1 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.
6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.
7 And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:
8 And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
10 Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
16 (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;
17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21 And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
22 So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;
23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
24 Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
27 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
28 And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
1 These are the words H1697 of the covenant, H1285 which the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 Moses H4872 to make H3772 with the children H1121 of Israel H3478 in the land H776 of Moab, H4124 beside the covenant H1285 which he made H3772 with them in Horeb. H2722
2 And Moses H4872 called H7121 unto all Israel, H3478 and said H559 unto them, Ye have seen H7200 all that the LORD H3068 did H6213 before your eyes H5869 in the land H776 of Egypt H4714 unto Pharaoh, H6547 and unto all his servants, H5650 and unto all his land; H776
3 The great H1419 temptations H4531 which thine eyes H5869 have seen, H7200 the signs, H226 and those great H1419 miracles: H4159
4 Yet the LORD H3068 hath not given H5414 you an heart H3820 to perceive, H3045 and eyes H5869 to see, H7200 and ears H241 to hear, H8085 unto this day. H3117
5 And I have led H3212 you forty H705 years H8141 in the wilderness: H4057 your clothes H8008 are not waxen old H1086 upon you, and thy shoe H5275 is not waxen old H1086 upon thy foot. H7272
6 Ye have not eaten H398 bread, H3899 neither have ye drunk H8354 wine H3196 or strong drink: H7941 that ye might know H3045 that I am the LORD H3068 your God. H430
7 And when ye came H935 unto this place, H4725 Sihon H5511 the king H4428 of Heshbon, H2809 and Og H5747 the king H4428 of Bashan, H1316 came out H3318 against H7125 us unto battle, H4421 and we smote H5221 them:
8 And we took H3947 their land, H776 and gave H5414 it for an inheritance H5159 unto the Reubenites, H7206 and to the Gadites, H1425 and to the half H2677 tribe H7626 of Manasseh. H4520
9 Keep H8104 therefore the words H1697 of this covenant, H1285 and do H6213 them, that ye may prosper H7919 in all that ye do. H6213
10 Ye stand H5324 this day H3117 all of you before H6440 the LORD H3068 your God; H430 your captains H7218 of your tribes, H7626 your elders, H2205 and your officers, H7860 with all the men H376 of Israel, H3478
11 Your little ones, H2945 your wives, H802 and thy stranger H1616 that is in H7130 thy camp, H4264 from the hewer H2404 of thy wood H6086 unto the drawer H7579 of thy water: H4325
12 That thou shouldest enter H5674 into covenant H1285 with the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 and into his oath, H423 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 maketh H3772 with thee this day: H3117
13 That he may establish H6965 thee to day H3117 for a people H5971 unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, H430 as he hath said H1696 unto thee, and as he hath sworn H7650 unto thy fathers, H1 to Abraham, H85 to Isaac, H3327 and to Jacob. H3290
14 Neither with you only do I make H3772 this covenant H1285 and this oath; H423
15 But with him that standeth H5975 here with us this H3426 day H3117 before H6440 the LORD H3068 our God, H430 and also with him that is not here with us this day: H3117
16 (For ye know H3045 how we have dwelt H3427 in the land H776 of Egypt; H4714 and how we came H5674 through H7130 the nations H1471 which ye passed by; H5674
17 And ye have seen H7200 their abominations, H8251 and their idols, H1544 wood H6086 and stone, H68 silver H3701 and gold, H2091 which were among them:)
18 Lest there should be H3426 among you man, H376 or woman, H802 or family, H4940 or tribe, H7626 whose heart H3824 turneth away H6437 this day H3117 from the LORD H3068 our God, H430 to go H3212 and serve H5647 the gods H430 of these nations; H1471 lest there should be H3426 among you a root H8328 that beareth H6509 gall H7219 and wormwood; H3939
19 And it come to pass, when he heareth H8085 the words H1697 of this curse, H423 that he bless H1288 himself in his heart, H3824 saying, H559 I shall have peace, H7965 though H3588 I walk H3212 in the imagination H8307 of mine heart, H3820 to add H5595 drunkenness H7302 to thirst: H6771
20 The LORD H3068 will H14 not spare H5545 him, but then the anger H639 of the LORD H3068 and his jealousy H7068 shall smoke H6225 against that man, H376 and all the curses H423 that are written H3789 in this book H5612 shall lie H7257 upon him, and the LORD H3068 shall blot out H4229 his name H8034 from under heaven. H8064
21 And the LORD H3068 shall separate H914 him unto evil H7451 out of all the tribes H7626 of Israel, H3478 according to all the curses H423 of the covenant H1285 that are written H3789 in this book H5612 of the law: H8451
