Deuteronomy 1
1
The Final Speeches of Moses
1-5 #
Nu 21.21-35. This book contains the speeches that Moses made while Israel was in the land of Moab, camped near the town of Suph in the desert east of the Jordan River. The town of Paran was in one direction from their camp, and the towns of Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab#1.1-5 Suph … Paran … Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab: The exact location of these towns is not known. were in the opposite direction.
Earlier, Moses had defeated the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon. Moses had also defeated King Og of Bashan, who used to live in Ashtaroth for part of the year and in Edrei for the rest of the year.
Although it takes only eleven days to walk from Mount Sinai#1.1-5 Mount Sinai: The Hebrew text has “Horeb,” another name for Mount Sinai. to Kadesh-Barnea by way of the Mount Seir Road, these speeches were not made until 40 years after Israel left Egypt.#1.1-5 Egypt: The Israelites would soon enter Canaan, but they would have entered the land of Canaan from Kadesh-Barnea 40 years earlier if they had not rebelled against God (see verses 6-40).
The First Speech: Moses Reviews the Past
The Lord's Command at Mount Sinai
The Lord had given Moses his laws for the people of Israel. And on the first day of the eleventh month,#1.1-5 eleventh month: Shebat, the eleventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-January to mid-February. Moses began explaining those laws by saying:
6People of Israel, when we were in our camp at Mount Sinai,#1.6 Mount Sinai: See the note at 1.1-5. the Lord our God told us:
You have stayed here long enough. 7Leave this place and go into the land that belongs to the Amorites and their neighbors the Canaanites. This land includes the Jordan River valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Southern Desert, the Mediterranean seacoast, the Lebanon Mountains, and all the territory as far as the Euphrates River. 8I give you this land, just as I promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now you must go and take the land.
Leaders Were Appointed
(Exodus 18.13-27)
Moses said:
9Right after the Lord commanded us to leave Mount Sinai,#1.9 Mount Sinai: See the note at 1.1-5. I told you:
Israel, being your leader is too big a job for one person. 10The Lord our God has blessed us, and so now there are as many of us as there are stars in the sky. 11God has even promised to bless us a thousand times more, and I pray that he will. 12But I cannot take care of all your problems and settle all your arguments alone. 13Each tribe must choose some experienced men who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will make those men the official leaders of their tribes.
14You answered, “That's a good idea!” 15Then I took these men, who were already wise and respected leaders, and I appointed them as your official leaders. Some of them became military officers in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10, 16and others became judges. I gave these judges the following instructions:
When you settle legal cases, your decisions must be fair. It doesn't matter if the case is between two Israelites, or between an Israelite and a foreigner living in your community. 17And it doesn't matter if one is helpless and the other is powerful. Don't be afraid of anyone! No matter who shows up in your court, God will help you make a fair decision.
If any case is too hard for you, bring the people to me, and I will make the decision.
18After I gave these instructions to the judges, I taught you the Lord's commands.
Men Were Sent To Explore the Hill Country
(Numbers 13.1-33)
Moses said to Israel:
19The Lord had commanded us to leave Mount Sinai#1.19 Mount Sinai: See the note at 1.1-5. and go to the hill country that belonged to the Amorites, so we started out into the huge desert. You remember how frightening it was, but soon we were at Kadesh-Barnea, 20-21and I told you, “We have reached the hill country. It belongs to the Amorites now, but the Lord our God is giving it to us. He is the same God our ancestors worshiped, and he has told us to go in and take this land, so don't hesitate and be afraid.”
22Then all of you came to me and said, “Before we go into the land, let's send some men to explore it. When they come back, they can tell us about the towns we will find and what roads we should take to get there.”
23It seemed like a good idea, so I chose twelve men, one from each tribe. 24They explored the hill country as far as Bunch Valley#1.24 Bunch Valley: Or “Eshcol Valley,” famous for its large bunches of grapes. 25and even brought back some of the fruit. They said, “The Lord our God is giving us good land.”
Israel Refused To Obey the Lord
(Numbers 14.1-45)
Moses said to Israel:
26 #
Dt 9.23; He 3.16. You did not want to go into the land, and you refused to obey the Lord your God. 27You stayed in your tents and grumbled, “The Lord must hate us—he brought us out of Egypt, just so he could hand us over to the Amorites and get rid of us. 28We are afraid, because the men who explored the land told us that the cities are large, with walls that reach to the sky. The people who live there are taller and stronger than we are,#1.28 The people … we are: Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts and one ancient translation “the people who live there are stronger than we are, and there are more of them than there are of us.” and some of them are Anakim.#1.28 Anakim: Perhaps a group of very tall people that lived in or near Palestine before the Israelites. See also 2.10,11, 20,21; Numbers 13.33. We have nowhere to go.”
