Or "drought."
41tn (28:22) Heb "pursue."
42tc (28:23) The MT reads "Your." The LXX reads "Heaven will be to you."
43tn (28:23) Or "heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
44tn (28:24) Or "heavens." See the note on the word "sky" in the preceding verse.
45tn (28:25) Heb "give you."
46tn (28:25) Heb "him."
47tn (28:25) Heb "him."
48tc (28:25) The meaningless MT reading hw´u&z^ is clearly a transposition of the more commonly attested Hebrew noun hu*w´z+, "terror."
49tn (28:28) Heb "heart."
50tn (28:29) Heb "your ways will not prosper."
51tn (28:29) Heb "only."
52tn (28:29) Heb "robbed all your days."
53tc (28:30) For MT reading lgv ("ravish; violate"), the Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate presume the less violent bkv ("lie with"). The unexpected counterpart to betrothal here favors the originality of the MT.
54tn (28:32) Heb "your eyes."
55tn (28:32) Heb "seeing and failing unto them."
56tn (28:32) Heb "and there will be no power in your hand."
57tn (28:33) Heb "all the days."
58tn (28:34) Heb "from the seeing of your eyes what you see."
59tn (28:35) Heb "the."
60tc (28:36) The LXX reads the plural "kings."
61tn (28:37) Heb "of taunt."
62tn (28:39) Heb "it."
63tn (28:40) Heb "your olives will drop off" (lvn), referring to the olives dropping off before they ripen.
64tn (28:41) Heb "have."
65tn (28:42) The Hebrew term denotes some sort of buzzing or whirring insect; some have understood this to be a type of locust, but other insects have also been suggested: "buzzing insects" (NAB); "the cricket" (NASB); "the cicada" (NRSV).
66tn (28:42) Heb "will possess."
67tn (28:45) Heb "come upon."
68tn (28:45) Heb "commanded."
69tn (28:46) Heb "they"; the referent (the curses mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
70tn (28:46) Heb "upon."
71tn (28:46) Heb "seed."
72tn (28:47) Heb "with a good heart."
73tn (28:47) Heb "from."
74tn (28:48) Heb "he" (also later in this verse). The pronoun is a collective singular referring to the enemies. Many translations understand the singular pronoun to refer to the LORD (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).
75tn (28:49) Heb "from the end of the earth."
76tn (28:49) Some translations understand this to mean "like an eagle swoops down," comparing the swift attack of an eagle to the attack of the Israelites' enemies.
77tn (28:51) Heb "it," a collective singular referring to the invading nation (several times in this verse and v. 52).
78tn (28:51) Heb "increase of herds."
79tn (28:51) Heb "growth of flocks."
80tn (28:52) Heb "gates."
81tn (28:53) Heb "the fruit of your womb."
82tn (28:53) Heb "in."
83tn (28:53) Heb "siege and stress."
84tn (28:55) Heb "besiege."
85tn (28:55) Heb "gates."
86tc (28:56) The LXX adds sfodra ("very") to bring the description into line with v. 54.
87tn (28:56) Heb "delicateness and tenderness."
88tn (28:56) Heb "look with evil."
89tn (28:57) Heb adds "that which comes out from between her feet."
90tn (28:57) Heb "her sons that she will bear."
91tn (28:57) Heb adds "in her need for everything."
92tn (28:57) Heb "your gates."
93tn (28:59) Heb "make wonderful."
94tn (28:59) Heb "blows."
95tn (28:60) Heb "cause to return to you."
96sn (28:60) These are clearly the plagues the LORD inflicted on the Egyptians prior to the exodus which, though they did not fall upon Israel, must have caused great terror even to the Israelites (cf. Exod 15:26).
97tn (28:60) Heb "cling to you."
98tn (28:61) Heb "written."
99tn (28:61) The Hebrew term hr´oT can refer either to the whole Pentateuch or, more likely, to the Book of Deuteronomy or even just to this curse section of the covenant text.
100tn (28:62) Or "heavens." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
101tn (28:63) Heb "and it will be that."
102tn (28:63) Heb "the LORD." See the note on the word "he" in v. 1.
103tn (28:66) Heb "no certainty of life." The phrase "from one day to the next" is implied by the following verse.
104tn (28:67) Heb "the fear of your heart that you will fear."
