Ulangan 4:37

4:37 Moreover, because he loved ¹  your ancestors, he chose their ²  descendants who followed them and personally brought you out of Egypt with his great power

Ulangan 4:5

4:5 Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord my God told me to do, so that you might carry them out in ³  the land you are about to enter and possess.

Ulangan 10:1-22

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. ⁴  10:2 I will write on the tablets the same words ⁵  that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” 10:3 So I made an ark of acacia ⁶  wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 10:4 The Lord ⁷  then wrote on the tablets the same words, ⁸  the ten commandments, ⁹  which he ¹⁰  had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he ¹¹  gave them to me. 10:5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made – they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.

Conclusion of the Historical Resume

10:6 “During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan ¹²  to Moserah. ¹³  There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 10:7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, ¹⁴  and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, ¹⁵  a place of flowing streams. 10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi ¹⁶  to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings ¹⁷  in his name, as they do to this very day. 10:9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance ¹⁸  among his brothers; ¹⁹  the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him. 10:10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The Lord listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you. 10:11 Then he ²⁰  said to me, “Get up, set out leading ²¹  the people so they may go and possess ²²  the land I promised to give to their ancestors.” ²³ 

An Exhortation to Love Both God and People

10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, ²⁴  to obey all his commandments, ²⁵  to love him, to serve him ²⁶  with all your mind and being, ²⁷  10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving ²⁸  you today for your own good? 10:14 The heavens – indeed the highest heavens – belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 10:15 However, only to your ancestors did he ²⁹  show his loving favor, ³⁰  and he chose you, their descendants, ³¹  from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse ³²  your heart and stop being so stubborn! ³³  10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 10:18 who justly treats ³⁴  the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 10:19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 10:20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him and take oaths only in his name. 10:21 He is the one you should praise; ³⁵  he is your God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for you that you have seen. 10:22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky. ³⁶ 

Ulangan 6:5

6:5 You must love ³⁷  the Lord your God with your whole mind, ³⁸  your whole being, ³⁹  and all your strength. ⁴⁰ 

Ulangan 6:7

6:7 and you must teach ⁴¹  them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, ⁴²  as you lie down, and as you get up.

Ulangan 9:1-29

Theological Justification of the Conquest

9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. ⁴³  9:2 They include the Anakites, ⁴⁴  a numerous ⁴⁵  and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” 9:3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he ⁴⁶  has told you. 9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, ⁴⁷  that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he ⁴⁸  made on oath to your ancestors, ⁴⁹  to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 9:6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn ⁵⁰  people!

The History of Israel’s Stubbornness

9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget ⁵¹  – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. ⁵²  9:8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9:9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there ⁵³  forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger ⁵⁴  of God, and on them was everything ⁵⁵  he ⁵⁶  said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 9:11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 9:12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.” ⁵⁷  9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn ⁵⁸  lot! 9:14 Stand aside ⁵⁹  and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, ⁶⁰  and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”

9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it ⁶¹  was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 9:16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; ⁶²  you had quickly turned aside from the way he ⁶³  had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, ⁶⁴  and shattered them before your very eyes. 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger ⁶⁵  that threatened to destroy you. But he ⁶⁶  listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him ⁶⁷  too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing ⁶⁸  that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, ⁶⁹  ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, ⁷⁰  Massah, ⁷¹  and Kibroth-Hattaavah. ⁷²  9:23 And when he ⁷³  sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God ⁷⁴  and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him ⁷⁵  from the very first day I knew you!

Moses’ Plea on Behalf of the Lord’s Reputation

9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, ⁷⁶  for he ⁷⁷  had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: ⁷⁸  O, Lord God, ⁷⁹  do not destroy your people, your valued property ⁸⁰  that you have powerfully redeemed, ⁸¹  whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. ⁸²  9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 9:28 Otherwise the people of the land ⁸³  from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.” ⁸⁴  9:29 They are your people, your valued property, ⁸⁵  whom you brought out with great strength and power. ⁸⁶ 

Ulangan 13:1-18

13:1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams ⁸⁷  should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, ⁸⁸  13:2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” 13:3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, ⁸⁹  for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him ⁹⁰  with all your mind and being. ⁹¹  13:4 You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 13:5 As for that prophet or dreamer, ⁹²  he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge out evil from within. ⁹³ 

False Prophets in the Family

13:6 Suppose your own full brother, ⁹⁴  your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods ⁹⁵  that neither you nor your ancestors ⁹⁶  have previously known, ⁹⁷  13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth ⁹⁸  to the other). 13:8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! ⁹⁹  Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ¹⁰⁰  and then the hands of the whole community. 13:10 You must stone him to death ¹⁰¹  because he tried to entice you away from the Lord your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 13:11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you. ¹⁰² 

Punishment of Community Idolatry

13:12 Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13:13 some evil people ¹⁰³  have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, ¹⁰⁴  saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). ¹⁰⁵  13:14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, ¹⁰⁶  13:15 you must by all means ¹⁰⁷  slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate ¹⁰⁸  with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. 13:16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza ¹⁰⁹  and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin ¹¹⁰  forever – it must never be rebuilt again. 13:17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. ¹¹¹  Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. 13:18 Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving ¹¹²  you today and doing what is right ¹¹³  before him. ¹¹⁴ 

Ulangan 10:12-19

An Exhortation to Love Both God and People

10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, ¹¹⁵  to obey all his commandments, ¹¹⁶  to love him, to serve him ¹¹⁷  with all your mind and being, ¹¹⁸  10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving ¹¹⁹  you today for your own good? 10:14 The heavens – indeed the highest heavens – belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 10:15 However, only to your ancestors did he ¹²⁰  show his loving favor, ¹²¹  and he chose you, their descendants, ¹²²  from all peoples – as is apparent today. 10:16 Therefore, cleanse ¹²³  your heart and stop being so stubborn! ¹²⁴  10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 10:18 who justly treats ¹²⁵  the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 10:19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Ulangan 10:11

10:11 Then he ¹²⁶  said to me, “Get up, set out leading ¹²⁷  the people so they may go and possess ¹²⁸  the land I promised to give to their ancestors.” ¹²⁹ 

Ulangan 1:1-46

The Covenant Setting

1:1 This is what ¹³⁰  Moses said to the assembly of Israel ¹³¹  in the Transjordanian ¹³²  wastelands, the arid country opposite ¹³³  Suph, ¹³⁴  between ¹³⁵  Paran ¹³⁶  and Tophel, ¹³⁷  Laban, ¹³⁸  Hazeroth, ¹³⁹  and Di Zahab ¹⁴⁰  1:2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey ¹⁴¹  from Horeb ¹⁴²  to Kadesh Barnea ¹⁴³  by way of Mount Seir. ¹⁴⁴  1:3 However, it was not until ¹⁴⁵  the first day of the eleventh month ¹⁴⁶  of the fortieth year ¹⁴⁷  that Moses addressed the Israelites just as ¹⁴⁸  the Lord had instructed him to do. 1:4 This took place after the defeat ¹⁴⁹  of King Sihon ¹⁵⁰  of the Amorites, whose capital was ¹⁵¹  in Heshbon, ¹⁵²  and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was ¹⁵³  in Ashtaroth, ¹⁵⁴  specifically in Edrei. ¹⁵⁵  1:5 So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words: ¹⁵⁶ 

Events at Horeb

1:6 The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, “You have stayed ¹⁵⁷  in the area of this mountain long enough. 1:7 Get up now, ¹⁵⁸  resume your journey, heading for ¹⁵⁹  the Amorite hill country, to all its areas ¹⁶⁰  including the arid country, ¹⁶¹  the highlands, the Shephelah, ¹⁶²  the Negev, ¹⁶³  and the coastal plain – all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates. 1:8 Look! I have already given the land to you. ¹⁶⁴  Go, occupy the territory that I, ¹⁶⁵  the Lord, promised ¹⁶⁶  to give to your ancestors ¹⁶⁷  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.” ¹⁶⁸  1:9 I also said to you at that time, “I am no longer able to sustain you by myself. 1:10 The Lord your God has increased your population ¹⁶⁹  to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. ¹⁷⁰  1:11 Indeed, may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you ¹⁷¹  just as he said he would! 1:12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? 1:13 Select wise and practical ¹⁷²  men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.” 1:14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. 1:15 So I chose ¹⁷³  as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials. 1:16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they ¹⁷⁴  should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens ¹⁷⁵  and judge fairly, ¹⁷⁶  whether between one citizen and another ¹⁷⁷  or a citizen and a resident foreigner. ¹⁷⁸  1:17 They ¹⁷⁹  must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly ¹⁸⁰  and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing.