22 So that the generation H1755 to come H314 of your children H1121 that shall rise up H6965 after H310 you, and the stranger H5237 that shall come H935 from a far H7350 land, H776 shall say, H559 when they see H7200 the plagues H4347 of that land, H776 and the sicknesses H8463 which the LORD H3068 hath laid H2470 upon it;
23 And that the whole land H776 thereof is brimstone, H1614 and salt, H4417 and burning, H8316 that it is not sown, H2232 nor beareth, H6779 nor any grass H6212 groweth H5927 therein, like the overthrow H4114 of Sodom, H5467 and Gomorrah, H6017 Admah, H126 and Zeboim, H6636 which the LORD H3068 overthrew H2015 in his anger, H639 and in his wrath: H2534
24 Even all nations H1471 shall say, H559 Wherefore hath the LORD H3068 done H6213 thus unto this land? H776 what meaneth the heat H2750 of this great H1419 anger? H639
25 Then men shall say, H559 Because they have forsaken H5800 the covenant H1285 of the LORD H3068 God H430 of their fathers, H1 which he made H3772 with them when he brought them forth H3318 out of the land H776 of Egypt: H4714
26 For they went H3212 and served H5647 other H312 gods, H430 and worshipped H7812 them, gods H430 whom they knew H3045 not, and whom he had not given H2505 unto them:
27 And the anger H639 of the LORD H3068 was kindled H2734 against this land, H776 to bring H935 upon it all the curses H7045 that are written H3789 in this book: H5612
28 And the LORD H3068 rooted H5428 them out of their land H127 in anger, H639 and in wrath, H2534 and in great H1419 indignation, H7110 and cast H7993 them into another H312 land, H776 as it is this day. H3117
29 The secret H5641 things belong unto the LORD H3068 our God: H430 but those things which are revealed H1540 belong unto us and to our children H1121 for H5704 ever, H5769 that we may do H6213 all the words H1697 of this law. H8451
1 These are the words of the covenant which Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
3 the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders:
4 but Jehovah hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxed old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxed old upon thy foot.
6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God.
7 And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:
8 and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.
9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
10 Ye stand this day all of you before Jehovah your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,
11 your little ones, your wives, and thy sojourner that is in the midst of thy camps, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;
12 that thou mayest enter into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into his oath, which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day;
13 that he may establish thee this day unto himself for a people, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he spake unto thee, and as he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,
15 but with him that standeth here with us this day before Jehovah our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day;
16 (for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed;
17 and ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);
18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19 and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.
20 Jehovah will not pardon him, but then the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven.
21 And Jehovah will set him apart unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
22 And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith Jehovah hath made it sick;
23 `and that' the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, `and' a burning, `that' it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
24 even all the nations shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
25 Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
26 and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that he had not given unto them:
27 therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book;
28 and Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as at this day.
29 The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
1 These `are' the words of the covenant which Jehovah hath commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, apart from the covenant which He made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses calleth unto all Israel, and saith unto them, `Ye -- ye have seen all that which Jehovah hath done before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land;
3 the great trials which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders;
4 and Jehovah hath not given to you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, till this day,
5 and I cause you to go forty years in a wilderness; your garments have not been consumed from off you, and thy shoe hath not worn away from off thy foot;
6 bread ye have not eaten, and wine and strong drink ye have not drunk, so that ye know that I `am' Jehovah your God.
