Ulangan 29:2--32:47
Konteks29:2 Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did 1 in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land. 29:3 Your eyes have seen the great judgments, 2 those signs and mighty wonders. 29:4 But to this very day the Lord has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears! 3 29:5 I have led you through the desert for forty years. Your clothing has not worn out 4 nor have your sandals 5 deteriorated. 29:6 You have eaten no bread and drunk no wine or beer – all so that you might know that I 6 am the Lord your God! 29:7 When you came to this place King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to make war and we defeated them. 29:8 Then we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
29:9 “Therefore, keep the terms 7 of this covenant and obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do. 29:10 You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God – the heads of your tribes, 8 your elders, your officials, every Israelite man, 29:11 your infants, your wives, and the 9 foreigners living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water – 29:12 so that you may enter by oath into the covenant the Lord your God is making with you today. 10 29:13 Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God, 11 just as he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors 12 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29:14 It is not with you alone that I am making this covenant by oath, 29:15 but with whoever stands with us here today before the Lord our God as well as those not with us here today. 13
29:16 “(For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we crossed through the nations as we traveled. 29:17 You have seen their detestable things 14 and idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold.) 15 29:18 Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away from the Lord our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations; beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit. 16 29:19 When such a person 17 hears the words of this oath he secretly 18 blesses himself 19 and says, “I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.” 20 This will destroy 21 the watered ground with the parched. 22 29:20 The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger 23 will rage 24 against that man; all the curses 25 written in this scroll will fall upon him 26 and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory. 27 29:21 The Lord will single him out 28 for judgment 29 from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law. 29:22 The generation to come – your descendants who will rise up after you, as well as the foreigner who will come from distant places – will see 30 the afflictions of that land and the illnesses that the Lord has brought on it. 29:23 The whole land will be covered with brimstone, salt, and burning debris; it will not be planted nor will it sprout or produce grass. It will resemble the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his intense anger. 31 29:24 Then all the nations will ask, “Why has the Lord done all this to this land? What is this fierce, heated display of anger 32 all about?” 29:25 Then people will say, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 29:26 They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they did not know and that he did not permit them to worship. 33 29:27 That is why the Lord’s anger erupted against this land, bringing on it all the curses 34 written in this scroll. 29:28 So the Lord has uprooted them from their land in anger, wrath, and great rage and has deported them to another land, as is clear today.” 29:29 Secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants 35 forever, so that we might obey all the words of this law.
30:1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses 36 I have set before you, you will reflect upon them 37 in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you. 30:2 Then if you and your descendants 38 turn to the Lord your God and obey him with your whole mind and being 39 just as 40 I am commanding you today, 30:3 the Lord your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he 41 has scattered you. 30:4 Even if your exiles are in the most distant land, 42 from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 30:5 Then he 43 will bring you to the land your ancestors 44 possessed and you also will possess it; he will do better for you and multiply you more than he did your ancestors. 30:6 The Lord your God will also cleanse 45 your heart and the hearts of your descendants 46 so that you may love him 47 with all your mind and being and so that you may live. 30:7 Then the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hate you and persecute you. 30:8 You will return and obey the Lord, keeping all his commandments I am giving 48 you today. 30:9 The Lord your God will make the labor of your hands 49 abundantly successful and multiply your children, 50 the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your soil. For the Lord your God will once more 51 rejoice over you to make you prosperous 52 just as he rejoiced over your ancestors, 30:10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this scroll of the law. But you must turn to him 53 with your whole mind and being.
30:11 “This commandment I am giving 54 you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote. 30:12 It is not in heaven, as though one must say, “Who will go up to heaven to get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 30:13 And it is not across the sea, as though one must say, “Who will cross over to the other side of the sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 30:14 For the thing is very near you – it is in your mouth and in your mind 55 so that you can do it.
