Preamble

¹ These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel ⌞on the other side of⌟¹ the Jordan in the desert,² in the desert plateau³ opposite Suph, between Paran and between Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab.

1. Literally “in the beyond of”
2. Or “the wilderness”
3. Or “desert plain”; others render this as a named location, “Arabah”

² It is a journey of ⌞eleven days⌟¹ from Herob ⌞by the way of Mount Seir⌟² up to Kadesh Barnea.

1. Literally “one and ten days”
2. Literally “by the mountain of Seir”

³ ⌞And it was⌟¹ in the fortieth year, on the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the ⌞Israelites⌟² according to all that Yahweh had instructed him to speak to them.

1. Literally “and it happened” or “and then”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

⁴ This happened ⌞after defeating⌟¹ Sihon king of the Amorites, who was reigning² in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who was reigning³ in Ashtaroth in Edrei.

1. Literally “after he had struck down”
2. Or “dwelling,” and in this context “reigning”
3. Or “dwelling,” and in this context “reigning”

⁵ On the other side of¹ the Jordan in the land of Moab Moses began to explain this law,² ⌞saying⌟:³

1. Literally “in the beyond of”
2. Hebrew torah
3. Literally “to say”

Historical Prologue

⁶ “Yahweh our God spoke to us at Horeb, ⌞saying⌟,¹ ‘You have stayed ⌞long enough⌟² at this mountain.

1. Literally “to say”
2. Literally “much time”

⁷ Turn now and ⌞move on⌟,¹ and go into the hill of the Amorites² and to all of the neighboring regions³ in the Jordan ⌞Valley⌟⁴ in the hill country and in the Negev and in the coastal area along the sea, into the land of the Canaanites⁵ and into the Lebanon, as far as the great river Euphrates.

1. Literally “journey on with respect to yourselves” or “move yourselves out”
2. Hebrew “Amorite”
3. Or “peoples”
4. Literally “Arabah,” arid stretches of land.
5. Hebrew “Canaanite”

⁸ Look, I have set the land ⌞before you⌟;¹ go and take possession of the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors,² to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them and to their offspring after them.’

1. Literally “before your face”
2. Or “fathers”

⁹ “And I spoke to them at that time, ⌞saying⌟,¹ ‘I am not able to bear you alone.

1. Literally “to say”

¹⁰ Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and look; you are today as the stars of the heaven ⌞in number⌟.¹

1. Literally “with respect to multitude/abundance”

¹¹ Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,¹ may he add to you as you are now a thousand times, and may he bless you just as he ⌞promised you⌟.²

1. Or “fathers”
2. Literally “spoke to you”

¹² How can I bear you ⌞by myself⌟,¹ your burden and your load and your strife?

1. Literally “to me alone”

¹³ Choose for yourselves ⌞wise and discerning and knowledgeable men⌟¹ for each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.’

1. Literally “men wise and discerning and knowledgeable”

¹⁴ “And you answered me, and you said, ‘The thing you have said to do is good.’

¹⁵ And so I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and then I appointed them as leaders over you as commanders of groups of thousands and commanders of groups of hundreds and commanders of groups of fifties and commanders of groups of tens as officials for your tribes.

¹⁶ And at that time I instructed your judges, saying, ‘⌞hear out your fellow men⌟,¹ and then judge fairly² between a man and between his brother and between ⌞his opponent who is a resident alien⌟.³

1. Literally “hear between your brothers,” with the idea of listening carefully in this context
2. Or “righteously”
3. Literally “between his resident alien/non-Israelite who dwells temporarily among Israel”

¹⁷ You must not ⌞be partial⌟¹ ⌞in your judgment⌟;² hear out the small person as also the great person; ⌞do not be intimidated by any person⌟,³ because the judgment is God’s; and the case that is too difficult⁴ for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it out.’

1. Literally “recognize faces”
2. Literally “in the process of rendering a judgment”
3. Literally “do not fear before the faces of any man”
4. Or “hard”

¹⁸ And so I instructed you at that time concerning all of the things that you should do.

¹⁹ “Then we set out from Horeb, and we went through the whole of that great and terrible desert that you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites¹ as Yahweh our God had commanded us, and so we came up to Kadesh Barnea.

1. Hebrew “Amorite”

²⁰ I said to you, ‘⌞You have reached⌟¹ the hill country of the Amorites² that Yahweh our God is giving to us.