7 `And ye come in unto this place, and Sihon king of Heshbon -- also Og king of Bashan -- doth come out to meet us, to battle, and we smite them,
8 and take their land, and give it for an inheritance to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite, and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh;
9 and ye have kept the words of this covenant, and done them, so that ye cause all that ye do to prosper.
10 `Ye are standing to-day, all of you, before Jehovah your God -- your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your authorities -- every man of Israel;
11 your infants, your wives, and thy sojourner who `is' in the midst of thy camps, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water --
12 for thy passing over into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into His oath which Jehovah thy God is making with thee to-day;
13 in order to establish thee to-day to Him for a people, and He Himself is thy God, as He hath spoken to thee, and as He hath sworn to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 `And not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath;
15 but with him who is here with us, standing to-day before Jehovah our God, and with him who is not here with us to-day,
16 for ye have known how ye dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we passed by through the midst of the nations which ye have passed by;
17 and ye see their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which `are' with them,
18 lest there be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart is turning to-day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations, lest there be in you a root fruitful of gall and wormwood:
19 `And it hath been, in his hearing the words of this oath, and he hath blessed himself in his heart, saying, I have peace, though in the stubbornness of my heart I go on, in order to end the fulness with the thirst.
20 Jehovah is not willing to be propitious to him, for then doth the anger of Jehovah smoke, also His zeal, against that man, and lain down on him hath all the oath which is written in this book, and Jehovah hath blotted out his name from under the heavens,
21 and Jehovah hath separated him for evil, out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the oaths of the covenant which is written in this book of the law.
22 `And the latter generation of your sons who rise after you, and the stranger who cometh in from a land afar off, have said when they have seen the strokes of that land, and its sicknesses which Jehovah hath sent into it, --
23 (`with' brimstone and salt is the whole land burnt, it is not sown, nor doth it shoot up, nor doth there go up on it any herb, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, which Jehovah overturned in His anger, and in His fury,) --
24 yea, all the nations have said, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus to this land? what the heat of this great anger?
25 `And they have said, Because that they have forsaken the covenant of Jehovah, God of their fathers, which He made with them in His bringing them out of the land of Egypt,
26 and they go and serve other gods, and bow themselves to them -- gods which they have not known, and which He hath not apportioned to them;
27 and the anger of Jehovah burneth against that land, to bring in on it all the reviling that is written in this book,
28 and Jehovah doth pluck them from off their ground in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath, and doth cast them unto another land, as `at' this day.
29 `The things hidden `are' to Jehovah our God, and the things revealed `are' to us and to our sons -- to the age, to do all the words of this law.
1 These are the words of the covenant that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant that he made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses called to all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his bondmen, and to all his land:
3 the great trials that thine eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.
4 But Jehovah hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not grown old upon you, and thy sandal is not grown old upon thy foot;
6 ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink, that ye might know that I am Jehovah your God.
7 And ye came to this place; and Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us for battle, and we smote them.
8 And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of the Manassites.
9 Ye shall keep then the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
10 Ye stand this day all of you before Jehovah your God: your chiefs [of] your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,
11 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, as well the hewer of thy wood as the drawer of thy water;
12 that thou mayest enter into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into his oath, which Jehovah thy God maketh with thee this day;
13 that he may establish thee this day for a people unto himself, and [that] he may be to thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,
15 but with him that standeth here with us this day before Jehovah our God, and with him that is not here with us this day
16 (for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the nations which ye passed;
17 and ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);
18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood,
19 and it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to sweep away the drunken with the thirsty.
20 Jehovah will not pardon him, but the anger of Jehovah and his jealousy will then smoke against that man, and all the curse shall be upon him that is written in this book; and Jehovah will blot out his name from under the heavens;
21 and Jehovah will separate him for mischief out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
22 And the generation to come, your children who shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and its sicknesses wherewith Jehovah hath visited it,
23 [that] the whole ground thereof is brimstone and salt, [and] burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, and no grass groweth in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger and in his fury:
24 even all nations shall say, Why has Jehovah done thus to this land? whence the heat of this great anger?
25 And men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of Jehovah the God of their fathers, which he had made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt;
26 and they went and served other gods, and bowed down to them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not assigned to them.