Instructions at Kadesh Barnea

1:18 So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do. 1:19 Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense, forbidding wilderness that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the Lord our God had commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea. 1:20 Then I said to you, “You have come to the Amorite hill country which the Lord our God is about to give ¹⁸¹  us. 1:21 Look, he ¹⁸²  has placed the land in front of you! ¹⁸³  Go up, take possession of it, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!” 1:22 So all of you approached me and said, “Let’s send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there.” 1:23 I thought this was a good idea, ¹⁸⁴  so I sent ¹⁸⁵  twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 1:24 They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, ¹⁸⁶  which they scouted out. 1:25 Then they took ¹⁸⁷  some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying, “The land that the Lord our God is about to give us is good.”

Disobedience at Kadesh Barnea

1:26 You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the Lord your God. ¹⁸⁸  1:27 You complained among yourselves privately ¹⁸⁹  and said, “Because the Lord hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us! 1:28 What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage ¹⁹⁰  by describing people who are more numerous ¹⁹¹  and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven ¹⁹²  itself! Moreover, they said they saw ¹⁹³  Anakites ¹⁹⁴  there.” 1:29 So I responded to you, “Do not be terrified ¹⁹⁵  of them! 1:30 The Lord your God is about to go ¹⁹⁶  ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt ¹⁹⁷  1:31 and in the desert, where you saw him ¹⁹⁸  carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place.” 1:32 However, through all this you did not have confidence in the Lord your God, 1:33 the one who was constantly going before you to find places for you to set up camp. He appeared by fire at night and cloud by day, to show you the way you ought to go.

Judgment at Kadesh Barnea

1:34 When the Lord heard you, he became angry and made this vow: ¹⁹⁹  1:35 “Not a single person ²⁰⁰  of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors! 1:36 The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh; ²⁰¹  he will see it and I will give him and his descendants the territory on which he has walked, because he has wholeheartedly followed me.” ²⁰²  1:37 As for me, the Lord was also angry with me on your account. He said, “You also will not be able to go there. 1:38 However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, ²⁰³  will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. ²⁰⁴  1:39 Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, ²⁰⁵  and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad, ²⁰⁶  will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it. 1:40 But as for you, ²⁰⁷  turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea.” ²⁰⁸ 

Unsuccessful Conquest of Canaan

1:41 Then you responded to me and admitted, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will now go up and fight as the Lord our God has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up to the hill country. 1:42 But the Lord told me: “Tell them this: ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.’” 1:43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the Lord ²⁰⁹  and recklessly went up to the hill country. 1:44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area ²¹⁰  confronted ²¹¹  you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah. ²¹²  1:45 Then you came back and wept before the Lord, but he ²¹³  paid no attention to you whatsoever. ²¹⁴  1:46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time – indeed, for the full time. ²¹⁵ 

Ulangan 13:1-18

13:1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams ²¹⁶  should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, ²¹⁷  13:2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.” 13:3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, ²¹⁸  for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him ²¹⁹  with all your mind and being. ²²⁰  13:4 You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him. 13:5 As for that prophet or dreamer, ²²¹  he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must purge out evil from within. ²²² 

False Prophets in the Family

13:6 Suppose your own full brother, ²²³  your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly and encourage you to go and serve other gods ²²⁴  that neither you nor your ancestors ²²⁵  have previously known, ²²⁶  13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth ²²⁷  to the other). 13:8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him. 13:9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! ²²⁸  Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ²²⁹  and then the hands of the whole community. 13:10 You must stone him to death ²³⁰  because he tried to entice you away from the Lord your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 13:11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do evil like this among you. ²³¹ 

Punishment of Community Idolatry

13:12 Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13:13 some evil people ²³²  have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, ²³³  saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). ²³⁴  13:14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, ²³⁵  13:15 you must by all means ²³⁶  slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate ²³⁷  with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. 13:16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza ²³⁸  and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin ²³⁹  forever – it must never be rebuilt again. 13:17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. ²⁴⁰  Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors. 13:18 Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving ²⁴¹  you today and doing what is right ²⁴²  before him. ²⁴³ 

Ulangan 22:1-30

Laws Concerning Preservation of Life

22:1 When you see ²⁴⁴  your neighbor’s ²⁴⁵  ox or sheep going astray, do not ignore it; ²⁴⁶  you must return it without fail ²⁴⁷  to your neighbor. 22:2 If the owner ²⁴⁸  does not live ²⁴⁹  near you or you do not know who the owner is, ²⁵⁰  then you must corral the animal ²⁵¹  at your house and let it stay with you until the owner looks for it; then you must return it to him. 22:3 You shall do the same to his donkey, his clothes, or anything else your neighbor ²⁵²  has lost and you have found; you must not refuse to get involved. ²⁵³  22:4 When you see ²⁵⁴  your neighbor’s donkey or ox fallen along the road, do not ignore it; ²⁵⁵  instead, you must be sure ²⁵⁶  to help him get the animal on its feet again. ²⁵⁷ 

22:5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, ²⁵⁸  nor should a man dress up in women’s clothing, for anyone who does this is offensive ²⁵⁹  to the Lord your God.

22:6 If you happen to notice a bird’s nest along the road, whether in a tree or on the ground, and there are chicks or eggs with the mother bird sitting on them, ²⁶⁰  you must not take the mother from the young. ²⁶¹  22:7 You must be sure ²⁶²  to let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourself. Do this so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.

22:8 If you build a new house, you must construct a guard rail ²⁶³  around your roof to avoid being culpable ²⁶⁴  in the event someone should fall from it.

Illustrations of the Principle of Purity

22:9 You must not plant your vineyard with two kinds of seed; otherwise the entire yield, both of the seed you plant and the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled. ²⁶⁵  22:10 You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together. 22:11 You must not wear clothing made with wool and linen meshed together. ²⁶⁶  22:12 You shall make yourselves tassels ²⁶⁷  for the four corners of the clothing you wear.

Purity in the Marriage Relationship

22:13 Suppose a man marries a woman, has sexual relations with her, ²⁶⁸  and then rejects ²⁶⁹  her, 22:14 accusing her of impropriety ²⁷⁰  and defaming her reputation ²⁷¹  by saying, “I married this woman but when I had sexual relations ²⁷²  with her I discovered she was not a virgin!” 22:15 Then the father and mother of the young woman must produce the evidence of virginity ²⁷³  for the elders of the city at the gate. 22:16 The young woman’s father must say to the elders, “I gave my daughter to this man and he has rejected ²⁷⁴  her. 22:17 Moreover, he has raised accusations of impropriety by saying, ‘I discovered your daughter was not a virgin,’ but this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity!” The cloth must then be spread out ²⁷⁵  before the city’s elders. 22:18 The elders of that city must then seize the man and punish ²⁷⁶  him. 22:19 They will fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, for the man who made the accusation ²⁷⁷  ruined the reputation ²⁷⁸  of an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

22:20 But if the accusation is true and the young woman was not a virgin, 22:21 the men of her city must bring the young woman to the door of her father’s house and stone her to death, for she has done a disgraceful thing ²⁷⁹  in Israel by behaving like a prostitute while living in her father’s house. In this way you will purge ²⁸⁰  evil from among you.