29Then I said, “Don't worry! 30The Lord our God will lead the way. He will fight on our side, just as he did when we saw him do all those things to the Egyptians. 31#Ac 13.18. And you know that the Lord has taken care of us the whole time we've been in the desert, just as you might carry one of your children.”
32 #
He 3.19. But you still would not trust the Lord, 33even though he had always been with us in the desert. During the daytime, the Lord was in the cloud, leading us in the right direction and showing us where to camp. And at night, he was there in the fire.#1.33 the cloud … the fire: See Exodus 40.34-38; Numbers 9.15-23.
34 #
He 3.18. You had made the Lord angry, and he said:
35You people of this generation are evil, and I refuse to let you go into the good land that I promised your ancestors. 36Caleb son of Jephunneh is the only one of your generation that I will allow to go in. He obeyed me completely, so I will give him and his descendants the land he explored.
37The Lord was even angry with me because of you people, and he said, “Moses, I won't let you go into the land either. 38Instead, I will let Joshua#1.38 Joshua: Hebrew “Joshua son of Nun.” your assistant lead Israel to conquer the land. So encourage him.”
39Then the Lord spoke to you again:
People of Israel, you said that your innocent young children would be taken prisoner in the battle for the land. But someday I will let them go into the land, and with my help they will conquer it and live there.
40Now, turn around and go back into the desert by way of Red Sea#1.40 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at 11.4). Road.
41Then you told me, “We disobeyed the Lord our God, but now we want to obey him. We will go into the hill country and fight, just as he told us to do.” So you picked up your weapons, thinking it would be easy to take over the hill country.
42But the Lord said, “Moses, warn them not to go into the hill country. I won't help them fight, and their enemies will defeat them.”
43I told you what the Lord had said, but you paid no attention. You disobeyed him and went into the hill country anyway. You thought you were so great! 44But when the Amorites in the hill country attacked from their towns, you ran from them as you would run from a swarm of bees. The Amorites chased your troops into Seir#1.44 Seir: An area of hills and mountains that was part of the territory of Edom. as far as Hormah, killing them as they went. 45Then you came back to the place of worship at Kadesh-Barnea and wept, but the Lord would not listen to your prayers.
Israel Spent Years in the Desert
Moses said to Israel:
46After we had been in Kadesh for a few months, we obeyed the Lord and headed back into the desert by way of Red Sea#1.46 Red Sea: See the notes at 1.40; 11.4. Road.
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Deuteronomy 1: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Deuteronomy 1
1
The Covenant Setting
1 This is what#tn Heb “These are the words.” Moses said to the assembly of Israel#tn Heb “to all Israel.” in the Transjordanian#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. wastelands, the arid country opposite#tn The Hebrew term מוֹל (mol) may also mean “in front of” or “near” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). Suph,#sn This place is otherwise unattested and its location is unknown. Perhaps it is Khirbet Sufah, 4 mi (6 km) SSE of Madaba, Jordan. between#tn The Hebrew term בֵּין (ben) may suggest “in the area of.” Paran#sn Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Num 10:12; 12:16). and Tophel,#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. Laban,#sn Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Num 33:20). Hazeroth,#sn Hazeroth. This probably refers to àAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200. and Di Zahab#sn Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the eastern Sinai coast. 2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey#sn An eleven-day journey was about 140 mi (233 km). from Horeb#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. to Kadesh Barnea#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. by way of Mount Seir.#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.” 3 However, it was not until#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. the first day of the eleventh month#sn The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar. of the fortieth year#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. that Moses addressed the Israelites just as#tn Heb “according to all which.” the Lord had instructed him to do. 4 This took place after the defeat#tn Heb “when he struck [or “smote”].” of King Sihon#sn See Deut 2:26–3:22. of the Amorites, whose capital was#tn Heb “who lived.” in Heshbon,#sn Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesban, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south southwest of Amman, Jordan. and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was#tn Heb “who lived.” in Ashtaroth,#sn Ashtaroth is probably Tell àAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee. specifically in Edrei.#sn Edrei is probably modern Deràa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31). 5 So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these words:#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.
