Deuteronomy 29-31

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Deuteronomy 29:1 sn Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
2. Deuteronomy 29:1 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (which some English versions substitute here for clarity, cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
3. Deuteronomy 29:2 tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation.
4. Deuteronomy 29:3 tn Heb “testings.” This is a reference to the plagues; see note at 4:34.
5. Deuteronomy 29:4 tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.”
6. Deuteronomy 29:5 tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7. Deuteronomy 29:5 tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”
8. Deuteronomy 29:6 tc The LXX reads “that he is the Lord your God.”
9. Deuteronomy 29:9 tn Heb “words.”
10. Deuteronomy 29:10 tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shof^etekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”
11. Deuteronomy 29:11 tn Heb “your.”
12. Deuteronomy 29:11 sn The ger (גֵּר) “foreign resident” here enters into the covenant with the community if Israel. Elsewhere in Mosaic Law the ger make sacrifices to the Lord (Lev 17:8; 22:18; Num 15:14) and participate in Israel’s religious festivals: Passover Exod 12:48; Day of Atonement Lev 16:29; Feast of Weeks Deut 16:10-14; Feast of Tabernacles/Temporary Shelters Deut 31:12. Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16 or similar obligations Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14. In many respects these ger (גֵּר) appear to be naturalized citizens who could not own land (land was allotted by tribe).
13. Deuteronomy 29:12 tn Heb “for you to pass on into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath, which the Lord your God is cutting with you today.”
14. Deuteronomy 29:13 tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
15. Deuteronomy 29:13 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
16. Deuteronomy 29:15 tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
17. Deuteronomy 29:17 tn The Hebrew term שִׁקּוּץ (shiqquts) refers to anything out of keeping with the nature and character of Yahweh and therefore to be avoided by his people Israel. It is commonly used with or as a synonym for תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah, “detestable, abhorrent”; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see note on the term “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46.
18. Deuteronomy 29:17 tn The Hebrew text includes “which were with them.” Verses 16-17 constitute a parenthetical comment.
19. Deuteronomy 29:18 tn Heb “yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood.” The Hebrew noun לַעֲנָה (laʿanah) literally means “wormwood” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB), but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here “fruit poisonous and bitter.”
20. Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21. Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “in his heart.”
22. Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
23. Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “heart.”
24. Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
25. Deuteronomy 29:19 tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches—“the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
26. Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “the wrath of the Lord and his zeal.” The expression is a hendiadys, a figure in which the second noun becomes adjectival to the first.
27. Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”
28. Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “the entire oath.”
29. Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”
30. Deuteronomy 29:20 tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”
31. Deuteronomy 29:21 tn Heb “set him apart.”
32. Deuteronomy 29:21 tn Heb “for evil”; NAB “for doom”; NASB “for adversity”; NIV “for disaster”; NRSV “for calamity.”
33. Deuteronomy 29:22 tn Heb “will say and see.” One expects a quotation to appear, but it seems to be omitted. To avoid confusion in the translation, the verb “will say” is omitted.
34. Deuteronomy 29:23 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” This construction is a hendiadys intended to intensify the emotion.
35. Deuteronomy 29:24 tn Heb “this great burning of anger”; KJV “the heat of this great anger.”
36. Deuteronomy 29:26 tn Heb “did not assign to them”; NASB, NRSV “had not allotted to them.”
37. Deuteronomy 29:27 tn Heb “the entire curse.”
38. Deuteronomy 29:29 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV “children.”
39. Deuteronomy 30:1 tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”
40. Deuteronomy 30:1 tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”
41. Deuteronomy 30:2 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “children.”
42. Deuteronomy 30:2 tn Or “heart and soul” (also in vv. 6, 10).
43. Deuteronomy 30:2 tn Heb “according to all.”
44. Deuteronomy 30:3 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
45. Deuteronomy 30:4 tn Heb “are at the farthest edge of the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
46. Deuteronomy 30:5 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.
47. Deuteronomy 30:5 tn Heb “fathers” (also later in this verse and in vv. 9, 20).
48. Deuteronomy 30:6 tn Heb “circumcise” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “will give you and your descendents obedient hearts.” See note on the word “cleanse” in Deut 10:16.
49. Deuteronomy 30:6 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
50. Deuteronomy 30:6 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.
51. Deuteronomy 30:8 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I now enjoin on you.”
52. Deuteronomy 30:9 tc The MT reads “hand” (singular). Most versions read the plural.
53. Deuteronomy 30:9 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV); NRSV “of your body.”
54. Deuteronomy 30:9 tn Heb “return and.” The Hebrew verb is used idiomatically here to indicate the repetition of the following action.
55. Deuteronomy 30:9 tn The Hebrew text includes “for good.”
56. Deuteronomy 30:10 tn Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on the second occurrence of the word “he” in v. 3.
57. Deuteronomy 30:11 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you.”
58. Deuteronomy 30:14 tn Heb “heart.”
59. Deuteronomy 30:16 tc A number of LXX mss insert before this verse, “if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God,” thus translating אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) as “which” and the rest as “I am commanding you today, to love,” etc., “then you will live,” etc.