22:22 If a man is caught having sexual relations with ²⁸¹  a married woman ²⁸²  both the man who had relations with the woman and the woman herself must die; in this way you will purge ²⁸³  evil from Israel.

22:23 If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets ²⁸⁴  her in the city and has sexual relations with ²⁸⁵  her, 22:24 you must bring the two of them to the gate of that city and stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry out though in the city and the man because he violated ²⁸⁶  his neighbor’s fiancée; ²⁸⁷  in this way you will purge ²⁸⁸  evil from among you. 22:25 But if the man came across ²⁸⁹  the engaged woman in the field and overpowered her and raped ²⁹⁰  her, then only the rapist ²⁹¹  must die. 22:26 You must not do anything to the young woman – she has done nothing deserving of death. This case is the same as when someone attacks another person ²⁹²  and murders him, 22:27 for the man ²⁹³  met her in the field and the engaged woman cried out, but there was no one to rescue her.

22:28 Suppose a man comes across a virgin who is not engaged and overpowers and rapes ²⁹⁴  her and they are discovered. 22:29 The man who has raped her must pay her father fifty shekels of silver and she must become his wife because he has violated her; he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

22:30 (23:1) ²⁹⁵  A man may not marry ²⁹⁶  his father’s former ²⁹⁷  wife and in this way dishonor his father. ²⁹⁸ 

Ulangan 13:3

13:3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, ²⁹⁹  for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him ³⁰⁰  with all your mind and being. ³⁰¹ 

Ulangan 13:1

13:1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams ³⁰²  should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, ³⁰³ 

Ulangan 9:1-29

Theological Justification of the Conquest

9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. ³⁰⁴  9:2 They include the Anakites, ³⁰⁵  a numerous ³⁰⁶  and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” 9:3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he ³⁰⁷  has told you. 9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, ³⁰⁸  that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he ³⁰⁹  made on oath to your ancestors, ³¹⁰  to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 9:6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn ³¹¹  people!

The History of Israel’s Stubbornness

9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget ³¹²  – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. ³¹³  9:8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9:9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there ³¹⁴  forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger ³¹⁵  of God, and on them was everything ³¹⁶  he ³¹⁷  said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 9:11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 9:12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.” ³¹⁸  9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn ³¹⁹  lot! 9:14 Stand aside ³²⁰  and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, ³²¹  and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”

9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it ³²²  was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 9:16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; ³²³  you had quickly turned aside from the way he ³²⁴  had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, ³²⁵  and shattered them before your very eyes. 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger ³²⁶  that threatened to destroy you. But he ³²⁷  listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him ³²⁸  too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing ³²⁹  that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, ³³⁰  ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, ³³¹  Massah, ³³²  and Kibroth-Hattaavah. ³³³  9:23 And when he ³³⁴  sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God ³³⁵  and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him ³³⁶  from the very first day I knew you!

Moses’ Plea on Behalf of the Lord’s Reputation

9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, ³³⁷  for he ³³⁸  had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: ³³⁹  O, Lord God, ³⁴⁰  do not destroy your people, your valued property ³⁴¹  that you have powerfully redeemed, ³⁴²  whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. ³⁴³  9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 9:28 Otherwise the people of the land ³⁴⁴  from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.” ³⁴⁵  9:29 They are your people, your valued property, ³⁴⁶  whom you brought out with great strength and power. ³⁴⁷ 

Ulangan 23:5

23:5 But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed ³⁴⁸  the curse to a blessing, for the Lord your God loves ³⁴⁹  you.

Ulangan 23:1

Purity in Public Worship

23:1 A man with crushed ³⁵⁰  or severed genitals ³⁵¹  may not enter the assembly of the Lord. ³⁵² 

Ulangan 16:1-22

The Passover-Unleavened Bread Festival

16:1 Observe the month Abib ³⁵³  and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month ³⁵⁴  he ³⁵⁵  brought you out of Egypt by night. 16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal ³⁵⁶  (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he ³⁵⁷  chooses to locate his name. 16:3 You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, symbolic of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly. You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came out of the land of Egypt. 16:4 There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land ³⁵⁸  for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning. ³⁵⁹  16:5 You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your villages ³⁶⁰  that the Lord your God is giving you, 16:6 but you must sacrifice it ³⁶¹  in the evening in ³⁶²  the place where he ³⁶³  chooses to locate his name, at sunset, the time of day you came out of Egypt. 16:7 You must cook ³⁶⁴  and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses; you may return the next morning to your tents. 16:8 You must eat bread made without yeast for six days. The seventh day you are to hold an assembly for the Lord your God; you must not do any work on that day. ³⁶⁵ 

The Festival of Weeks

16:9 You must count seven weeks; you must begin to count them ³⁶⁶  from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain. 16:10 Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks ³⁶⁷  before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering ³⁶⁸  that you will bring, in proportion to how he ³⁶⁹  has blessed you. 16:11 You shall rejoice before him ³⁷⁰  – you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, ³⁷¹  the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you – in the place where the Lord chooses to locate his name. 16:12 Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to observe these statutes.

The Festival of Temporary Shelters

16:13 You must celebrate the Festival of Temporary Shelters ³⁷²  for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest. ³⁷³  16:14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. ³⁷⁴  16:15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he ³⁷⁵  chooses, for he ³⁷⁶  will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; ³⁷⁷  so you will indeed rejoice! 16:16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him ³⁷⁸  empty-handed. 16:17 Every one of you must give as you are able, ³⁷⁹  according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

Provision for Justice

16:18 You must appoint judges and civil servants ³⁸⁰  for each tribe in all your villages ³⁸¹  that the Lord your God is giving you, and they must judge the people fairly. ³⁸²  16:19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort ³⁸³  the words of the righteous. ³⁸⁴  16:20 You must pursue justice alone ³⁸⁵  so that you may live and inherit the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Examples of Legal Cases

16:21 You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred Asherah pole ³⁸⁶  near the altar of the Lord your God which you build for yourself. 16:22 You must not erect a sacred pillar, ³⁸⁷  a thing the Lord your God detests.

Ulangan 20:1-20

Laws Concerning War with Distant Enemies

20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry ³⁸⁸  and troops ³⁸⁹  who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 20:2 As you move forward for battle, the priest ³⁹⁰  will approach and say to the soldiers, ³⁹¹  20:3 “Listen, Israel! Today you are moving forward to do battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not fear and tremble or be terrified because of them, 20:4 for the Lord your God goes with you to fight on your behalf against your enemies to give you victory.” ³⁹²  20:5 Moreover, the officers are to say to the troops, ³⁹³  “Who among you ³⁹⁴  has built a new house and not dedicated ³⁹⁵  it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else ³⁹⁶  dedicate it. 20:6 Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it. 20:7 Or who among you ³⁹⁷  has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.” 20:8 In addition, the officers are to say to the troops, “Who among you is afraid and fainthearted? He may go home so that he will not make his fellow soldier’s ³⁹⁸  heart as fearful ³⁹⁹  as his own.” 20:9 Then, when the officers have finished speaking, ⁴⁰⁰  they must appoint unit commanders ⁴⁰¹  to lead the troops.

20:10 When you approach a city to wage war against it, offer it terms of peace. 20:11 If it accepts your terms ⁴⁰²  and submits to you, all the people found in it will become your slaves. ⁴⁰³  20:12 If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it. 20:13 The Lord your God will deliver it over to you ⁴⁰⁴  and you must kill every single male by the sword. 20:14 However, the women, little children, cattle, and anything else in the city – all its plunder – you may take for yourselves as spoil. You may take from your enemies the plunder that the Lord your God has given you. 20:15 This is how you are to deal with all those cities located far from you, those that do not belong to these nearby nations.