30:15 “Look! I have set before you today life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and disaster on the other. 30:16 What 56 I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances. Then you will live and become numerous and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are about to possess. 57 30:17 However, if you 58 turn aside and do not obey, but are lured away to worship and serve other gods, 30:18 I declare to you this very day that you will certainly 59 perish! You will not extend your time in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess. 60 30:19 Today I invoke heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live! 30:20 I also call on you 61 to love the Lord your God, to obey him and be loyal to him, for he gives you life and enables you to live continually 62 in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
31:1 Then Moses went 63 and spoke these words 64 to all Israel. 31:2 He said to them, “Today I am a hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer able to get about, 65 and the Lord has said to me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’ 31:3 As for the Lord your God, he is about to cross over before you; he will destroy these nations before you and dispossess them. As for Joshua, he is about to cross before you just as the Lord has said. 31:4 The Lord will do to them just what he did to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and to their land, which he destroyed. 31:5 The Lord will deliver them over to you and you will do to them according to the whole commandment I have given you. 31:6 Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!” 31:7 Then Moses called out to Joshua 66 in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the Lord promised to give their ancestors, 67 and you will enable them to inherit it. 31:8 The Lord is indeed going before you – he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”
31:9 Then Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all Israel’s elders. 31:10 He 68 commanded them: “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the cancellation of debts, 69 at the Feast of Temporary Shelters, 70 31:11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, you must read this law before them 71 within their hearing. 31:12 Gather the people – men, women, and children, as well as the resident foreigners in your villages – so they may hear and thus learn about and fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the words of this law. 31:13 Then their children, who have not known this law, 72 will also hear about and learn to fear the Lord your God for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
31:14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The day of your death is near. Summon Joshua and present yourselves in the tent 73 of meeting 74 so that I can commission him.” 75 So Moses and Joshua presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 31:15 The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud that 76 stood above the door of the tent. 31:16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die, 77 and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they 78 are going. They 79 will reject 80 me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 81 31:17 At that time 82 my anger will erupt against them 83 and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome 84 them 85 so that they 86 will say at that time, ‘Have not these disasters 87 overcome us 88 because our 89 God is not among us 90 ?’ 31:18 But I will certainly 91 hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness they 92 will have done by turning to other gods. 31:19 Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my witness against the Israelites! 31:20 For after I have brought them 93 to the land I promised to their 94 ancestors – one flowing with milk and honey – and they 95 eat their fill 96 and become fat, then they 97 will turn to other gods and worship them; they will reject me and break my covenant. 31:21 Then when 98 many disasters and distresses overcome them 99 this song will testify against them, 100 for their 101 descendants will not forget it. 102 I know the 103 intentions they have in mind 104 today, even before I bring them 105 to the land I have promised.” 31:22 So on that day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites, 31:23 and the Lord 106 commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will take the Israelites to the land I have promised them, and I will be with you.” 107
31:24 When Moses finished writing on a scroll the words of this law in their entirety, 31:25 he 108 commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, 31:26 “Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. It will remain there as a witness against you, 31:27 for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness. 109 Indeed, even while I have been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the Lord; you will be even more rebellious after my death! 110 31:28 Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. 31:29 For I know that after I die you will totally 111 corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly 112 before the Lord, inciting him to anger because of your actions.” 113 31:30 Then Moses recited the words of this song from start to finish in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel.
32:1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
32:2 My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will drip like the dew, 114
as rain drops upon the grass,
and showers upon new growth.
32:3 For I will proclaim the name 115 of the Lord;
you must acknowledge the greatness of our God.
32:4 As for the Rock, 116 his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
He is a reliable God who is never unjust,
he is fair 117 and upright.
32:5 His people have been unfaithful 118 to him;
they have not acted like his children 119 – this is their sin. 120
They are a perverse 121 and deceitful generation.
32:6 Is this how you repay 122 the Lord,
you foolish, unwise people?
Is he not your father, your creator?
He has made you and established you.
32:7 Remember the ancient days;
bear in mind 123 the years of past generations. 124
Ask your father and he will inform you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
32:8 When the Most High 125 gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind, 126
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly. 127
32:9 For the Lord’s allotment is his people,
Jacob is his special possession. 128
32:10 The Lord 129 found him 130 in a desolate land,
in an empty wasteland where animals howl. 131
He continually guarded him 132 and taught him; 133
he continually protected him 134 like the pupil 135 of his eye.
32:11 Like an eagle that stirs up 136 its nest,
that hovers over its young,
so the Lord 137 spread out his wings and took him, 138
he lifted him up on his pinions.
32:12 The Lord alone was guiding him, 139
no foreign god was with him.