1. Literally “You have come up to”
2. Hebrew “Amorite”

²¹ See, Yahweh your God has set before you the land; go up and possess it as Yahweh the God of your ancestors¹ said to you; do not fear and do not be dismayed.’

1. Or “fathers”

²² “Then all of you approached me, and you said, ‘Let us send men ⌞before us⌟,¹ and let them explore the land for us, and let them bring back ⌞a report⌟² to us concerning the way that ⌞we should take⌟³ and concerning the cities that we shall come to.’

1. Literally “before our faces” or “ahead of us”
2. Literally “a word”
3. Literally “we should go up by it”

²³ The plan was good ⌞in my opinion⌟,¹ and so I took from among you twelve men, ⌞one from each tribe⌟.²

1. Literally “in my eyes”
2. Literally “man one from the tribe”

²⁴ And they ⌞set out⌟¹ and ⌞went up into the hill country⌟,² and they went up to the wadi³ of Eschol, and they spied out the land.

1. Literally “turned”
2. Literally “went up toward the hill country mountain”
3. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season

²⁵ They took in their hands¹ ⌞some of the fruit⌟² of the land, and they brought it down to us, and they brought to us back ⌞a report⌟,³ and they said, ‘The land that Yahweh our God is giving to us is good.’

1. Hebrew “hand”
2. Literally “from the fruit”
3. Literally “a word”

²⁶ But you were not willing to go up, and you rebelled against the ⌞command⌟¹ of Yahweh your God.

1. Literally “mouth”

²⁷ And you grumbled in your tents, and you said, ‘Because of the hatred of Yahweh toward us he has brought us out from the land of Egypt to give us into the hand of the Amorites¹ to destroy us.

1. Hebrew “Amorite”

²⁸ Where can we go up? Our brothers have ⌞made our hearts melt⌟,¹ ⌞saying⌟,² “The people are greater³ and taller than we are,⁴ and there are great fortified cities reaching up to heaven, and we saw the sons of the Anakites living there.” ’

1. Literally “caused to melt our hearts”
2. Literally “to say”
3. Or “bigger”
4. Hebrew “than us”

²⁹ “And so I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, and do not fear them.

³⁰ Yahweh your God, who is going ⌞before you⌟,¹ will himself² fight for you, ⌞just as⌟³ he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

1. Literally “to your faces”
2. The Hebrew pronoun indicates emphasis
3. Literally “like all that”

³¹ and just as he did in the wilderness¹ when² you saw that³ Yahweh your God carried you, just as someone⁴ carries his son, all along the way that you traveled until ⌞you reached⌟⁵ this place.’

1. Or “desert”
2. Or “where”
3. Or “how”
4. Or “a man”
5. Literally “you came”

³² But through all of this you did not trust in Yahweh your God,

³³ ⌞who goes⌟¹ ⌞before you⌟² on your³ way, seeking a place for your encampment, in fire at night and in a cloud by day, to show you the way that ⌞you should go⌟.⁴

1. Literally “is the one going”
2. Literally “before your faces”
3. Hebrew “the”
4. Literally “you should go in it”

³⁴ “Then Yahweh heard the sound of your words, and he was angry, and he swore, ⌞saying⌟,¹

1. Literally “to say”

³⁵ ‘No one of these men¹ of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors,²

1. The beginning of an oath in Hebrew; the text emphatically denies anyone of that evil generation the privilege of seeing the promised land
2. Or “fathers”

³⁶ except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; he himself¹ shall see it, and to him I will give the land upon which he has trodden and to his sons² because ⌞he followed Yahweh unreservedly⌟.’³

1. Emphatic use of the pronoun
2. Or “descendants”
3. Literally “he filled his hands after Yahweh”

³⁷ Even with me Yahweh was angry because of you, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there.

³⁸ Joshua, the son of Nun, ⌞your assistant⌟,¹ will go there; encourage him because he will cause Israel to inherit it.

1. Literally “the one standing before you”

³⁹ And your little children, who you thought shall become plunder, and your sons, who do not today know good or bad, shall themselves¹ go there, and I will give it to them, and they shall take possession of it.

1. The Hebrew pronoun is used for emphasis

⁴⁰ But you turn and set out in the direction of the wilderness by way of the ⌞Red Sea⌟.’¹

1. Literally “sea of reeds”

⁴¹ “You replied and said to me, ‘We have sinned against Yahweh, and now we will go up and fight according to all that Yahweh our God commanded us’; and so each man fastened on ⌞his battle gear⌟,¹ and you regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country.