105tn (28:67) Heb "the seeings of your eyes that you will see."
106tn (28:68) Heb "by way of which."
1sn (28:69) Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
2tn (29:2) Heb "and said to them."
3tn (29:3) Heb "your eyes."
4tn (29:3) Heb "great."
5tn (29:4) Heb "heart."
6tn (29:5) The Hebrew text adds "on you." This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7tn (29:5) The Hebrew text adds "on your feet."
8tc (29:6) The LXX reads "that he is the LORD your God."
9tn (29:7) Heb "to meet us for battle."
10tn (29:7) Heb "smote them."
sn (29:7) For the account of these military campaigns see Deut 2:26-3:17 and the notes there.
11tn (29:9) Heb "words."
12tc (29:10) Heb "your heads, your tribes." The Syriac presupposes either "heads of your tribes" or "your heads, your judges," etc. (reading <k#f@p=v) for <k#yf@b=v!). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading.
13tn (29:11) Heb "your."
14tn (29:13) Heb "fathers" (also in v. 25).
15tn (29:17) The Hebrew term JWQv! refers to anything out of keeping with the nature and character of Yahweh and therefore to be avoided by his people Israel. It is commonly used with or as a synonym for hb*u@oT ("detestable, abhorrent"; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see the note on the term "abhorrent" in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46.
16tn (29:18) Heb "yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood." The Hebrew noun hn´u&l^ (l^u&n´h) literally means "wormwood," but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here "fruit poisonous and bitter."
17tn (29:19) Heb "he"; the referent (the person who is the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18tn (29:19) Heb "in his heart."
19tn (29:19) Heb "heart."
20tn (29:19) Heb "the watered with the parched." The word "ground" is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative.
sn (29:19) Destroying the watered ground with the parched. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches--"the watered and the parched."
21tn (29:20) Heb "the wrath and zeal of the LORD." The expression is a hendiadys, a figure in which the second noun becomes adjectival to the first.
22tn (29:20) Or "will lie in wait against him."
23tn (29:20) Heb "name."
24tn (29:21) Heb "set him apart."
25tn (29:21) Heb "for evil."
26tn (29:26) Heb "assigned."
27tn (29:27) Heb "to bring."
28tn (29:28) Heb "as this."
1tn (30:1) Heb "come upon you."
2tn (30:2) Heb "you hear his voice."
3tn (30:2) Heb "according to all."
4tn (30:2) Heb "heart."
5tn (30:2) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
6tn (30:3) Heb "return."
7tn (30:3) Heb "the LORD your God." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons; in contemporary English the repetition of "the LORD your God" is redundant here.
8tn (30:4) Or "are at the farthest edge of heaven itself." The same Hebrew term, <y]m^v* (v*m^y]<), may be translated "heaven(s)" or "sky" depending on the context.
9tn (30:5) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the second occurrence of the word "he" in v. 3.
10tn (30:5) Heb "fathers" (also later in this verse and in vv. 9, 20).
11tn (30:6) Heb "circumcise." See the note on the word "cleanse" in Deut 10:16.
12tn (30:6) Heb "seed."
13tn (30:6) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the second occurrence of the word "he" in v. 3.
14tn (30:6) Heb "heart."
15tn (30:6) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
16tn (30:8) Heb "and listen to the voice of."
17tn (30:8) Heb "you will keep."
18tn (30:8) Heb "commanding."
19tc (30:9) The MT reads "hand" (singular). Most versions read the plural.
20tn (30:9) Heb "the fruit of your womb."
21tn (30:9) Heb "the fruit."
22tn (30:9) Heb "return."
23tn (30:10) Heb "listen to the voice of."
24tn (30:10) Heb "the LORD your God." See the note on the second occurrence of the word "he" in v. 3.
25tn (30:10) Heb "heart."
26tn (30:10) Heb "soul"; "being." See the note on the word "being" in Deut 6:5.
27tn (30:11) Heb "commanding."
28tn (30:12) Heb "do."
29tn (30:13) Heb "do."
30tn (30:14) Heb "heart."
31tc (30:16) A number of LXX MSS insert before this verse, "if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God," thus translating rv#a& as "which" and the rest as "I am commanding you today, to love," etc., "then you will live," etc.
32tn (30:17) Heb "your heart."
33tn (30:18) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
34tn (30:19) Heb "seed."