32:13 He enabled him 140 to travel over the high terrain of the land,
and he ate of the produce of the fields.
He provided honey for him from the cliffs, 141
and olive oil 142 from the hardest of 143 rocks, 144
32:14 butter from the herd
and milk from the flock,
along with the fat of lambs,
rams and goats of Bashan,
along with the best of the kernels of wheat;
and from the juice of grapes you drank wine.
32:15 But Jeshurun 145 became fat and kicked,
you 146 got fat, thick, and stuffed!
Then he deserted the God who made him,
and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.
32:16 They made him jealous with other gods, 147
they enraged him with abhorrent idols. 148
32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not God,
to gods they had not known;
to new gods who had recently come along,
gods your ancestors 149 had not known about.
32:18 You have forgotten 150 the Rock who fathered you,
and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.
32:19 But the Lord took note and despised them
because his sons and daughters enraged him.
32:20 He said, “I will reject them, 151
I will see what will happen to them;
for they are a perverse generation,
children 152 who show no loyalty.
32:21 They have made me jealous 153 with false gods, 154
enraging me with their worthless gods; 155
so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize, 156
with a nation slow to learn 157 I will enrage them.
32:22 For a fire has been kindled by my anger,
and it burns to lowest Sheol; 158
it consumes the earth and its produce,
and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
32:23 I will increase their 159 disasters,
I will use up my arrows on them.
32:24 They will be starved by famine,
eaten by plague, and bitterly stung; 160
I will send the teeth of wild animals against them,
along with the poison of creatures that crawl in the dust.
32:25 The sword will make people childless outside,
and terror will do so inside;
they will destroy 161 both the young man and the virgin,
the infant and the gray-haired man.
32:26 “I said, ‘I want to cut them in pieces. 162
I want to make people forget they ever existed.
32:27 But I fear the reaction 163 of their enemies,
for 164 their adversaries would misunderstand
and say, “Our power is great, 165
and the Lord has not done all this!”’
32:28 They are a nation devoid of wisdom,
and there is no understanding among them.
32:29 I wish that they were wise and could understand this,
and that they could comprehend what will happen to them.”
32:30 How can one man chase a thousand of them, 166
and two pursue ten thousand;
unless their Rock had delivered them up, 167
and the Lord had handed them over?
32:31 For our enemies’ 168 rock is not like our Rock,
as even our enemies concede.
32:32 For their vine is from the stock 169 of Sodom,
and from the fields of Gomorrah. 170
Their grapes contain venom,
their clusters of grapes are bitter.
32:33 Their wine is snakes’ poison,
the deadly venom of cobras.
32:34 “Is this not stored up with me?” says the Lord, 171
“Is it not sealed up in my storehouses?
32:35 I will get revenge and pay them back
at the time their foot slips;
for the day of their disaster is near,
and the impending judgment 172 is rushing upon them!”
32:36 The Lord will judge his people,
and will change his plans concerning 173 his servants;
when he sees that their power has disappeared,
and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.
32:37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
the rock in whom they sought security,
32:38 who ate the best of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise and help you;
let them be your refuge!
32:39 “See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord, 174
“and there is no other god besides me.
I kill and give life,
I smash and I heal,
and none can resist 175 my power.
32:40 For I raise up my hand to heaven,
and say, ‘As surely as I live forever,
32:41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword,
and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment; 176
I will execute vengeance on my foes,
and repay those who hate me! 177
32:42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh –
the blood of the slaughtered and captured,
the chief 178 of the enemy’s leaders!’”
32:43 Cry out, O nations, with his people,
for he will avenge his servants’ blood;
he will take vengeance against his enemies,
and make atonement for his land and people.
32:44 Then Moses went with Joshua 179 son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people. 32:45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel 32:46 he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of this law. 32:47 For this is no idle word for you – it is your life! By this word you will live a long time in the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”
[29:2] 1 tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation.
[29:3] 2 tn Heb “testings.” This is a reference to the plagues; see note at 4:34.
[29:4] 3 tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.”
[29:5] 4 tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:5] 5 tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”
[29:6] 6 tc The LXX reads “that he is the
[29:10] 8 tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shofÿtekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”
[29:12] 10 tn Heb “for you to pass on into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath, which the Lord your God is cutting with you today.”