Laws Concerning War with Canaanite Nations

20:16 As for the cities of these peoples that ⁴⁰⁵  the Lord your God is going to give you as an inheritance, you must not allow a single living thing ⁴⁰⁶  to survive. 20:17 Instead you must utterly annihilate them ⁴⁰⁷  – the Hittites, ⁴⁰⁸  Amorites, ⁴⁰⁹  Canaanites, ⁴¹⁰  Perizzites, ⁴¹¹  Hivites, ⁴¹²  and Jebusites ⁴¹³  – just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 20:18 so that they cannot teach you all the abhorrent ways they worship ⁴¹⁴  their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God. 20:19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, ⁴¹⁵  you must not chop down its trees, ⁴¹⁶  for you may eat fruit ⁴¹⁷  from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it! ⁴¹⁸  20:20 However, you may chop down any tree you know is not suitable for food, ⁴¹⁹  and you may use it to build siege works ⁴²⁰  against the city that is making war with you until that city falls.

[4:37]  ¹ tn The concept of love here is not primarily that of emotional affection but of commitment or devotion. This verse suggests that God chose Israel to be his special people because he loved the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and had promised to bless their descendants. See as well Deut 7:7-9.

[4:37]  ² tc The LXX, Smr, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read a third person masculine plural suffix for the MT’s 3rd person masculine singular, “his descendants.” Cf. Deut 10:15. Quite likely the MT should be emended in this instance.

[4:5]  ³ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so ASV).

[10:1]  ⁴ tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.

[10:2]  ⁵ sn 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.

[10:3]  ⁶ sn Acacia wood (Heb “shittim wood”). This is wood from the acacia, the most common timber tree of the Sinai region. Most likely it is the species Acacia raddiana because this has the largest trunk. See F. N. Hepper, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, 63.

[10:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.

[10:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”

[10:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[10:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” earlier in this verse.

[10:6]  ¹² sn Beeroth Bene-Yaaqan. This Hebrew name could be translated “the wells of Bene-Yaaqan” or “the wells of the sons of Yaaqan,” a site whose location cannot be determined (cf. Num 33:31-32; 1 Chr 1:42).

[10:6]  ¹³ sn Moserah. Since Aaron in other texts (Num 20:28; 33:38) is said to have died on Mount Hor, this must be the Arabah region in which Hor was located.

[10:7]  ¹⁴ sn Gudgodah. This is probably the same as Haggidgad, which is also associated with Jotbathah (Num 33:33).

[10:7]  ¹⁵ sn Jotbathah. This place, whose Hebrew name can be translated “place of wadis,” is possibly modern Ain Tabah, just north of Eilat, or Tabah, 6.5 mi (11 km) south of Eilat on the west shore of the Gulf of Aqaba.

[10:8]  ¹⁶ sn 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.

[10:8]  ¹⁷ sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.

[10:9]  ¹⁸ sn Levi has no allotment or inheritance. As the priestly tribe, Levi would have no land allotment except for forty-eight towns set apart for their use (Num 35:1-8; Josh 21:1-42). But theirs was a far greater inheritance, for the Lord himself was their apportionment, that is, service to him would be their full-time and lifelong privilege (Num 18:20-24; Deut 18:2; Josh 13:33).

[10:9]  ¹⁹ tn That is, among the other Israelite tribes.

[10:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”

[10:11]  ²² tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.

[10:11]  ²³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).

[10:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”

[10:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[10:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.

[10:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “take delight to love.” Here again the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”), juxtaposed with בָחַר (bakhar, “choose”), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the 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).

[10:15]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.

[10:16]  ³² tn Heb “circumcise the foreskin of” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). Reference to the Abrahamic covenant prompts Moses to recall the sign of that covenant, namely, physical circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). Just as that act signified total covenant obedience, so spiritual circumcision (cleansing of the heart) signifies more internally a commitment to be pliable and obedient to the will of God (cf. Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:26).

[10:16]  ³³ tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.

[10:18]  ³⁴ tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”

[10:21]  ³⁵ tn Heb “your praise.” The pronoun is subjective and the noun “praise” is used here metonymically for the object of their praise (the Lord).

[10:22]  ³⁶ tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[6:5]  ³⁷ tn The verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the Lord is to be absolutely loyal and 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.

[6:5]  ³⁸ tn Heb “heart.” In OT physiology the heart (לֵב, לֵבָב; levav, lev) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect, so that one could think with one’s heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.

[6:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “soul”; “being.” Contrary to Hellenistic ideas of a soul that is discrete and separate from the body and spirit, OT anthropology equated the “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) as “being” or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.

[6:5]  ⁴⁰ sn For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.

[6:7]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.

[6:7]  ⁴² tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”

[9:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.

[9:2]  ⁴⁴ sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.

[9:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).

[9:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style to avoid redundancy.

[9:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the Lord’s favor. As he states in both vv. 4-5, the main reason he allowed Israel to take this land was the sinfulness of the Canaanites who lived there (cf. Gen 15:16).

[9:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “fathers.”

[9:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).

[9:6]  sn The Hebrew word translated stubborn means “stiff-necked.” The image is that of a draft animal that is unsubmissive to the rein or yoke and refuses to bend its neck to draw the load. This is an apt description of OT Israel (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:13).

[9:7]  ⁵¹ tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.

[9:7]  ⁵² tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise in the following verse with both “him” and “he”). See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:9]  ⁵³ tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:10]  ⁵⁴ sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself – not Moses in any way – was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).

[9:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “according to all the words.”

[9:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise at the beginning of vv. 12, 13). See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:12]  ⁵⁷ tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some mss and Smr add עֵגֶל (’egel, “calf”), “a molten calf” or the like (Exod 32:8). Perhaps Moses here omits reference to the calf out of contempt for it.

[9:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.

[9:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “leave me alone.”

[9:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “from under heaven.”

[9:15]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[9:16]  ⁶² tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.

[9:16]  ⁶³ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:17]  ⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[9:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).

[9:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.

[9:21]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).

[9:21]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “burned it with fire.”

[9:22]  ⁷⁰ sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “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).

[9:22]  ⁷¹ sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.

[9:22]  ⁷² sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).

[9:23]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:23]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.

[9:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:25]  ⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.

[9:25]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:26]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:26]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “Lord Lord” (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, ’adonay yÿhvih). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהִים, ’adonay ’elohim). See also the note on the phrase “Lord God” in Deut 3:24.

[9:26]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.

[9:26]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”

[9:26]  ⁸² tn Heb “by your strong hand.”

[9:28]  ⁸³ tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (’am, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:28]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[9:29]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.

[9:29]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”

[13:1]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “or a dreamer of dreams” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). The difference between a prophet (נָבִיא, navi’) and one who foretells by dreams (חֹלֵם אוֹ, ’o kholem) was not so much one of office – for both received revelation by dreams (cf. Num 12:6) – as it was of function or emphasis. The prophet was more a proclaimer and interpreter of revelation whereas the one who foretold by dreams was a receiver of revelation. In later times the role of the one who foretold by dreams was abused and thus denigrated as compared to that of the prophet (cf. Jer 23:28).

[13:1]  ⁸⁸ tn The expression אוֹת אוֹ מוֹפֵת (’ot ’o mofet) became a formulaic way of speaking of ways of authenticating prophetic messages or other works of God (cf. Deut 28:46; Isa 20:3). The NT equivalent is the Greek term σημεῖον (shmeion), a sign performed (used frequently in the Gospel of John, cf. 2:11, 18; 20:30-31). They could, however, be counterfeited or (as here) permitted to false prophets by the Lord as a means of testing his people.