27 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book;
28 and Jehovah rooted them out of their land in anger, and in fury, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as [it appears] this day.
29 The hidden things belong to Jehovah our God; but the revealed ones are ours and our children's for ever, to do all the words of this law.
1 These are the words of the covenant which Yahweh commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, You have seen all that Yahweh did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land;
3 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders:
4 but Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day.
5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes have not grown old on you, and your shoe has not grown old on your foot.
6 You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink; that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
7 When you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us to battle, and we struck them:
8 and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of the Manassites.
9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
10 You stand this day all of you before Yahweh your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,
11 your little ones, your wives, and your foreigner who is in the midst of your camps, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water;
12 that you may enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God, and into his oath, which Yahweh your God makes with you this day;
13 that he may establish you this day to himself for a people, and that he may be to you a God, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,
15 but with him who stands here with us this day before Yahweh our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day
16 (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed;
17 and you have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them);
18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from Yahweh our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood;
19 and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.
20 Yahweh will not pardon him, but then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under the sky.
21 Yahweh will set him apart to evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
22 The generation to come, your children who shall rise up after you, and the foreigner who shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses with which Yahweh has made it sick;
23 [and that] the whole land of it is sulfur, and salt, [and] a burning, [that] it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
24 even all the nations shall say, Why has Yahweh done thus to this land? what means the heat of this great anger?
25 Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
26 and went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods that they didn't know, and that he had not given to them:
27 therefore the anger of Yahweh was kindled against this land, to bring on it all the curse that is written in this book;
28 and Yahweh rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as at this day.
29 The secret things belong to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
1 These are the words of the agreement which Moses was ordered by the Lord to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the agreement which he made with them in Horeb.
2 And Moses said in the hearing of all Israel, You have seen all the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and all his land;
3 The great tests which your eyes saw, and the signs and wonders:
4 But even to this day the Lord has not given you a mind open to knowledge, or seeing eyes or hearing ears.
5 For forty years I have been your guide through the waste land: your clothing has not become old on your backs, or your shoes on your feet.
6 You have had no bread, or wine, or strong drink: so that you might see that I am the Lord your God.
7 When you came to this place, Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, came out to make war against us and we overcame them:
8 And we took their land and gave it to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for their heritage.
9 So keep the words of this agreement and do them, so that it may be well for you in everything you do.
10 You have come here today, all of you, before the Lord your God; the heads of your tribes, the overseers, and those who are in authority over you, with all the men of Israel,
11 And your little ones, your wives, and the men of other lands who are with you in your tents, down to the wood-cutter and the servant who gets water for you:
12 With the purpose of taking part in the agreement of the Lord your God, and his oath which he makes with you today:
13 And so that he may make you his people today, and be your God, as he has said to you, and as he made an oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 And not with you only do I make this agreement and this oath;
15 But with everyone who is here with us today before the Lord our God, as well as with those who are not here:
16 (For you have in mind how we were living in the land of Egypt; and how we came through all the nations which were on your way;
17 And you have seen their disgusting doings, and the images of wood and stone and silver and gold which were among them:)
18 So that there may not be among you any man or woman or family or tribe whose heart is turned away from the Lord our God today, to go after other gods and give them worship; or any root among you whose fruit is poison and bitter sorrow;
19 If such a man, hearing the words of this oath, takes comfort in the thought that he will have peace even if he goes on in the pride of his heart, taking whatever chance may give him:
20 The Lord will have no mercy on him, but the wrath of the Lord will be burning against that man, and all the curses recorded in this book will be waiting for him, and the Lord will take away his name completely from the earth.
21 He will be marked out by the Lord, from all the tribes of Israel, for an evil fate, in keeping with all the curses of the agreement recorded in this book of the law.
22 And future generations, your children coming after you, and travellers from far countries, will say, when they see the punishments of that land and the diseases which the Lord has sent on it;
23 And that all the land is a salt and smoking waste, not planted or giving fruit or clothed with grass, but wasted like Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, on which the Lord sent destruction in the heat of his wrath:
24 Truly all the nations will say, Why has the Lord done so to this land? what is the reason for this great and burning wrath?