35tn (30:20) Heb "length of your days."
36tn (30:20) Heb "to live."
1tc (31:1) For the MT reading El#Y}w~ ("he went"), the LXX and Qumran have lk^y+w~ ("he finished"): "So Moses finished speaking," etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.
2tn (31:2) Heb "go out and come in."
3tn (31:7) The Hebrew text adds "and said to him." This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4tn (31:7) Heb "fathers" (also in v. 20).
5tn (31:8) Heb "he."
6tn (31:10) Heb "Moses." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7tn (31:10) The Hebrew term hF*m!v=, a derivative of the verb fmv ("to release; to relinquish"), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God's own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See the note on the word "remission" in Deut 15:1.
8tn (31:10) The Hebrew phrase toKS%h^ [gj^] ("[festival of] huts" [or, "shelters"]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See the note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.
sn (31:10) For the regulations on this annual festival see Deut 16:13-15.
9tn (31:11) Heb "before all Israel."
10tn (31:13) Heb "all the days."
11tc (31:14) The LXX reads "by the door of the tent" in line with v. 10 but also, perhaps, as a reflection of its tendency to avoid over-familiarity with Yahweh and his transcendence.
12tn (31:14) Heb "tent of assembly") (du@om lh#a)); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called /K*v=m! ("dwelling-place"), a reference to its being invested with God's presence. The "tent of meeting" was erected earlier than the tabernacle and was the place where Yahweh occasionally appeared, especially to Moses (cf. Exod 18:7-16; 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 24, 26; 12:4).
13tn (31:14) Heb "I will command him."
14tn (31:15) The Hebrew text adds "and the pillar of cloud." This phrase was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
15tn (31:16) Heb "lie with your fathers."
16tn (31:16) Heb "he." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "they," which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style. The third person singular also occurs in the Hebrew text twice more in this verse, three times in v. 17, once in v. 18, five times in v. 20, and four times in v. 21. Each time it is translated as third person plural for stylistic reasons.
17tn (31:16) Heb "he." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "they." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
18tn (31:16) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
19tn (31:17) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
20tn (31:17) Heb "and it will be to devour."
21tn (31:17) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
22tn (31:17) Heb "he." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "they." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
23tn (31:17) Heb "evils."
24tn (31:17) Heb "me." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "us," which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
25tn (31:17) Heb "me." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "us," which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
26tn (31:18) Heb "he." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "they." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
27tn (31:19) Heb "this."
28tn (31:20) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
29tn (31:20) Heb "his." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "their." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
30tn (31:20) Heb "he." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "they." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
31tn (31:20) Heb "he." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "they." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
32tn (31:20) Heb "to."
33tn (31:21) Heb "Then it will come to pass that."
34tn (31:21) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
35tn (31:21) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
36tn (31:21) Heb "his." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "their." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
37tn (31:21) Heb "it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed."
38tn (31:21) Heb "his." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "their." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
39tn (31:21) Heb "which he is doing."
40tn (31:21) Heb "him." The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural "them." See the note on the first occurrence of "they" in v. 16.
41tn (31:23) Heb "he." Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as "the LORD" in the translation for clarity. See also the note on the word "you" later in this verse.
42tc (31:23) The LXX reads, "as the LORD promised them, and he will be with you." This relieves the problem of Moses apparently promising to be with Joshua as the MT reads on the surface ("I will be with you"). However, the reading of the LXX is clearly an attempt to clarify an existing obscurity and therefore is unlikely to reflect the original.
43tn (31:24) The Hebrew term rp#s@ means a "writing" or "document" and could be translated "book." However, since "book" carries the connotation of a modern bound book with pages (an obvious anachronism) it is preferable to render it "scroll" here.
44tn (31:24) Heb "until they were finished."
45tn (31:25) Heb "Moses." The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
46tn (31:27) Heb "stiffness of neck." See the note on the word "stubborn" in Deut 9:6.
47tn (31:28) Heb "in their ears."
48tn (31:30) Heb "until they were finished."
49tn (31:30) Heb "ears."
1tn (32:1) Heb "Give ear."
2tc (32:3) The SP and Tg read "in the name."
3tc (32:4) The LXX reads Qeo" ("God") for the MT's "Rock."
4tn (32:4) Heb "just."
