Deuteronomy 7:7-9
The Basis of Israel’s Election
7 It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you—for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples. 8Rather it is because of his ▼ love ▼ for you and his faithfulness to the promise ▼▼tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
he solemnly vowed ▼▼tn Heb “swore on oath.”
to your ancestors ▼ that the Lord brought you out with great power, ▼▼tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
redeeming ▼▼sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the Lord as ransom in exchange for deliverance from bondage and death (Exod 12:1-14). Later, the firstborn sons of Israel, represented by the Levites, became the ransom (Num 3:11-13). These were all types of the redemption effected by the death of Christ who described his atoning work as “a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. 1 Pet 1:18).
you from the place of slavery, from the power ▼▼tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, ▼▼tn Heb “the God.” The article here expresses uniqueness; cf. TEV “is the only God”; NLT “is indeed God.”
the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully ▼▼tn Heb “who keeps covenant and loyalty.” The syndetic construction of בְּרִית (berit) and חֶסֶד (khesed) should be understood not as “covenant” plus “loyalty” but as an adverbial construction in which חֶסֶד (“loyalty”) modifies the verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “keeps”).
with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
Copyright information for
NET2full