[29:13] 11 tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[29:13] 12 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
[29:15] 13 tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
[29:17] 14 tn The Hebrew term שִׁקּוּץ (shiquts) 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 תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “detestable, abhorrent”; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see note on the term “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46.
[29:17] 15 tn The Hebrew text includes “which were with them.” Verses 16-17 constitute a parenthetical comment.
[29:18] 16 tn Heb “yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood.” The Hebrew noun לַעֲנָה (la’anah) literally means “wormwood” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB), but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here “fruit poisonous and bitter.”
[29:19] 17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:19] 18 tn Heb “in his heart.”
[29:19] 19 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
[29:19] 21 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
[29:19] 22 tn 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. 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.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
[29:20] 23 tn Heb “the wrath of the
[29:20] 24 tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”
[29:20] 25 tn Heb “the entire oath.”
[29:20] 26 tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”
[29:20] 27 tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”
[29:21] 28 tn Heb “set him apart.”
[29:21] 29 tn Heb “for evil”; NAB “for doom”; NASB “for adversity”; NIV “for disaster”; NRSV “for calamity.”
[29:22] 30 tn Heb “will say and see.” One expects a quotation to appear, but it seems to be omitted. To avoid confusion in the translation, the verb “will say” is omitted.
[29:23] 31 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” This construction is a hendiadys intended to intensify the emotion.
[29:24] 32 tn Heb “this great burning of anger”; KJV “the heat of this great anger.”
[29:26] 33 tn Heb “did not assign to them”; NASB, NRSV “had not allotted to them.”
[29:27] 34 tn Heb “the entire curse.”
[29:29] 35 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV “children.”
[30:1] 36 tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”
[30:1] 37 tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”
[30:2] 38 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “children.”
[30:2] 39 tn Or “heart and soul” (also in vv. 6, 10).
[30:2] 40 tn Heb “according to all.”
[30:3] 41 tn Heb “the
[30:4] 42 tn Heb “are at the farthest edge of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[30:5] 43 tn Heb “the
[30:5] 44 tn Heb “fathers” (also later in this verse and in vv. 9, 20).
[30:6] 45 tn Heb “circumcise” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “will give you and your descendents obedient hearts.” See note on the word “cleanse” in Deut 10:16.
[30:6] 46 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
[30:6] 47 tn Heb “the
[30:8] 48 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I now enjoin on you.”
[30:9] 49 tc The MT reads “hand” (singular). Most versions read the plural.
[30:9] 50 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV); NRSV “of your body.”
[30:9] 51 tn Heb “return and.” The Hebrew verb is used idiomatically here to indicate the repetition of the following action.
[30:9] 52 tn The Hebrew text includes “for good.”
[30:10] 53 tn Heb “to the
[30:11] 54 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you.”
[30:16] 56 tc A number of LXX
[30:16] 57 tn Heb “which you are going there to possess it.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:17] 58 tn Heb “your heart,” as a metonymy for the person.
[30:18] 59 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
[30:18] 60 tn Heb “to go there to possess it.”
[30:20] 61 tn The words “I also call on you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20 are one long sentence, which the translation divides into two.
[30:20] 62 tn Heb “he is your life and the length of your days to live.”
[31:1] 63 tc For the MT reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “he went”), the LXX and Qumran have וַיְכַל (vaykhal, “he finished”): “So Moses finished speaking,” etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.
[31:1] 64 tn In the MT this refers to the words that follow (cf. NIV, NCV).
[31:2] 65 tn Or “am no longer able to lead you” (NIV, NLT); Heb “am no longer able to go out and come in.”
[31:7] 66 tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:7] 67 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).
[31:10] 68 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:10] 69 tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּה (shÿmittah), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “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 note on this word at Deut 15:1.
[31:10] 70 tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] ([khag] hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.
[31:10] sn For the regulations on this annual festival see Deut 16:13-15.
[31:11] 71 tn Heb “before all Israel.”
[31:13] 72 tn The phrase “this law” is not in the Hebrew text, but English style requires an object for the verb here. Other translations also supply the object which is otherwise implicit (cf. NIV “who do not know this law”; TEV “who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God”).
[31:14] 73 tc 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.
[31:14] 74 tn Heb “tent of assembly” (מוֹעֵד אֹהֶל, ’ohel mo’ed); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “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).