[13:3]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

[13:3]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[13:3]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[13:5]  ⁹² tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

[13:5]  ⁹³ tn Heb “your midst” (so NAB, NRSV). The severity of the judgment here (i.e., capital punishment) is because of the severity of the sin, namely, high treason against the Great King. Idolatry is a violation of the first two commandments (Deut 5:6-10) as well as the spirit and intent of the Shema (Deut 6:4-5).

[13:6]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.

[13:6]  ⁹⁵ tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”

[13:6]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).

[13:6]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).

[13:7]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”

[13:9]  ⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).

[13:9]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.

[13:10]  ¹⁰¹ sn Execution by means of pelting the offender with stones afforded a mechanism whereby the whole community could share in it. In a very real sense it could be done not only in the name of the community and on its behalf but by its members (cf. Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Deut 21:21; Josh 7:25).

[13:11]  ¹⁰² sn Some see in this statement an argument for the deterrent effect of capital punishment (Deut 17:13; 19:20; 21:21).

[13:13]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “men, sons of Belial.” The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל (bÿliyya’al) has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 133-34 s.v.). Cf. NAB, NRSV “scoundrels”; TEV, CEV “worthless people”; NLT “worthless rabble.”

[13:13]  ¹⁰⁴ tc The LXX and Tg read “your” for the MT’s “their.”

[13:13]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The translation understands the relative clause as a statement by Moses, not as part of the quotation from the evildoers. See also v. 2.

[13:14]  ¹⁰⁶ tc Theodotian adds “in Israel,” perhaps to broaden the matter beyond the local village.

[13:15]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “by all means.” Cf. KJV, NASB “surely”; NIV “certainly.”

[13:15]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “put under divine judgment. The Hebrew word (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to placing persons or things under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction.Though primarily applied against the heathen, this severe judgment could also fall upon unrepentant Israelites (cf. the story of Achan in Josh 7). See also the note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.

[13:16]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “street.”

[13:16]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “mound”; NAB “a heap of ruins.” The Hebrew word תֵּל (tel) refers to this day to a ruin represented especially by a built-up mound of dirt or debris (cf. Tel Aviv, “mound of grain”).

[13:17]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “anything that has been put under the divine curse”; Heb “anything of the ban” (cf. NASB). See note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.

[13:18]  ¹¹² tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).

[13:18]  ¹¹³ tc The LXX and Smr add “and good” to bring the phrase in line with a familiar cliché (cf. Deut 6:18; Josh 9:25; 2 Kgs 10:3; 2 Chr 14:1; etc.). This is an unnecessary and improper attempt to force a text into a preconceived mold.

[13:18]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord your God.” See note on the word “him” in v. 3.

[10:12]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”

[10:12]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[10:13]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.

[10:15]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:15]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “take delight to love.” Here again the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”), juxtaposed with בָחַר (bakhar, “choose”), is a term in covenant contexts that describes the 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).

[10:15]  ¹²² tn The Hebrew text includes “after them,” but it is redundant in English style and has not been included in the translation.

[10:16]  ¹²³ tn Heb “circumcise the foreskin of” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). Reference to the Abrahamic covenant prompts Moses to recall the sign of that covenant, namely, physical circumcision (Gen 17:9-14). Just as that act signified total covenant obedience, so spiritual circumcision (cleansing of the heart) signifies more internally a commitment to be pliable and obedient to the will of God (cf. Deut 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:26).

[10:16]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “your neck do not harden again.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.

[10:18]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “who executes justice for” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “gives justice to.”

[10:11]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “before” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “at the head of.”

[10:11]  ¹²⁸ tn After the imperative these subordinated jussive forms (with prefixed vav) indicate purpose or result.

[10:11]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 15, 22).

[1:1]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “These are the words.”

[1:1]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “to all Israel.”

[1:1]  ¹³² tn 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 בְּעֵבֶר הַיּרְדֵּן (bÿ’ever hayyrÿden) 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.

[1:1]  ¹³³ tn The Hebrew term מוֹל (mol) may also mean “in front of” or “near” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[1:1]  ¹³⁴ sn This place is otherwise unattested and its location is unknown. Perhaps it is Khirbet Sufah, 4 mi (6 km) SSE of Madaba, Jordan.

[1:1]  ¹³⁵ tn The Hebrew term בֵּין (ben) may suggest “in the area of.”

[1:1]  ¹³⁶ sn Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Num 10:12; 12:16).

[1:1]  ¹³⁷ sn 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.

[1:1]  ¹³⁸ sn Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Num 33:20).

[1:1]  ¹³⁹ sn Hazeroth. This probably refers to àAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200.

[1:1]  ¹⁴⁰ sn Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the eastern Sinai coast.

[1:2]  ¹⁴¹ sn An eleven-day journey was about 140 mi (233 km).

[1:2]  ¹⁴² sn 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.

[1:2]  ¹⁴³ sn Kadesh Barnea. Possibly this refers to àAin Qudeis, about 50 mi (80 km) southwest of Beer Sheba, but more likely to àAin Qudeirat, 5 mi (8 km) NW of àAin Qudeis. See R. Cohen, “Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?” BAR 7 (1981): 20-33.

[1:2]  ¹⁴⁴ sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom. “By way of Mount Seir” refers to the route from Horeb that ended up in Edom Cf. CEV “by way of the Mount Seir Road”; TEV “by way of the hill country of Edom.”

[1:3]  ¹⁴⁵ tn 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.

[1:3]  ¹⁴⁶ sn The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar.

[1:3]  ¹⁴⁷ sn 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.

[1:3]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “according to all which.”

[1:4]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “when he struck [or “smote”].”

[1:4]  ¹⁵⁰ sn See Deut 2:26–3:22.

[1:4]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “who lived.”

[1:4]  ¹⁵² sn Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesban, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south southwest of Amman, Jordan.

[1:4]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “who lived.”

[1:4]  ¹⁵⁴ sn Ashtaroth is probably Tell àAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee.

[1:4]  ¹⁵⁵ sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31).

[1:5]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “this instruction”; KJV, NIV, NRSV “this law”; TEV “God’s laws and teachings.” The Hebrew noun תוֹרָה (torah) is derived from the verb יָרָה (yarah, “to teach”) and here it refers to the Book of Deuteronomy, not the Pentateuch as a whole.

[1:6]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.”

[1:7]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “turn”; NAB “Leave here”; NIV, TEV “Break camp.”

[1:7]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “go (to).”

[1:7]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “its dwelling places.”

[1:7]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “the Arabah” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[1:7]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “lowlands” (so TEV) or “steppes”; NIV, CEV, NLT “the western foothills.”

[1:7]  sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country.

[1:7]  ¹⁶³ sn The Hebrew term Negev means literally “desert” or “south” (so KJV, ASV). It refers to the area south of Beer Sheba and generally west of the Arabah Valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.

[1:8]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.”

[1:8]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” Since the Lord is speaking, it is preferable for clarity to supply the first person pronoun in the translation.

[1:8]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “swore” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to God’s promise, made by solemn oath, to give the patriarchs the land.

[1:8]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35).

[1:8]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “their seed after them.”

[1:10]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “multiplied you.”

[1:10]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[1:11]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “may he bless you.”

[1:13]  ¹⁷² tn The Hebrew verb נְבֹנִים (nÿvonim, from בִּין [bin]) is a Niphal referring to skill or intelligence (see T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:652-53).

[1:15]  ¹⁷³ tn Or “selected”; Heb “took.”

[1:16]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “you.” A number of English versions treat the remainder of this verse and v. 17 as direct discourse rather than indirect discourse (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[1:16]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “brothers.” The term “brothers” could, in English, be understood to refer to siblings, so “fellow citizens” has been used in the translation.

[1:16]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew word צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “fairly”) carries the basic idea of conformity to a norm of expected behavior or character, one established by God himself. Fair judgment adheres strictly to that norm or standard (see D. Reimer, NIDOTTE 3:750).

[1:16]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “between a man and his brother.”

