Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5:1

1 tn Heb “These are the words.”

2 tn Heb “to all Israel.”

3 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.

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

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

6 tn The Hebrew term בֵּין (ben) may suggest “in the area of.”

7 sn Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Numbers 10:12; 12:16).

8 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.

9 sn Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Numbers 33:20).

10 sn Hazeroth. This probably refers to àAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200.

11 sn Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the eastern Sinai coast.

Deuteronomy 5:2

12 sn An eleven-day journey was about 140 mi (233 km).

13 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.

14 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.

15 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.”

Deuteronomy 5:3

16 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.

17 sn The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar.

18 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.

19 tn Heb “according to all which.”

Deuteronomy 5:4

20 tn Heb “when he struck [or “smote”].”

21 sn See Deuteronomy 2:26-3:22.

22 tn Heb “who lived.”

23 sn Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesban, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south southwest of Amman, Jordan.

24 tn Heb “who lived.”

25 sn Ashtaroth is probably Tell àAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee.

26 sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Numbers 21:33; Joshua 12:4; 13:12, 31).

Deuteronomy 5:5

27 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.

Deuteronomy 5:6

28 tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.”

Deuteronomy 5:7

29 tn Heb “turn”; NAB “Leave here”; NIV, TEV “Break camp.”

30 tn Heb “go (to).”

31 tn Heb “its dwelling places.”

32 tn Heb “the Arabah” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

33 tn Heb “lowlands” (so TEV) or “steppes”; NIV, CEV, NLT “the western foothills.”

sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country.

34 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.

Deuteronomy 5:8

35 tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.”

36 tn Heb “the Lord.” Since the Lord is speaking, it is preferable for clarity to supply the first person pronoun in the translation.

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

38 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35).

39 tn Heb “their seed after them.”

Deuteronomy 5:10

40 tn Heb “multiplied you.”

41 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

Deuteronomy 5:11

42 tn Heb “may he bless you.”

Deuteronomy 5:13

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

Deuteronomy 5:15

44 tn Or “selected”; Heb “took.”

Deuteronomy 5:16

45 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).

46 tn Heb “brothers.” The term “brothers” could, in English, be understood to refer to siblings, so “fellow citizens” has been used in the translation.

47 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).

48 tn Heb “between a man and his brother.”

49 tn Heb “his stranger” or “his sojourner”; NAB, NIV “an alien”; NRSV “resident alien.” The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) commonly means “foreigner.”

Deuteronomy 5:17

50 tn Heb “you,” and throughout the verse (cf. NASB, NRSV).

51 tn Heb “the small,” but referring to social status, not physical stature.

Deuteronomy 5:20

52 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).

Deuteronomy 5:21

53 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid repetition.

54 tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).

Deuteronomy 5:23

55 tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.”

56 tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.”

Deuteronomy 5:24

57 tn Or “the Wadi Eshcol” (so NAB).

sn The Eshcol Valley is a verdant valley near Hebron, still famous for its viticulture (cf. Numbers 13:22-23). The Hebrew name “Eshcol” means “trestle,” that is, the frame on which grape vines grow.

Deuteronomy 5:25

58 tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style.

Deuteronomy 5:26

59 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.

Deuteronomy 5:27

60 tn Heb “in your tents,” that is, privately.

Deuteronomy 5:28

61 tn Heb “have caused our hearts to melt.”

62 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).

63 tn Or “as the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

64 tn Heb “we have seen.”

65 tn Heb “the sons of the Anakim.”

sn Anakites were giant people (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 2:10, 21; 9:2) descended from a certain Anak whose own forefather Arba founded the city of Kiriath Arba, i.e., Hebron (Joshua 21:11).

Deuteronomy 5:29

66 tn Heb “do not tremble and do not be afraid.” Two synonymous commands are combined for emphasis.

Deuteronomy 5:30

67 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).

68 tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

Deuteronomy 5:31

69 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“him”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.