5tc (32:5) The 3ms tjv is rendered as 3mp by the SP, a reading supported by the plural suffix on <Wm ("defect") as well as the plural of /B@ ("sons").
6tn (32:5) Heb "sons."
7sn (32:5) This highly elliptical line suggests that Israel's major fault was its failure to act like God's people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.
8tc (32:7) The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read 2mp whereas the MT has 2ms. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (WnyB! for hn´yB!).
9tn (32:7) Heb "generation and generation."
10tn (32:8) The Hebrew term /oylu# (u#lyo/) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated "God Most High" or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Ps 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401.
11tn (32:8) Heb "the sons of man [or, "Adam"]."
12tc (32:8) Targum Jonathan adds "seventy," alluding, perhaps, to the seventy Israelites who descended to Egypt with Jacob (Gen 46:27). For the MT la@r´c=y] yn}B= ("sons of Israel") a Qumran fragment and the LXX have aggelwn qeou ("angels of God"), presupposing la@ yn}B= or <yl!a@ yn}B=. The line could then be rendered, "According to the seventy angels of God." This does little to clarify the passage which, at best, is still difficult. The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh's purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See Driver, Deuteronomy, 355-56.
13tc (32:9) The LXX and SP add "Israel" and BHS suggests the reconstruction: "The LORD's allotment is Jacob, the portion of his inheritance is Israel." While providing good parallelism it destroys a fine chiastic structure in which "Jacob" and "his people" match, as do "allotment" and "inheritance."
14tn (32:10) Heb "the little man." The term /ovya! means literally "little man," perhaps because when one looks into another's eyes he sees himself reflected there in miniature. See A. Harman, NIDOTTE 1:391.
15tn (32:11) Heb "he"; the referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16tn (32:13) Heb "he made him suck honey from the rock."
17tn (32:13) Heb "oil," but this probably refers to olive oil; see the note on the word "rock" at the end of this verse.
18tn (32:13) Heb "flinty."
19sn (32:13) Oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, 415.
20tn (32:14) Heb "fat."
21tn (32:14) Heb "kidneys."
22tn (32:14) Heb "blood."
23sn (32:15) Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb rvy (yvr, "be upright"). Here it speaks of Israel "in an ideal situation, with its `uprightness' due more to God's help than his own efforts" (M. Mulder, TDOT 6:475).
24tc (32:15) The LXX reads the third person masculine singular ("he") for the MT second person masculine singular ("you"), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.
25tc (32:16) The Vulgate actually supplies diis ("gods").
26tn (32:17) Heb "your fathers."
27tn (32:20) Heb "my face."
28tn (32:20) Heb "what their afterward will be."
29tn (32:20) Heb "sons."
30sn (32:21) They have made me jealous. The "jealousy" of God is not a spirit of pettiness prompted by his insecurity, but righteous indignation caused by the disloyalty of his people to his covenant grace (see the note on the word "God" in Deut 4:24). The jealousy of Israel, however (see next line), will be envy because of God's lavish attention to another nation. See H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:938-39.
31tn (32:21) Heb "their nothingnesses." The Hebrew term used here to refer pejoratively to the false gods is lb#h# (h#b#l, "futile" or "futility"), used frequently in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Eccl 1:1, "Futile! Futile!" laments the Teacher, "Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!").
32sn (32:21) The "non-people" (<u*-aO, Oa u^<) referred to here are Gentiles who someday would become God's people in the fullest sense (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23).
33sn (32:22) Sheol refers here not to hell and hell-fire--a much later concept--but to the innermost parts of the earth, as low down as one could get. The parallel with "the foundations of the mountains" makes this clear (cf. Ps 9:17; 16:10; 139:8; Isa 14:9, 15; Amos 9:2).
34tn (32:23) Heb "upon them."
35tn (32:24) The Hebrew term bf#q# is probably metaphorical for the sting of a disease (HALOT 834).
36tn (32:25) Heb "from the rooms."
37tn (32:25) Heb "with."
38tc (32:26) The LXX reads "I said I would scatter them."
39tn (32:26) Heb "I will make their remembrance to cease among men."
40tn (32:27) Heb "vexation."
41tn (32:27) Heb "his."
42tn (32:27) Heb "hand."
43tn (32:27) Heb "high."
44tn (32:29) Heb "their afterward."
45tn (32:30) The words "of them" are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
46tn (32:30) Heb "sold them."