25 Then men will say, Because they gave up the agreement of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he took them out of the land of Egypt:
26 And they went after other gods and gave them worship, gods who were strange to them, and whom he had not given them:
27 And so the wrath of the Lord was moved against this land, to send on it all the curse recorded in this book:
28 Rooting them out of their land, in the heat of his wrath and passion, and driving them out into another land, as at this day.
29 The secret things are the Lord our God's: but the things which have been made clear are ours and our children's for ever, so that we may do all the words of this law.
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Commentary on Deuteronomy 29 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Conclusion of the Covenant in the Land of Moab - Deuteronomy 29-30
The addresses which follow in ch. 29 and 30 are announced in the heading in Deuteronomy 29:1 as “ words (addresses) of the covenant which Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horeb, ” and consist, according to Deuteronomy 29:10., in a solemn appeal to all the people to enter into the covenant which the Lord made with them that day; that is to say, it consisted literally in a renewed declaration of the covenant which the Lord had concluded with the nation at Horeb, or in a fresh obligation imposed upon the nation to keep the covenant which had been concluded at Horeb, by the offering of sacrifices and the sprinkling of the people with the sacrificial blood (Ex 24). There was no necessity for any repetition of this act, because, notwithstanding the frequent transgressions on the part of the nation, it had not been abrogated on the part of God, but still remained in full validity and force. The obligation binding upon the people to fulfil the covenant is introduced by Moses with an appeal to all that the Lord had done for Israel ( Deuteronomy 29:2-9); and this is followed by a summons to enter into the covenant which the Lord was concluding with the now, that He might be their God, and fulfil His promises concerning them (Deuteronomy 29:10-15), with a repeated allusion to the punishment which threatened them in case of apostasy (Deuteronomy 29:16-29), and the eventual restoration on the ground of sincere repentance and return to the Lord (Deuteronomy 30:1-14), and finally another solemn adjuration, with a blessing and a curse before them, to make choice of the blessing (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).
Is not the close of the address in ch. 5-28, as Schultz , Knobel , and others suppose; but the heading to ch. 29-30, which relate to the making of the covenant mentioned in this verse (vid., Deuteronomy 29:12, Deuteronomy 29:14).
The introduction in Deuteronomy 29:2 resembles that in Deuteronomy 5:1. “ All Israel ” is the nation in all its members (see Deuteronomy 29:10, Deuteronomy 29:11). - Israel had no doubt seen the mighty acts of the Lord in Egypt ( Deuteronomy 29:2 and Deuteronomy 29:3; cf. Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 7:19), but Jehovah had not given them a heart, i.e., understanding, to perceive, eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day. With this complaint, Moses does not intend to excuse the previous want of susceptibility on the part of the nation to the manifestations of grace on the part of the Lord, but simply to explain the necessity for the repeated allusion to the gracious acts of God, and to urge the people to lay them truly to heart. “By reproving the dulness of the past, he would stimulate them to a desire to understand: just as if he had said, that for a long time they had been insensible to so many miracles, and therefore they ought not to delay any longer, but to arouse themselves to hearken better unto God” ( Calvin ). The Lord had not yet given the people an understanding heart, because the people had not yet asked for it, simply because the need of it was not felt (cf. Deuteronomy 4:26).
With the appeal to the gracious guidance of Israel by God through the desert, the address of Moses passes imperceptibly into an address from the Lord, just as in Deuteronomy 11:14. (On Deuteronomy 29:5, Deuteronomy 29:6, vid., Deuteronomy 8:3-4; on Deuteronomy 29:7, vid., Deuteronomy 2:26., and Deuteronomy 3:1. and Deuteronomy 3:12.).
These benefits from the Lord demanded obedience and fidelity. “ Keep the words of this covenant ,” etc. (cf. Deuteronomy 8:18). השׂכּיל , to act wisely (as in Deuteronomy 32:29), bearing in mind, however, that Jehovah Himself is the wisdom of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:6), and the search for this wisdom brings prosperity and salvation (cf. Joshua 1:7-8).