60. Deuteronomy 30:16 tn Heb “which you are going there to possess it.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
61. Deuteronomy 30:17 tn Heb “your heart,” as a metonymy for the person.
62. Deuteronomy 30:18 sn To this point in the chapter, Moses has addressed the people with the singular pronoun “you,” but here he switches to the plural. Rhetorically, the singular pronoun has emphasized the responsibilities and consequences for the nation as a whole. It is a group responsibility that requires a group effort. At v. 18 he shifts to using the plural form. This individualizes the threatened punishment in v. 18 and highlights individual responsibility in the first half of v. 19 (calling heaven and earth as witness “against you”) before returning to the collective responsibility that “you” (singular) choose life.
63. Deuteronomy 30:18 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
64. Deuteronomy 30:18 tn Heb “to go there to possess it.”
65. Deuteronomy 30:20 tn The words “I also call on you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20 are one long sentence, which the translation divides into two.
66. Deuteronomy 30:20 tn Heb “he is your life and the length of your days to live.”
67. Deuteronomy 31:1 tc For the MT reading וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh, “he went”), the LXX and Qumran have וַיְכַל (vay^ekhal, “he finished”): “So Moses finished speaking,” etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.
68. Deuteronomy 31:1 tn In the MT this refers to the words that follow (cf. NIV, NCV).
69. Deuteronomy 31:2 tn Or “am no longer able to lead you” (NIV, NLT); Heb “am no longer able to go out and come in.”
70. Deuteronomy 31:7 tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
71. Deuteronomy 31:7 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).
72. Deuteronomy 31:10 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
73. Deuteronomy 31:10 tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּה (sh^emittah), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “to release; to relinquish”), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See note on this word at Deut 15:1.
74. Deuteronomy 31:10 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת (khag hassukkot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.sn For the regulations on this annual festival see Deut 16:13-15.
75. Deuteronomy 31:11 tn Heb “before all Israel.”
76. Deuteronomy 31:12 sn The ger (גֵּר) “foreign resident” or “naturalized citizen,” (see Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:10-13) could make sacrifices (Lev 17:8; 22:18; Num 15:14) and participate in Israel’s religious festivals: Passover Exod 12:48; Day of Atonement Lev 16:29; Feast of Weeks Deut 16:10-14; Feast of Tabernacles/Temporary Shelters Deut 31:12.
77. Deuteronomy 31:13 tn The phrase “this law” is not in the Hebrew text, but English style requires an object for the verb here. Other translations also supply the object which is otherwise implicit (cf. NIV “who do not know this law”; TEV “who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God”).
78. Deuteronomy 31:14 tc The LXX reads “by the door of the tent” in line with v. 10 but also, perhaps, as a reflection of its tendency to avoid over-familiarity with Yahweh and his transcendence.
79. Deuteronomy 31:14 tn Heb “tent of assembly” (מוֹעֵד אֹהֶל, ʾohel moʿed); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling-place”), a reference to its being invested with God’s presence. The “tent of meeting” was erected earlier than the tabernacle and was the place where Yahweh occasionally appeared, especially to Moses (cf. Exod 18:7-16; 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 24, 26; 12:4).
80. Deuteronomy 31:14 tn Heb “I will command him.”
81. Deuteronomy 31:15 tn Heb “and the pillar of cloud.” This phrase was not repeated in the translation; a relative clause was used instead.
82. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “lie down with your fathers” (so NASB); NRSV “ancestors.”
83. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style. The third person singular also occurs in the Hebrew text twice more in this verse, three times in v. 17, once in v. 18, five times in v. 20, and four times in v. 21. Each time it is translated as third person plural for stylistic reasons.
84. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
85. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Or “abandon” (TEV, NLT).
86. Deuteronomy 31:16 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
87. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “on that day.” This same expression also appears later in the verse and in v. 18.
88. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
89. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “find,” “encounter.”
90. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
91. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
92. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “evils.”
93. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
94. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “my.”
95. Deuteronomy 31:17 tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
96. Deuteronomy 31:18 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
97. Deuteronomy 31:18 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
98. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
99. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
100. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
101. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “and are satisfied.”
102. Deuteronomy 31:20 tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
103. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”
104. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
105. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
106. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
107. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”
108. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
109. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “which he is doing.”
110. Deuteronomy 31:21 tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
111. Deuteronomy 31:23 tn Heb “he.” Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as “the Lord” in the translation for clarity. See also the note on the word “you” later in this verse.
112. Deuteronomy 31:23 tc The LXX reads, “as the Lord promised them, and he will be with you.” This relieves the problem of Moses apparently promising to be with Joshua as the MT reads on the surface (“I will be with you”). However, the reading of the LXX is clearly an attempt to clarify an existing obscurity and therefore is unlikely to reflect the original.
113. Deuteronomy 31:25 tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
114. Deuteronomy 31:27 tn Heb “stiffness of neck” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
115. Deuteronomy 31:27 tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.
116. Deuteronomy 31:29 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”
117. Deuteronomy 31:29 tn Heb “do the evil.”
118. Deuteronomy 31:29 tn Heb “the work of your hands.”