47tn (32:32) Heb "vine."
48sn (32:32) Sodom...Gomorrah. The term "vine" is a reference to the pagan deities which, the passage says, find their ultimate source in Sodom and Gomorrah, that is, in the soil of perversion exemplified by these places (cf. Gen 18:20; 19:4-28; Isa 1:10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Ezek 16:44-52; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24).
49tn (32:32) Heb "his."
50tn (32:32) Heb "him."
51tn (32:33) Heb "cruel."
52tn (32:34) Verses 34-35 appear to be a quotation of the LORD and so the introductory phrase "says the LORD" is supplied in the translation.
53tn (32:35) Heb "him."
54tn (32:37) Heb "his."
55tn (32:38) Heb "fat."
56tn (32:39) Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the LORD and so the introductory phrase "says the LORD" is supplied in the translation.
57tn (32:39) Heb "with."
58sn (32:41) My hand will grasp hold of judgment. This is a metonymy, a figure of speech in which the effect (judgment) is employed as an instrument (sword, spear, or the like), the means, by which it is brought about.
59tn (32:41) The Hebrew term anc ("hate") in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh's covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see the note on the word "rejecting" in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Ps 81:15; 139:20-21).
60tn (32:44) Heb "Hoshea," another name for the same individual (cf. Num 13:8, 16).
61tn (32:44) Heb "in the hearing of."
62tn (32:46) Heb "place in your heart."
63tn (32:47) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
64sn (32:49) Abarim. This refers to the high plateau region of the Transjordan, the highest elevation of which is Mount Pisgah (or Nebo; cf. Deut 34:1). See also the note on the name "Pisgah" in Deut 3:17.
65sn (32:50) Mount Hor. See the note on the name "Moserah" in Deut 10:6.
66tn (32:51) The use of the plural ("you") in the Hebrew text suggests that Moses and Aaron are both in view here, since both had rebelled at some time or other, if not at Meribah-Kadesh then elsewhere (cf. Num 20:24; 27:14).
67tn (32:51) Heb "esteem me holy."
1tc (33:2) The LXX reads "to us" (Wnl* for oml*), but the reading of the MT is acceptable since it no doubt has in mind Israel as a collective.
tn (33:2) Heb "him"; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2tc (33:2) With slight alteration (vd}q* tb^r]m=m! for the MT's vd#qo tb)b=r]m@) the translation would be "from Meribah-Kadesh" (see Deut 32:51). However, the language of holy war in the immediate context which views Yahweh as accompanied by angelic hosts favors the reading of the MT.
3tc (33:2) The mispointed Hebrew term tD*vA@ should, perhaps, be construed as th^vA@ with the SP.
4tc (33:3) The third person masculine singular suffix of the Hebrew MT is problematic in light of the second person masculine singular suffix on ;d#y´B=, "your hands." The LXX versions by Lucian and Origen read, therefore, "the holy ones." The LXX version by Theodotion and the Vulgate, however, presuppose third masculine singular suffix on wyd´y´B= ("his hands"), and thus retain "his holy ones." The efforts to bring suffixal harmony into the line is commendable but unnecessary given the Hebrew tendency to be untroubled by such grammatical inconsistencies.
5tn (33:3) Heb "hands." For the problem of the suffix see the note on the term "holy ones" earlier in this verse.
6tn (33:3) The Hebrew term WKT% (probably Pual perfect of hkT) is otherwise unknown. The present translation is based on the reference to feet and, apparently, receiving instruction in God's words.
7tn (33:4) Heb "commanded."
8tn (33:4) The Hebrew term hr´oT here should be understood more broadly as instruction, that is, the whole Pentateuch.
9tn (33:5) Heb "he was king." The present translation avoids the sudden shift in person and the mistaken impression that Moses is the referent by specifying the referent as "the LORD."
10sn (33:5) Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb rv^y´ (y´v^r, "be upright"). See the note on the term in Deut 32:15.
11tn (33:5) Heb "heads."
12tn (33:6) Heb "and [not] may his men be few."
13tn (33:7) Heb "hands."
14sn (33:8) Thummim and Urim. These terms, whose meaning is uncertain, refer to sacred stones carried in a pouch on the breastplate of the high priest and examined on occasion as a means of ascertaining God's will or direction. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:21; 1 Sam 28:6. See also C. Van Dam, NIDOTTE 1:329-31.