[31:14] 75 tn Heb “I will command him.”
[31:15] 76 tn Heb “and the pillar of cloud.” This phrase was not repeated in the translation; a relative clause was used instead.
[31:16] 77 tn Heb “lie down with your fathers” (so NASB); NRSV “ancestors.”
[31:16] 78 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums 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.
[31:16] 79 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:16] 80 tn Or “abandon” (TEV, NLT).
[31:16] 81 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:17] 82 tn Heb “on that day.” This same expression also appears later in the verse and in v. 18.
[31:17] 83 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:17] 84 tn Heb “find,” “encounter.”
[31:17] 85 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:17] 86 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:17] 88 tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
[31:17] 90 tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
[31:18] 91 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
[31:18] 92 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:20] 93 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:20] 94 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:20] 95 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:20] 96 tn Heb “and are satisfied.”
[31:20] 97 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:21] 98 tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”
[31:21] 99 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:21] 100 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:21] 101 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:21] 102 tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”
[31:21] 103 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:21] 104 tn Heb “which he is doing.”
[31:21] 105 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
[31:23] 106 tn Heb “he.” Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as “the
[31:23] 107 tc The LXX reads, “as the
[31:25] 108 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
[31:27] 109 tn Heb “stiffness of neck” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
[31:27] 110 tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.
[31:29] 111 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”
[31:29] 112 tn Heb “do the evil.”
[31:29] 113 tn Heb “the work of your hands.”
[32:2] 114 tn Or “mist,” “light drizzle.” In some contexts the term appears to refer to light rain, rather than dew.
[32:3] 115 tc Smr and Tg read “in the name.”
[32:4] 116 tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”
[32:4] sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.
[32:4] 117 tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).
[32:5] 118 tc The 3rd person masculine singular שָׁחַת (shakhat) is rendered as 3rd person masculine plural by Smr, a reading supported by the plural suffix on מוּם (mum, “defect”) as well as the plural of בֵּן (ben, “sons”).
[32:5] tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”
[32:5] 119 tn Heb “(they are) not his sons.”
[32:5] 120 tn Heb “defect” (so NASB). 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.
[32:5] 121 tn Heb “twisted,” “crooked.” See Ps 18:26.
[32:6] 122 tn Or “treat” (TEV).
[32:7] 123 tc The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read 2nd person masculine singular whereas the MT has 2nd person masculine plural. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (בִּינוּ [binu] for בִּינָה [binah]). Both the preceding (“remember”) and following (“ask”) imperatives are singular forms in the Hebrew text.
[32:7] 124 tn Heb “generation and generation.” The repetition of the singular noun here singles out each of the successive past generations. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3b.
[32:8] 125 tn The Hebrew term עֶליוֹן (’elyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Ps 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.
[32:8] 126 tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).
[32:8] 127 tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (bÿney yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelwn qeou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (bÿney ’el) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (beney ’elim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.
[32:9] 128 tc Heb “the portion of his inheritance.” The LXX and Smr add “Israel” and BHS suggests the reconstruction: “The
[32:10] 129 tn Heb “he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:10] 130 tn The reference is to “his people/Jacob” (cf. v. 9), that is, Israel (using a collective singular). The singular pronouns are replaced by plural ones throughout vv. 10-14 by some English versions as an aid to the modern reader (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT).
[32:10] 131 tn Heb “in an empty, howling wasteland.” The word “howling” is derived from a verbal root that typically refers to the wailing of mourners. Here it likely refers to the howling of desert animals, or perhaps to the howling wind, in which case one may translate, “in an empty, windy wasteland.”
[32:10] 132 tn Heb “was surrounding him.” The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing care during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
[32:10] 133 tn Heb “he gave him understanding.” The form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
[32:10] 134 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing protection during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
[32:10] 135 tn Heb “the little man.” The term אִישׁוֹן (’ishon) 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.
[32:11] 136 tn The prefixed verbal form is an imperfect, indicating habitual or typical behavior. The parallel verb (cf. “hovers” in the next line) is used in the same manner.
[32:11] 137 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[32:11] 138 tn The form of the suffix on this and the following verb forms (cf. “lifted him up”) indicates that the verbs are preterites, not imperfects. As such they simply state the action factually. The use of the preterite here suggests that the preceding verb (cf. “spread out”) is preterite as well.
