Deuteronomy 8
8
The Lord’s Provision in the Desert
1 You must keep carefully all these commandments#tn The singular term (מִצְוָה, mitsvah) includes the whole corpus of covenant stipulations, certainly the book of Deuteronomy at least (cf. Deut 5:28; 6:1, 25; 7:11; 11:8, 22; 15:5; 17:20; 19:9; 27:1; 30:11; 31:5). The plural (מִצְוֹת, mitsot) refers to individual stipulations (as in vv. 2, 6). I am giving#tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation (likewise in v. 11). you today so that you may live, increase in number,#tn Heb “multiply” (so KJV, NASB, NLT); NIV, NRSV “increase.” and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors.#tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 16, 18). 2 Remember the whole way by which he#tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons. has brought you these forty years through the desert#tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NRSV, NLT); likewise in v. 15. so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it within you to keep his commandments or not. 3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna.#tn Heb “manna which you and your ancestors did not know.” By popular etymology the word “manna” comes from the Hebrew phrase מָן הוּא (man hu’), i.e., “What is it?” (Exod 16:15). The question remains unanswered to this very day. Elsewhere the material is said to be “white like coriander seed” with “a taste like honey cakes” (Exod 16:31; cf. Num 11:7). Modern attempts to associate it with various desert plants are unsuccessful for the text says it was a new thing and, furthermore, one that appeared and disappeared miraculously (Exod 16:21-27). He did this to teach you#tn Heb “in order to make known to you.” In the Hebrew text this statement is subordinated to what precedes, resulting in a very long sentence in English. The translation makes this statement a separate sentence for stylistic reasons. that humankind#tn Heb “the man,” but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race (“mankind” or “humankind”). cannot live by bread#tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. CEV). alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth.#sn Jesus quoted this text to the devil in the midst of his forty-day fast to make the point that spiritual nourishment is incomparably more important than mere physical bread (Matt 4:4; cf. Luke 4:4). 4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years. 5 Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child,#tn Heb “just as a man disciplines his son.” The Hebrew text reflects the patriarchal idiom of the culture. the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you must keep his#tn Heb “the commandments of the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy. commandments, live according to his standards,#tn Heb “by walking in his ways.” The “ways” of the Lord refer here to his moral standards as reflected in his commandments. The verb “walk” is used frequently in the Bible (both OT and NT) for one’s moral and ethical behavior. and revere him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks,#tn Or “wadis.” springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, 9 a land where you may eat food#tn The Hebrew term may refer to “food” in a more general sense (cf. NASB, NCV, NLT) or “bread” in particular (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron#sn A land whose stones are iron. Since iron deposits are few and far between in Palestine, the reference here is probably to iron ore found in mines as opposed to the meteorite iron more commonly known in that area. and from whose hills you can mine copper. 10 You will eat your fill and then praise the Lord your God because of the good land he has given you.
Exhortation to Remember That Blessing Comes from God
11 Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, 14 be sure#tn The words “be sure” are not in the Hebrew text; vv. 12-14 are part of the previous sentence. For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation and the words “be sure” repeated from v. 11 to indicate the connection. you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, 15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents#tn Heb “flaming serpents”; KJV, NASB “fiery serpents”; NAB “saraph serpents.” This figure of speech (metonymy) probably describes the venomous and painful results of snakebite. The feeling from such an experience would be like a burning fire (שָׂרָף, saraf). and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow#tn Heb “the one who brought out for you water.” In the Hebrew text this continues the preceding sentence, but the translation begins a new sentence here for stylistic reasons. from a flint rock and 16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you#tn Heb “in order to humble you and in order to test you.” See 8:2. and eventually bring good to you. 17 Be careful#tn For stylistic reasons a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 17 in the translation and the words “be careful” supplied to indicate the connection. not to say, “My own ability and skill#tn Heb “my strength and the might of my hand.” have gotten me this wealth.” 18 You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors,#tc Smr and Lucian add “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the standard way of rendering this almost stereotypical formula (cf. Deut 1:8; 6:10; 9:5, 27; 29:13; 30:20; 34:4). The MT’s harder reading presumptively argues for its originality, however. even as he has to this day. 19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all#tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV). and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated. 20 Just like the nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you#tn Heb “so you will perish.” because you would not obey him.#tn Heb “listen to the voice of the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
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Deuteronomy 8
8
1 “All of the commandments#Or “every commandment” that I am commanding you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and multiply, and you may go and take possession of the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors.#Or “your fathers” 2And you shall remember all of the way that Yahweh your God led you during these forty years in the desert in order to humble you and to test you to know what is in your heart, whether you would diligently keep his commandments or not. 3And he humbled you and let you go hungry, and then he fed you with that which you did not know nor did your ancestors#Or “fathers” know, in order to make you know that not by bread alone but by all that goes out#Or “by all of the going out of” of the mouth of Yahweh humankind shall live. 4Your clothing did not wear out on you,#Literally “from on you” and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5And you should know with your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so Yahweh your God is disciplining you.#Or “has disciplined you” 6So you must keep the commandments of Yahweh your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7For Yahweh your God is bringing you to a good land with streams of water, springs and underground water, welling up in the valleys#Hebrew “valley” and in the hills,#Hebrew “hill” 8to a land of wheat and barley and vines#Hebrew “vine” and fig trees#Hebrew “fig tree” and pomegranate trees,#Hebrew “pomegranate tree” a land of olive trees,#Hebrew “olive tree” olive oil and honey; 9to a land where you may eat food in it without scarcity;#Literally “not in scarcity” you will not find anything lacking in it, a land where its stones are iron and from its mountains you can mine copper. 10And you will eat, and you will be satisfied,#Literally “you will eat your fill” and you will bless Yahweh your God because of the good land that he has given to you.
11“Take care for yourself so that you not forget Yahweh your God by not keeping his commandments and his regulations and his statutes that I am commanding you today,#Literally “the day” 12lest when you have eaten and you are satisfied and you have built good houses and you live in them, 13and your herds and your flocks have multiplied, and you have accumulated silver and gold,#Literally “and silver and gold has multiplied for you” and all that you have#Literally “is for you” has multiplied, 14then your heart becomes proud#Literally “raises up” and you forget Yahweh your God, the one who brought you out#Literally “the one bringing you out” from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, 15the one leading you in the great and terrible desert infested with dangerous#Literally “burning” snakes#Hebrew “snake” and scorpions#Hebrew “scorpion” and parched ground, where there is#Or “was” no water, and the one bringing out water for you from flint rock, 16the one feeding you#Literally “causing you to eat” manna in the desert, food that your ancestors#Or “fathers” did not know, in order to humble you and in order to test you so that he could do good to you in the future.#Literally “in the end/later” 17And you may think#Or “say” in your heart, ‘My strength and the might of my hand acquired this wealth for#Literally “gave this wealth to” me.’ 18But you must remember Yahweh your God, for he is the one giving you strength to acquire wealth in order to confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors#Or “fathers” as it is today.#Literally “as the day the this” 19And it will happen that if you indeed forget Yahweh your God and you go after other gods and you serve them and you bow down before them, I warn you today that you will surely perish. 20As with the nations that Yahweh is destroying before you,#Literally “from your faces” so you shall perish because you would not obey the voice of Yahweh your God.
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