[1:16]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “his stranger” or “his sojourner”; NAB, NIV “an alien”; NRSV “resident alien.” The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) commonly means “foreigner.”

[1:17]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “you,” and throughout the verse (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[1:17]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “the small,” but referring to social status, not physical stature.

[1:20]  ¹⁸¹ tn The Hebrew participle has an imminent future sense here, although many English versions treat it as a present tense (“is giving us,” NAB, NIV, NRSV) or a predictive future (“will give us,” NCV).

[1:21]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid repetition.

[1:21]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[1:23]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.”

[1:23]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.”

[1:24]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Or “the Wadi Eshcol” (so NAB).

[1:24]  sn 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.

[1:25]  ¹⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style.

[1:26]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God.” To include “the mouth” would make for odd English style. The mouth stands by metonymy for the Lord’s command, which in turn represents the Lord himself.

[1:27]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “in your tents,” that is, privately.

[1:28]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “have caused our hearts to melt.”

[1:28]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “greater.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “stronger,” NAB, NIV, NRSV; “bigger,” NASB).

[1:28]  ¹⁹² tn Or “as the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[1:28]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “we have seen.”

[1:28]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “the sons of the Anakim.”

[1:28]  sn 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).

[1:29]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “do not tremble and do not be afraid.” Two synonymous commands are combined for emphasis.

[1:30]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew participle indicates imminent future action here, though some English versions treat it as a predictive future (“will go ahead of you,” NCV; cf. also TEV, CEV).

[1:30]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

[1:31]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“him”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:34]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “and swore,” i.e., made an oath or vow.

[1:35]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “Not a man among these men.”

[1:36]  ²⁰¹ sn 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).

[1:36]  ²⁰² tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun (“me”) has been employed in the translation, since it sounds strange to an English reader for the Lord to speak about himself in third person.

[1:38]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “the one who stands before you”; NAB “your aide”; TEV “your helper.”

[1:38]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:39]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “would be a prey.”

[1:39]  ²⁰⁶ sn Do not know good from bad. This is a figure of speech called a merism (suggesting 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” (Jonah 4:11). A young child is characterized by lack of knowledge.

[1:40]  ²⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, as are the following verbs, indicating that Moses and the people are addressed (note v. 41).

[1:40]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “the Reed Sea.” “Reed” is a better translation of the Hebrew סוּף (suf), traditionally rendered “red.” The name “Red Sea” is based on the LXX which referred to it as ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης (eruqra" qalassh", “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.

[1:43]  ²⁰⁹ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.” See note at 1:26.

[1:44]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “in that hill country,” repeating the end of v. 43.

[1:44]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “came out to meet.”

[1:44]  ²¹² sn Hormah is probably Khirbet el-Meshash, 5.5 mi (9 km) west of Arad and 7.5 mi (12 km) SE of Beer Sheba. Its name is a derivative of the verb חָרָם (kharam, “to ban; to exterminate”). See Num 21:3.

[1:45]  ²¹³ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[1:45]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “did not hear your voice and did not turn an ear to you.”

[1:46]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “like the days which you lived.” This refers to the rest of the forty-year period in the desert before Israel arrived in Moab.

[13:1]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “or a dreamer of dreams” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). The difference between a prophet (נָבִיא, navi’) and one who foretells by dreams (חֹלֵם אוֹ, ’o kholem) was not so much one of office – for both received revelation by dreams (cf. Num 12:6) – as it was of function or emphasis. The prophet was more a proclaimer and interpreter of revelation whereas the one who foretold by dreams was a receiver of revelation. In later times the role of the one who foretold by dreams was abused and thus denigrated as compared to that of the prophet (cf. Jer 23:28).

[13:1]  ²¹⁷ tn The expression אוֹת אוֹ מוֹפֵת (’ot ’o mofet) became a formulaic way of speaking of ways of authenticating prophetic messages or other works of God (cf. Deut 28:46; Isa 20:3). The NT equivalent is the Greek term σημεῖον (shmeion), a sign performed (used frequently in the Gospel of John, cf. 2:11, 18; 20:30-31). They could, however, be counterfeited or (as here) permitted to false prophets by the Lord as a means of testing his people.

[13:3]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

[13:3]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[13:3]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[13:5]  ²²¹ tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

[13:5]  ²²² tn Heb “your midst” (so NAB, NRSV). The severity of the judgment here (i.e., capital punishment) is because of the severity of the sin, namely, high treason against the Great King. Idolatry is a violation of the first two commandments (Deut 5:6-10) as well as the spirit and intent of the Shema (Deut 6:4-5).

[13:6]  ²²³ tn Heb “your brother, the son of your mother.” In a polygamous society it was not rare to have half brothers and sisters by way of a common father and different mothers.

[13:6]  ²²⁴ tn In the Hebrew text these words are in the form of a brief quotation: “entice you secretly saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods.’”

[13:6]  ²²⁵ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 17).

[13:6]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “which you have not known, you or your fathers.” (cf. KJV, ASV; on “fathers” cf. v. 18).

[13:7]  ²²⁷ tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”

[13:9]  ²²⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail” (cf. NIV “you must certainly put him to death”).

[13:9]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “to put him to death,” but this is misleading in English for such an action would leave nothing for the others to do.

[13:10]  ²³⁰ sn Execution by means of pelting the offender with stones afforded a mechanism whereby the whole community could share in it. In a very real sense it could be done not only in the name of the community and on its behalf but by its members (cf. Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Deut 21:21; Josh 7:25).

[13:11]  ²³¹ sn Some see in this statement an argument for the deterrent effect of capital punishment (Deut 17:13; 19:20; 21:21).

[13:13]  ²³² tn Heb “men, sons of Belial.” The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל (bÿliyya’al) has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 133-34 s.v.). Cf. NAB, NRSV “scoundrels”; TEV, CEV “worthless people”; NLT “worthless rabble.”

[13:13]  ²³³ tc The LXX and Tg read “your” for the MT’s “their.”

[13:13]  ²³⁴ tn The translation understands the relative clause as a statement by Moses, not as part of the quotation from the evildoers. See also v. 2.

[13:14]  ²³⁵ tc Theodotian adds “in Israel,” perhaps to broaden the matter beyond the local village.

[13:15]  ²³⁶ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “by all means.” Cf. KJV, NASB “surely”; NIV “certainly.”

[13:15]  ²³⁷ tn Or “put under divine judgment. The Hebrew word (חֵרֶם, kherem) refers to placing persons or things under God’s judgment, usually to the extent of their complete destruction.Though primarily applied against the heathen, this severe judgment could also fall upon unrepentant Israelites (cf. the story of Achan in Josh 7). See also the note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.

[13:16]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “street.”

[13:16]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “mound”; NAB “a heap of ruins.” The Hebrew word תֵּל (tel) refers to this day to a ruin represented especially by a built-up mound of dirt or debris (cf. Tel Aviv, “mound of grain”).

[13:17]  ²⁴⁰ tn Or “anything that has been put under the divine curse”; Heb “anything of the ban” (cf. NASB). See note on the phrase “divine judgment” in Deut 2:34.

[13:18]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV).

[13:18]  ²⁴² tc The LXX and Smr add “and good” to bring the phrase in line with a familiar cliché (cf. Deut 6:18; Josh 9:25; 2 Kgs 10:3; 2 Chr 14:1; etc.). This is an unnecessary and improper attempt to force a text into a preconceived mold.

[13:18]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord your God.” See note on the word “him” in v. 3.

[22:1]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “you must not see,” but, if translated literally into English, the statement is misleading.

[22:1]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “brother’s” (also later in this verse). In this context it is not limited to one’s siblings, however; cf. NAB “your kinsman’s.”

[22:1]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “hide yourself.”

[22:1]  ²⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail.”

[22:2]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “your brother” (also later in this verse).

[22:2]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “is not.” The idea of “residing” is implied.