[32:12] 139 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing guidance during the period in view.
[32:13] 140 tn The form of the suffix on this verbal form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. Note as well the preterites with vav (ו) consecutive that follow in the verse.
[32:13] 141 tn Heb “he made him suck honey from the rock.”
[32:13] 142 tn Heb “oil,” but this probably refers to olive oil; see note on the word “rock” at the end of this verse.
[32:13] 144 sn Olive oil from rock probably suggests olive trees growing on rocky ledges and yet doing so productively. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 415; cf. TEV “their olive trees flourished in stony ground.”
[32:15] 145 tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).
[32:15] sn Jeshurun is a term of affection derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “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).
[32:15] 146 tc 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.
[32:16] 147 tc Heb “with strange (things).” The Vulgate actually supplies diis (“gods”).
[32:16] 148 tn Heb “abhorrent (things)” (cf. NRSV). A number of English versions understand this as referring to “idols” (NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV), while NLT supplies “acts.”
[32:17] 149 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[32:18] 150 tc The Hebrew text is corrupt here; the translation follows the suggestion offered in HALOT 1477 s.v. שׁיה. Cf. NASB, NLT “You neglected”; NIV “You deserted”; NRSV “You were unmindful of.”
[32:20] 151 tn Heb “I will hide my face from them.”
[32:20] 152 tn Heb “sons” (so NAB, NASB); TEV “unfaithful people.”
[32:21] 153 sn 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 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. This is an ironic wordplay. See H. Peels, NIDOTTE 3:938-39.
[32:21] 154 tn Heb “what is not a god,” or a “nondeity.”
[32:21] 155 tn Heb “their empty (things).” The Hebrew term used here to refer pejoratively to the false gods is הֶבֶל (hevel, “futile” or “futility”), used frequently in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Eccl 1:1, “Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher, “Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”).
[32:21] 156 tn Heb “what is not a people,” or a “nonpeople.” The “nonpeople” (לֹא־עָם, lo’-’am) referred to here are Gentiles who someday would become God’s people in the fullest sense (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23).
[32:21] 157 tn Heb “a foolish nation” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NIV “a nation that has no understanding”; NLT “I will provoke their fury by blessing the foolish Gentiles.”
[32:22] 158 tn Or “to the lowest depths of the earth”; cf. NAB “to the depths of the nether world”; NIV “to the realm of death below”; NLT “to the depths of the grave.”
[32:22] sn 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. Pss 9:17; 16:10; 139:8; Isa 14:9, 15; Amos 9:2).
[32:23] 159 tn Heb “upon them.”
[32:24] 160 tn The Hebrew term קֶטֶב (qetev) is probably metaphorical here for the sting of a disease (HALOT 1091-92 s.v.).
[32:25] 161 tn A verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text; for purposes of English style one suitable to the context is supplied.
[32:26] 162 tc The LXX reads “I said I would scatter them.” This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT, CEV).
[32:27] 165 tn Heb “Our hand is high.” Cf. NAB “Our own hand won the victory.”
[32:30] 166 tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[32:30] 167 tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[32:31] 168 tn Heb “their,” but the referent (enemies) is specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[32:32] 170 sn 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).
[32:34] 171 tn Verses 34-35 appear to be a quotation of the
[32:35] 172 tn Heb “prepared things,” “impending things.” See BDB 800 s.v. עָתִיד.
[32:36] 173 tn The translation understands the verb in the sense of “be grieved, relent” (cf. HALOT 689 s.v. נחם hitp 2); cf. KJV, ASV “repent himself”; NLT “will change his mind.” Another option is to translate “will show compassion to” (see BDB 637 s.v. נחם); cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV.
[32:39] 174 tn Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the
[32:39] 175 tn Heb “deliver from” (so NRSV, NLT).
[32:41] 176 tn Heb “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.
[32:41] 177 tn The Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (sane’, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see note on the word “rejecting” in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Ps 81:15; 139:20-21).
[32:42] 178 tn Or “head” (the same Hebrew word can mean “head” in the sense of “leader, chieftain” or “head” in the sense of body part).
[32:44] 179 tn Heb “Hoshea” (so KJV, ASV), another name for the same individual (cf. Num 13:8, 16).