Events at Horeb
6 The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, “You have stayed#tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.” in the area of this mountain long enough. 7 Get up now,#tn Heb “turn”; NAB “Leave here”; NIV, TEV “Break camp.” resume your journey, heading for#tn Heb “go (to).” the Amorite hill country, to all its areas#tn Heb “its dwelling places.” including the arid country,#tn Heb “the Arabah” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). the highlands, the Shephelah,#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. the Negev,#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. and the coastal plain – all of Canaan and Lebanon as far as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates. 8 Look! I have already given the land to you.#tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.” Go, occupy the territory that I,#tn Heb “the Lord.” Since the Lord is speaking, it is preferable for clarity to supply the first person pronoun in the translation. the Lord, promised#tn Heb “swore” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to God’s promise, made by solemn oath, to give the patriarchs the land. to give to your ancestors#tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants.”#tn Heb “their seed after them.” 9 I also said to you at that time, “I am no longer able to sustain you by myself. 10 The Lord your God has increased your population#tn Heb “multiplied you.” to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky.#tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context. 11 Indeed, may the Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you#tn Heb “may he bless you.” just as he said he would! 12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? 13 Select wise and practical#tn The Hebrew verb נְבֹנִים (nÿvonim, from בִּין [bin]) is a Niphal referring to skill or intelligence (see T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:652-53). men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.” 14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. 15 So I chose#tn Or “selected”; Heb “took.” 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. 16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they#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). should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens#tn Heb “brothers.” The term “brothers” could, in English, be understood to refer to siblings, so “fellow citizens” has been used in the translation. and judge fairly,#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). whether between one citizen and another#tn Heb “between a man and his brother.” or a citizen and a resident foreigner.#tn Heb “his stranger” or “his sojourner”; NAB, NIV “an alien”; NRSV “resident alien.” The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) commonly means “foreigner.” 17 They#tn Heb “you,” and throughout the verse (cf. NASB, NRSV). must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly#tn Heb “the small,” but referring to social status, not physical stature. 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
18 So I instructed you at that time regarding everything you should do. 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. 20 Then I said to you, “You have come to the Amorite hill country which the Lord our God is about to give#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). us. 21 Look, he#tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid repetition. has placed the land in front of you!#tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). Go up, take possession of it, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!” 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.” 23 I thought this was a good idea,#tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.” so I sent#tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.” twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 24 They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley,#tn Or “the Wadi Eshcol” (so NAB).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. which they scouted out. 25 Then they took#tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style. 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
26 You were not willing to go up, however, but instead rebelled against the Lord your God.#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. 27 You complained among yourselves privately#tn Heb “in your tents,” that is, privately. and said, “Because the Lord hates us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us! 28 What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage#tn Heb “have caused our hearts to melt.” by describing people who are more numerous#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). and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven#tn Or “as the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context. itself! Moreover, they said they saw#tn Heb “we have seen.” Anakites#tn Heb “the sons of the Anakim.”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). there.” 29 So I responded to you, “Do not be terrified#tn Heb “do not tremble and do not be afraid.” Two synonymous commands are combined for emphasis. of them! 30 The Lord your God is about to go#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). ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt#tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.” 31 and in the desert, where you saw him#tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“him”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons. carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place.” 32 However, through all this you did not have confidence in the Lord your God, 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
34 When the Lord heard you, he became angry and made this vow:#tn Heb “and swore,” i.e., made an oath or vow. 35 “Not a single person#tn Heb “Not a man among these men.” of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors! 36 The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh;#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). 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.”#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. 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. 38 However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant,#tn Heb “the one who stands before you”; NAB “your aide”; TEV “your helper.” will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land.#tn Heb “it”; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 39 Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way,#tn Heb “would be a prey.” and your children, who as yet do not know good from bad,#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. will go there; I will give them the land and they will possess it. 40 But as for you,#tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, as are the following verbs, indicating that Moses and the people are addressed (note v. 41). turn back and head for the desert by the way to the Red Sea.”#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.
Unsuccessful Conquest of Canaan
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. 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.’” 43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the Lord#tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.” See note at 1:26. and recklessly went up to the hill country. 44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area#tn Heb “in that hill country,” repeating the end of v. 43. confronted#tn Heb “came out to meet.” you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah.#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. 45 Then you came back and wept before the Lord, but he#tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy. paid no attention to you whatsoever.#tn Heb “did not hear your voice and did not turn an ear to you.” 46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time – indeed, for the full time.#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.
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