[22:2]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “and you do not know him.”

[22:2]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the ox or sheep mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:3]  ²⁵² tn Heb “your brother” (also in v. 4).

[22:3]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “you must not hide yourself.”

[22:4]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “you must not see.” See note at 22:1.

[22:4]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “and (must not) hide yourself from them.”

[22:4]  ²⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “be sure.”

[22:4]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “help him to lift them up.” In keeping with English style the singular is used in the translation, and the referent (“the animal”) has been specified for clarity.

[22:5]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “a man’s clothing.”

[22:5]  ²⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “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 forbidden practice.

[22:6]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “and the mother sitting upon the chicks or the eggs.”

[22:6]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “sons,” used here in a generic sense for offspring.

[22:7]  ²⁶² tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “be sure.”

[22:8]  ²⁶³ tn Or “a parapet” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV “a battlement”; NLT “a barrier.”

[22:8]  ²⁶⁴ tn Heb “that you not place bloodshed in your house.”

[22:9]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “set apart.” The verb קָדַשׁ (qadash) in the Qal verbal stem (as here) has the idea of being holy or being treated with special care. Some take the meaning as “be off-limits, forfeited,” i.e., the total produce of the vineyard, both crops and grapes, have to be forfeited to the sanctuary (cf. Exod 29:37; 30:29; Lev 6:18, 27; Num 16:37-38; Hag 2:12).

[22:11]  ²⁶⁶ tn The Hebrew term שַׁעַטְנֵז (sha’atnez) occurs only here and in Lev 19:19. HALOT 1610-11 s.v. takes it to be a contraction of words (שַׁשׁ [shash, “headdress”] + עַטְנַז [’atnaz, “strong”]). BDB 1043 s.v. שַׁעַטְנֵז offers the translation “mixed stuff” (cf. NEB “woven with two kinds of yarn”; NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “woven together”). The general meaning is clear even if the etymology is not.

[22:12]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “twisted threads” (גְּדִלִים, gÿdilim) appears to be synonymous with צִיצִת (tsitsit) 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. Cf. KJV, ASV “fringes”; NAB “twisted cords.”

[22:13]  ²⁶⁸ tn Heb “goes to her,” a Hebrew euphemistic idiom for sexual relations.

[22:13]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “hate.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15. Cf. NAB “comes to dislike”; NASB “turns against”; TEV “decides he doesn’t want.”

[22:14]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “deeds of things”; NRSV “makes up charges against her”; NIV “slanders her.”

[22:14]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “brings against her a bad name”; NIV “gives her a bad name.”

[22:14]  ²⁷² tn Heb “drew near to her.” This is another Hebrew euphemism for having sexual relations.

[22:15]  ²⁷³ sn In light of v. 17 this would evidently be blood-stained sheets indicative of the first instance of intercourse. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 302-3.

[22:16]  ²⁷⁴ tn Heb “hated.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15.

[22:17]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “they will spread the garment.”

[22:18]  ²⁷⁶ tn Heb “discipline.”

[22:19]  ²⁷⁷ tn 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.

[22:19]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “brought forth a bad name.”

[22:21]  ²⁷⁹ tn The Hebrew term נְבָלָה (nÿvalah) 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. Cf. NAB “she committed a crime against Israel.”

[22:21]  ²⁸⁰ tn Heb “burn.” See note on Deut 21:21.

[22:22]  ²⁸¹ tn Heb “lying with” (so KJV, NASB), a Hebrew idiom for sexual relations.

[22:22]  ²⁸² tn Heb “a woman married to a husband.”

[22:22]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.

[22:23]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “finds.”

[22:23]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “lies with.”

[22:24]  ²⁸⁶ tn Heb “humbled.”

[22:24]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “wife.”

[22:24]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.

[22:25]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “found,” also in vv. 27, 28.

[22:25]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “lay with” here refers to a forced sexual relationship, as the accompanying verb “seized” (חָזַק, khazaq) makes clear.

[22:25]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “the man who lay with her, only him.”

[22:26]  ²⁹² tn Heb “his neighbor.”

[22:27]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who attacked the woman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:28]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “lies with.”

[22:30]  ²⁹⁵ sn 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.

[22:30]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “take.” In context this refers to marriage, as in the older English expression “take a wife.”

[22:30]  ²⁹⁷ sn 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.

[22:30]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “uncover his father’s skirt” (so ASV, NASB). 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. NAB, NIV “dishonor his father’s bed”).

[13:3]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “or dreamer of dreams.” See note on this expression in v. 1.

[13:3]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[13:3]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “all your heart and soul” (so NRSV, CEV, NLT); or “heart and being” (NCV “your whole being”). See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[13:1]  ³⁰² tn Heb “or a dreamer of dreams” (so KJV, ASV, NASB). The difference between a prophet (נָבִיא, navi’) and one who foretells by dreams (חֹלֵם אוֹ, ’o kholem) was not so much one of office – for both received revelation by dreams (cf. Num 12:6) – as it was of function or emphasis. The prophet was more a proclaimer and interpreter of revelation whereas the one who foretold by dreams was a receiver of revelation. In later times the role of the one who foretold by dreams was abused and thus denigrated as compared to that of the prophet (cf. Jer 23:28).

[13:1]  ³⁰³ tn The expression אוֹת אוֹ מוֹפֵת (’ot ’o mofet) became a formulaic way of speaking of ways of authenticating prophetic messages or other works of God (cf. Deut 28:46; Isa 20:3). The NT equivalent is the Greek term σημεῖον (shmeion), a sign performed (used frequently in the Gospel of John, cf. 2:11, 18; 20:30-31). They could, however, be counterfeited or (as here) permitted to false prophets by the Lord as a means of testing his people.

[9:1]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.

[9:2]  ³⁰⁵ sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.

[9:2]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).

[9:3]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style to avoid redundancy.

[9:5]  ³⁰⁸ tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the Lord’s favor. As he states in both vv. 4-5, the main reason he allowed Israel to take this land was the sinfulness of the Canaanites who lived there (cf. Gen 15:16).

[9:5]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:5]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “fathers.”

[9:6]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).

[9:6]  sn The Hebrew word translated stubborn means “stiff-necked.” The image is that of a draft animal that is unsubmissive to the rein or yoke and refuses to bend its neck to draw the load. This is an apt description of OT Israel (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:13).

[9:7]  ³¹² tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.

[9:7]  ³¹³ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise in the following verse with both “him” and “he”). See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:9]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:10]  ³¹⁵ sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself – not Moses in any way – was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).

[9:10]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “according to all the words.”

[9:10]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise at the beginning of vv. 12, 13). See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:12]  ³¹⁸ tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some mss and Smr add עֵגֶל (’egel, “calf”), “a molten calf” or the like (Exod 32:8). Perhaps Moses here omits reference to the calf out of contempt for it.

[9:13]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.

[9:14]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “leave me alone.”

[9:14]  ³²¹ tn Heb “from under heaven.”

[9:15]  ³²² tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[9:16]  ³²³ tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.

[9:16]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:17]  ³²⁵ tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[9:19]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).

[9:19]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:20]  ³²⁸ tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.

[9:21]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).

[9:21]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “burned it with fire.”

[9:22]  ³³¹ sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “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).

[9:22]  ³³² sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.

[9:22]  ³³³ sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).

[9:23]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:23]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.

[9:24]  ³³⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:25]  ³³⁷ tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.

[9:25]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:26]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:26]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “Lord Lord” (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, ’adonay yÿhvih). The phrase is customarily rendered by Jewish tradition as “Lord God” (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהִים, ’adonay ’elohim). See also the note on the phrase “Lord God” in Deut 3:24.

[9:26]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.

[9:26]  ³⁴² tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”

[9:26]  ³⁴³ tn Heb “by your strong hand.”

[9:28]  ³⁴⁴ tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (’am, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:28]  ³⁴⁵ tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[9:29]  ³⁴⁶ tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.