Summons to enter into the covenant of the Lord, namely, to enter inwardly, to make the covenant an affair of the heart and life.
Deuteronomy 29:10
“ To-day ,” when the covenant-law and covenant-right were laid before them, the whole nation stood before the Lord without a single exception - the heads and the tribes, the elders and the officers, all the men of Israel. The two members are parallel. The heads of the people are the elders and officers, and the tribes consist of all the men. The rendering given by the lxx and Syriac (also in the English version: Tr.), “ heads (captains) of your tribes ,” is at variance with the language.
Deuteronomy 29:11
The covenant of the Lord embraced, however, not only the men of Israel, but also the wives and children, and the stranger who had attached himself to Israel, such as the Egyptians who came out with Israel (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4), and the Midianites who joined the Israelites with Hobab (Numbers 10:29), down to the very lowest servant, “ from thy hewer of wood to thy drawer of water ” (cf. Joshua 9:21, Joshua 9:27).
Deuteronomy 29:12
“ That thou shouldest enter into the covenant of the Lord thy God, and the engagement on oath, which the Lord thy God concludeth with thee to-day .” עבר with בּ , as in Job 33:28, “to enter into,” expresses entire entrance, which goes completely through the territory entered, and is more emphatic than בברית בּוא ( 2 Chronicles 15:12). “Into the oath:” the covenant confirmed with an oath, covenants being always accompanied with oaths (vid., Genesis 26:28).
Deuteronomy 29:13
“ That He may set thee up (exalt thee) to-day into a people for Himself, and that He may be (become) unto thee a God ” (vid., Deuteronomy 28:9; Deuteronomy 27:9; Exodus 19:5-6).
Deuteronomy 29:14-15
This covenant Moses made not only with those who are present, but with all whether present or not; for it was to embrace not only those who were living then, but their descendants also, to become a covenant of blessing for all nations (cf. Acts 2:39, and the intercession of Christ in John 17:20).
The summons to enter into the covenant of the Lord is explained by Moses first of all by an exposition of the evil results which would follow from apostasy from the Lord, or the breach of His covenant. This exposition he introduces with an allusion to the experience of the people with reference to the worthlessness of idols, both in Egypt itself, and upon their march through the nations, whose territory they passed through (Deuteronomy 29:16, Deuteronomy 29:17). The words, “ for ye have learned how we dwelt in Egypt, and passed through the nations...and have seen their abominations and their idols ” ( gillulim : lit., clods, see Leviticus 26:30), have this signification: In our abode in Egypt, and upon our march through different lands, ye have become acquainted with the idols of these nations, that they are not gods, but only wood and stone (see at Deuteronomy 4:28), silver and gold. את־אשׁר , as in Deuteronomy 9:7, literally “ye know that which we dwelt,' i.e., know what our dwelling there showed, what experience we gained there of the nature of heathen idols.
“ That there may not be among you ,” etc.: this sentence may be easily explained by introducing a thought which may be easily supplied, such as “ consider this,” or “do not forget what ye have seen, that no one, either man or woman, family or tribe, may turn away from Jehovah our God.” - “ That there may not be a root among you which bears poison and wormwood as fruit .” A striking image of the destructive fruit borne by idolatry (cf. Hebrews 12:15). Rosh stands for a plant of a very bitter taste, as we may see from the frequency with which it is combined with לענה , wormwood: it is not, strictly speaking, a poisonous plant, although the word is used in Job 20:16 to denote the poison of serpents, because, in the estimation of a Hebrew, bitterness and poison were kindred terms. There is no other passage in which it can be shown to have the meaning “ poison.” The sense of the figure is given in plain terms in Deuteronomy 29:19, “ that no one when he hears the words of this oath may bless himself in his heart, saying, I will prosper with me, for I walk in the firmness of my heart .” To bless himself in his heart is to congratulate himself. שׁרירוּת , firmness, a vox media ; in Syriac, firmness, in a good sense, equivalent to truth; in Hebrew, generally in a bad sense, denoting hardness of heart; and this is the sense in which Moses uses it here. - “ To sweep away that which is saturated with the thirsty: ” a proverbial expression, of which very different interpretations have been given (see Rosenmüller ad h. l. ), taken no doubt from the land and transferred to persons or souls; so that we might supply Nephesh in this sense, “to destroy all, both those who have drunk its poison, and those also who are still thirsting for it” ( Knobel ). But even if we were to supply ארץ (the land), we should not have to think of the land itself, but simply of its inhabitants, so that the thought would still remain the same.