15tn (33:8) Heb "godly man." The reference is probably to Moses as representative of the whole tribe of Levi.
16sn (33:8) Massah means "testing" in Hebrew; the name is a word play on what took place there. Cf. Exod 17:7; Deut 6:16; 9:22; Ps 95:8-9.
17sn (33:8) Meribah means "contention" in Hebrew; this is another word play on the incident that took place there. Cf. Num 20:13, 24; Ps 106:32.
18sn (33:9) This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites' destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).
19tn (33:10) Heb "before your nose."
20tn (33:11) Heb "[the] work of his hands."
21tn (33:11) Heb "smash the sinews [or, "loins"]." This part of the body was considered to be center of one's strength (cf. Job 40:16; Ps 69:24; Prov 31:17; Nah 2:2, 11). See J. Tigay, Deuteronomy, 325.
22tn (33:11) Heb "who rise up against."
23tn (33:12) Heb "all day."
24tn (33:12) Heb "he"; the referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25tn (33:12) Heb "between his shoulders." For a scene similar in its tender affection see John 13:23.
26tn (33:14) Heb "goings forth of the sun."
27tn (33:14) Heb "moon."
28tn (33:15) Heb "head" or "top."
29sn (33:16) The expression him who resided in the bush is frequently understood as a reference to the appearance of the Lord to Moses at Sinai from a burning bush (cf. Exod 2:2-6; 3:2, 4).
30sn (33:17) Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph who became founders of the two tribes into which Joseph's descendants were split (Gen 48:19-20).
31tn (33:18) Heb "in your going out."
32tn (33:18) Heb "in your tents."
33tn (33:19) Heb "suck."
34tn (33:21) Heb "seen."
35tn (33:21) The Hebrew term qq@j)m= (Poel participle of qqj, "to inscribe") reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, 444-45.
36tn (33:21) Heb "covered in" (if from the root /ps; cf. HALOT 664-65).
37sn (33:22) He will leap forth from Bashan. This may refer to Dan's conquest of Laish, a region just to the west of Bashan (Judg 18:27-28).
38tn (33:23) Heb "satiated."
39sn (33:24) Dip his foot in olive oil. This is a metaphor for prosperity, one especially apt in light of the abundance of olive groves in the area settled by Asher. The Hebrew term refers to olive oil, which symbolizes blessing in the OT. See R. Way, NIDOTTE 4:171-73.
40sn (33:26) Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb rv^y´ (y´v^r, "be upright"). See the note on the term in Deut 32:15.
41tn (33:26) Heb "for your help."
42tn (33:27) Heb "the God of the past."
43tn (33:27) Some have perceived this line to be problematic and have offered alternative translations that differ significantly from the present translation: "He spread out the primeval tent; he extended the ancient canopy" (NAB); "He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old" (NRSV). These are based on alternate meanings or conjectural emendations rather than textual variants in the MSS and versions.
44tn (33:28) Heb "all alone." The idea is that such vital resources as water will some day no longer need protection because God will provide security.
45tn (33:28) Heb "unto."
46tn (33:29) Heb "his."
1sn (34:1) For the geography involved, see the note on the term "Pisgah" in Deut 3:17.
2tn (34:2) Or "western"; Heb "latter," a reference to the the Mediterranean Sea.
3tn (34:4) Heb "swore."
4tn (34:5) Heb "according to the mouth of the LORD."
5tc (34:6) The translation follows the reading of the Samaritan Pentateuch and some LXX MSS, "they buried him." The referent of "they" has been specified in the translation as "the Israelites" for clarity. The MT reads "he buried him," which could be understood to mean "the LORD buried him." This understanding, combined with the statement at the end of the verse that Moses' burial place is unknown, gave rise to traditions during the intertestamental period that are reflected in the NT in Jude 9 and in OT pseudepigraphic works like the Assumption of Moses.
6tn (34:7) Or "dimmed." The term could refer to dull appearance or to dimness caused by some loss of visual acuity.
7tn (34:7) Heb "sap." That is, he was still in possession of his faculties or liveliness.
8tn (34:8) Heb "wept for."
9sn (34:9) See Num 27:18.
10sn (34:10) See Num 12:8; Deut 18:15-18.
11tn (34:12) Heb "strong hand."