[9:29]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”

[23:5]  ³⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God changed.” The phrase “the Lord your God” has not been included in the translation here for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy. Moreover, use of the pronoun “he” could create confusion regarding the referent (the Lord or Balaam).

[23:5]  ³⁴⁹ tn The verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”) here and commonly elsewhere in the Book of Deuteronomy speaks of God’s elective grace toward Israel. See note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.

[23:1]  ³⁵⁰ tn Heb “bruised by crushing,” which many English versions take to refer to crushed testicles (NAB, NRSV, NLT); TEV “who has been castrated.”

[23:1]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “cut off with respect to the penis”; KJV, ASV “hath his privy member cut off”; English versions vary in their degree of euphemism here; cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “penis”; NASB “male organ”; NCV “sex organ”; CEV “private parts”; NIV “emasculated by crushing or cutting.”

[23:1]  ³⁵² sn The Hebrew term translated “assembly” (קָהָל, qahal) 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 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.

[16:1]  ³⁵³ sn The month Abib, later called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Esth 3:7), corresponds to March-April in the modern calendar.

[16:1]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “in the month Abib.” The demonstrative “that” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:1]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[16:2]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[16:2]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in the previous verse.

[16:4]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “leaven must not be seen among you in all your border.”

[16:4]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “remain all night until the morning” (so KJV, ASV). This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:5]  ³⁶⁰ tn Heb “gates.”

[16:6]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “the Passover.” The translation uses a pronoun to avoid redundancy in English.

[16:6]  ³⁶² tc The MT reading אֶל (’el, “unto”) before “the place” should, following Smr, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate, be omitted in favor of ב (bet; בַּמָּקוֹם, bammaqom), “in the place.”

[16:6]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:7]  ³⁶⁴ tn The rules that governed the Passover meal are found in Exod 12:1-51, and Deut 16:1-8. The word translated “cook” (בָּשַׁל, bashal) here is translated “boil” in other places (e.g. Exod 23:19, 1 Sam 2:13-15). This would seem to contradict Exod 12:9 where the Israelites are told not to eat the Passover sacrifice raw or boiled. However, 2 Chr 35:13 recounts the celebration of a Passover feast during the reign of Josiah, and explains that the people “cooked (בָּשַׁל, bashal) the Passover sacrifices over the open fire.” The use of בָּשַׁל (bashal) with “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) suggests that the word could be used to speak of boiling or roasting.

[16:8]  ³⁶⁵ tn The words “on that day” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for clarification (cf. TEV, NLT).

[16:9]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “the seven weeks.” The translation uses a pronoun to avoid redundancy in English.

[16:10]  ³⁶⁷ tn The Hebrew phrase חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת (khag shavu’ot) is otherwise known in the OT (Exod 23:16) as קָצִיר (qatsir, “harvest”) and in the NT as πεντηχοστή (penthcosth, “Pentecost”).

[16:10]  ³⁶⁸ tn Heb “the sufficiency of the offering of your hand.”

[16:10]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:11]  ³⁷⁰ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:11]  ³⁷¹ tn Heb “gates.”

[16:13]  ³⁷² tn The Hebrew phrase חַג הַסֻּכֹּת (khag hassukot, “festival of huts” or “festival of shelters”) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is now preferable to the traditional “tabernacles” (KJV, ASV, NIV) in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. Clearer is the English term “shelters” (so NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but this does not reflect the temporary nature of the living arrangement. This feast was a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt, suggesting that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.

[16:13]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “when you gather in your threshing-floor and winepress.”

[16:14]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “in your gates.”

[16:15]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:15]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:15]  ³⁷⁷ tn Heb “in all the work of your hands” (so NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “in all your undertakings.”

[16:16]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[16:17]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.

[16:18]  ³⁸⁰ tn The Hebrew term וְשֹׁטְרִים (vÿshoterim), usually translated “officers” (KJV, NCV) or “officials” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), derives from the verb שֹׁטֵר (shoter, “to write”). The noun became generic for all types of public officials. Here, however, it may be appositionally epexegetical to “judges,” thus resulting in the phrase, “judges, that is, civil officers,” etc. Whoever the שֹׁטְרִים are, their task here consists of rendering judgments and administering justice.

[16:18]  ³⁸¹ tn Heb “gates.”

[16:18]  ³⁸² tn Heb “with judgment of righteousness”; ASV, NASB “with righteous judgment.”

[16:19]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “twist, overturn”; NRSV “subverts the cause.”

[16:19]  ³⁸⁴ tn Or “innocent”; NRSV “those who are in the right”; NLT “the godly.”

[16:20]  ³⁸⁵ tn Heb “justice, justice.” The repetition is emphatic; one might translate as “pure justice” or “unadulterated justice” (cf. NLT “true justice”).

[16:21]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “an Asherah, any tree.”

[16:21]  sn 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.

[16:22]  ³⁸⁷ sn Sacred pillar. This refers to the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.

[20:1]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “horse and chariot.”

[20:1]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “people.”

[20:2]  ³⁹⁰ sn The reference to the priest suggests also the presence of the ark of the covenant, the visible sign of God’s presence. 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).

[20:2]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “and he will say to the people.” Cf. NIV, NCV, CEV “the army”; NRSV, NLT “the troops.”

[20:4]  ³⁹² tn Or “to save you” (so KJV, NASB, NCV); or “to deliver you.”

[20:5]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “people” (also in vv. 8, 9).

[20:5]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “Who [is] the man” (also in vv. 6, 7, 8).

[20:5]  ³⁹⁵ tn The Hebrew term חָנַךְ (khanakh) 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 (חָנֻכָּה, khanukah) is associated with the consecration of the great temple altar (2 Chr 7:9) and of the postexilic 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 IV Epiphanes (1 Macc 4:36-61).

[20:5]  ³⁹⁶ tn Heb “another man.”

[20:7]  ³⁹⁷ tn Heb “Who [is] the man.”

[20:8]  ³⁹⁸ tn Heb “his brother’s.”

[20:8]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “melted.”

[20:9]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn The Hebrew text includes “to the people,” but this phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[20:9]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “princes of hosts.”

[20:11]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “if it answers you peace.”

[20:11]  ⁴⁰³ tn Heb “become as a vassal and will serve you.” The Hebrew term translated slaves (מַס, mas) 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 exemplify this type of servitude (Josh 9:3-27; cf. Josh 16:10; 17:13; Judg 1:28, 30-35; Isa 31:8; Lam 1:1).

[20:13]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “to your hands.”

[20:16]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is “cities.”

[20:16]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “any breath.”

[20:17]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “utterly.” Cf. CEV “completely wipe out.”

[20:17]  sn The Hebrew verb 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 judgment” in Deut 2:34.

[20:17]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn 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.).

[20:17]  ⁴⁰⁹ sn Amorite. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 b.c. or thereabouts.

[20:17]  ⁴¹⁰ sn 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.

[20:17]  ⁴¹¹ sn Perizzite. This probably refers to a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).

[20:17]  ⁴¹² sn 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).

[20:17]  ⁴¹³ tc The LXX adds “Girgashites” here at the end of the list in order to list the full (and usual) complement of seven (see note on “seven” in Deut 7:1).

[20:17]  sn 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).

[20:18]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “to do according to all their abominations which they do for their gods.”

[20:19]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “to fight against it to capture it.”

[20:19]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Heb “you must not destroy its trees by chopping them with an iron” (i.e., an ax).

[20:19]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “you may eat from them.” The direct object is not expressed; the word “fruit” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[20:19]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “to go before you in siege.”

[20:20]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Heb “however, a tree which you know is not a tree for food you may destroy and cut down.”

[20:20]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “[an] enclosure.” The term מָצוֹר (matsor) may refer to encircling ditches or to surrounding stagings. See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 238.