“For the Lord will not forgive him (who thinks or speaks in this way); but then will His anger smoke (break forth in fire; vid., (Psalms 74:1), and His jealousy against that man, and the whole curse of the law will lie upon him, that his name may be blotted out under heaven (vid., Deuteronomy 25:19; Exodus 17:14). “ The Lord will separate him unto evil from all the tribes , - so that he will be shut out from the covenant nation, and from its salvation, and be exposed to destruction - according to all the curses of the covenant .” Although the pronominal suffix refers primarily to the man, it also applies, according to Deuteronomy 29:18, to the woman, the family, and the tribe. “That is written,” etc., as in Deuteronomy 28:58, Deuteronomy 28:61.
How thoroughly Moses was filled with the thought, that not only individuals, but whole families, and in fact the greater portion of the nation, would fall into idolatry, is evident from the further expansion of the threat which follows, and in which he foresees in the Spirit, and foretells, the extermination of whole families, and the devastation of the land by distant nations; as in Leviticus 26:31-32. Future generations of Israel, and the stranger from a distant land, when they saw the strokes of the Lord which burst upon the land, and the utter desolation of the land, would ask whence this devastation, and receive the reply, The Lord had smitten the land thus in His anger, because its inhabitants (the Israelites) had forsaken His covenant. With regard to the construction, observe that ואמר , in Deuteronomy 29:22, is resumed in ואמרוּ , in Deuteronomy 29:24, the subject of Deuteronomy 29:22 being expanded into the general notion, “all nations” (Deuteronomy 29:24). With וראוּ , in Deuteronomy 29:22 , a parenthetical clause is inserted, giving the reason for the main thought, in the form of a circumstantial clause; and to this there is attached, by a loose apposition in Deuteronomy 29:23, a still further picture of the divine strokes according to their effect upon the land. The nouns in Deuteronomy 29:23, “ brimstone and salt burning ,” are in apposition to the strokes (plagues), and so far depend upon “they see.” The description is borrowed from the character of the Dead Sea and its vicinity, to which there is an express allusion in the words, “ like the overthrow of Sodom ,” etc., i.e., of the towns of the vale of Siddim (see at Genesis 14:2), which resembled paradise, the garden of Jehovah, before their destruction (vid., Genesis 13:10 and Genesis 19:24.).
“ What is this great burning of wrath? ” i.e., what does it mean - whence does it come? The reply to such a question would be (Deuteronomy 29:25-29): The inhabitants of the land have forsaken the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers; therefore has the wrath of the Lord burned over the land.
“ Gods which God had not assigned them ” (vid., Deuteronomy 4:19). “All the curses,” etc., are the curses contained in Deut 28:15-68; Lev 26:14-38. - Those who give the answer close their address in Deuteronomy 29:29 with an expression of pious submission and solemn admonition. “ That which is hidden belongs to the Lord our God (is His affair), and that which is revealed belongs to us and our children for ever, to do (that we may do) all the words of this law .” That which is revealed includes the law with its promises and threats; consequently that which is hidden can only refer to the mode in which God will carry out in the future His counsel and will, which He has revealed in the law, and complete His work of salvation notwithstanding the apostasy of the people.
(Note: What the puncta extraordinaria above ( ע ) ד וּלבנינוּ לנוּ mean, is uncertain. Hiller's conjecture is the most probable, “that they are intended to indicate a various reading, formed by the omission of eleven consonants, and the transposition of the rest עולם והנגדלות ( at magnalia saeculi sunt );” whereas there is no foundation for Lightfoot's notion, that “they served as a warning, that we should not wish to pry with curiosity into the secret things of God, but should be content with His revealed will,” - a notion which rests upon the supposition that the points are inspired.)