Deuteronomy 4
Summary for Deut 4:1-40: 4:1-40 a Moses’ lengthy exhortation to the Israelite community was based on the people’s recent failures and his anticipation of what lay ahead in Canaan. 4:1 b The pairing of the terms decrees and regulations in Deuteronomy (e.g., 4:5 c, 8 d, 14 e, 45 f; 5:1 g, 31 h) is a way of referring to the covenant stipulations and the detailed application of the great principles of the Law (see study note on 4:44).4:3 i Baal was the Canaanite god associated with the fertility of the soil and of human and animal life. Local pagan worship centers linked Baal with their own shrines and cultic rituals, as with the god of Peor (see 3:29 j).
4:6 k Obey ... wisdom and intelligence: Wisdom is linked to obedience—obeying the Lord is the essence of wisdom (see 10:12-13 l; Prov 1:7 m; 9:10 n; 15:33 o). If God’s people were wise and prudent enough to keep the Lord’s perfect covenant, all the world would marvel.
4:8 p Israel’s laws were righteous and fair because they originated with God.
4:11 q flames ... clouds: In these contrasting displays of God’s presence (theophanies; see study note on 1:33), he revealed himself while also remaining hidden (see Exod 19:16-19 r).
4:13 s The covenant is the key theological idea of Deuteronomy and perhaps of the entire Old Testament. A covenant was a legal arrangement involving two or more parties who entered into agreements with mutually binding obligations. The covenant at Sinai (Exod 20–23 t) codified this relationship between the Lord and Israel; in Deuteronomy, Moses interpreted and expanded the covenant for the new generation that was about to conquer and occupy the Promised Land.
• The Ten Commandments (literally the ten words, “decalogue”) are so much at the heart of the covenant text and its requirements as to be equated with the covenant. The first four words regulate relationship with God, while the last six regulate human relationships.
• two stone tablets: All legal documents, including covenant texts, were copied for the benefit of all involved parties. God had his copy (the stone tablets) laid inside the Ark of the Covenant in the sanctuary (see Exod 25:16 u, 21 v; 31:18 w; 40:20 x; cp. Deut 31:26 y); Israel’s copy was written in the books of Exodus (Exod 20:1-17 z) and Deuteronomy (Deut 5:6-21 aa).
4:15 ab form: No image could capture the transcendent glory and power of the invisible God (Neh 9:20 ac; Isa 63:10-14 ad; Zech 4:6 ae; John 4:24 af). Any form of the Lord could become an object of worship in lieu of worshiping God himself.
4:16 ag idol: Idolatry inherently confined the Lord to the artist’s imagination. Israel was not to make idols in the form of any of his creatures (4:17-18 ah). Idols and images could lead to worship of the creature rather than the Creator (5:8-9 ai; Rom 1:23-25 aj).
4:19 ak forces of heaven: This phrase refers to the stars and other heavenly bodies, which, like earthly creations, were thought to embody or represent deities. Instead, they are servants of God, named by him to carry out their duties of marking the times and seasons (Gen 1:14-19 al; Isa 40:26 am).
• The Lord your God gave them: Rather than worshiping these heavenly bodies, the people of Israel were to recognize that God’s creation was made, among other reasons, to serve humankind (Gen 1:28 an).
4:20 ao An iron-smelting furnace was used to refine metal ores and separate the pure metal from the dross. Israel’s trials in Egypt made the Israelites more spiritually and morally pure.
• special possession (literally people of inheritance): Israel itself was God’s inheritance. This concept is confirmed by the parallel phrase describing Israel as his very own people. As such, the Israelites were now fit to enter, conquer, and occupy the land (cp. 1 Pet 2:9-12 ap).
4:24 aq God does not have the petty human emotion of jealousy. Rather, the phrase jealous God shows that God was asserting his uniqueness and claiming exclusive worship (6:15 ar; Lev 10:2 as; Num 16:35 at). The Hebrew word can be rendered as “jealous” or “zealous.” God zealously protects his own reputation as the universal sovereign.
4:26 au Heaven and earth would be witnesses against Israel if the people were disloyal to the Lord. In a covenant partnership, the parties to the agreement were held accountable to the oaths of loyalty and commitment they made to each other in the presence of witnesses (Isa 1:2-7 av; Mic 6:1-8 aw). In Deuteronomy, the natural creation plays that role of witness (see Deut also 30:19 ax).
4:27 ay scatter you: One of the curses directed against Israel if it violated the terms of the covenant was the dispersion of the people to the ends of the earth (28:64 az). This judgment later came to pass repeatedly, especially when the Assyrians occupied the northern kingdom in 722 BC, when the Babylonians conquered Judah in 605–586 BC, and when Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70.
4:30 ba distant future (literally last [or latter] days): Israel would eventually return from the Exile and worldwide dispersion (see 30:1-10 bb; Lev 26:40-45 bc; Jer 31:27-34 bd; Ezek 36:22-31 be).
4:34 bf strong hand, a powerful arm: Describing divine qualities in human terms is called anthropomorphism (see study note on 8:2). Here it represents God’s sovereign power in delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt.
4:36 bg great fire: God revealed the covenant law at Mount Sinai with a magnificent and terrifying display of power and glory comparable to the eruption of a great volcano (see study note on 1:33; see Exod 3:1-4 bh; 24:16-18 bi).
4:39 bj The Lord is unique, and there is no other besides him. This instruction reaffirms the first two commandments (5:6-8 bk; Exod 20:2-4 bl) and foreshadows the Shema (Deut 6:4-5 bm). God’s uniqueness had to be underscored because Israel’s neighbors worshiped many gods.
4:40 bn More than a promise of individual longevity, long life described Israel’s tenure in the land of promise.
Summary for Deut 4:41-49: 4:41-49 bo Moses was ready to set forth the covenant in all its magisterial authority. This section bridges the review of the past (1:6–4:40 bp) and the presentation of the covenant text proper (5:1–26:19 bq).
Summary for Deut 4:41-43: 4:41-43 br When Israel settled in Canaan and adopted an urban lifestyle, crimes such as homicide would inevitably need judicial resolution. In order to protect alleged perpetrators from premature vengeance and to guarantee them a fair trial, they needed safe haven in accessible cities of refuge. These towns were first assigned east of the Jordan and later in Canaan (see Num 35:9-28 bs). The laws governing these matters occur again in Deut 19:1-13 bt, but they appear here because of the just-mentioned promise of a long and safe life in the land (4:40 bu). Establishing places of refuge to protect the innocent from false accusations would help secure that promise.
4:43 bv Bezer (probably modern Umm al-‘Amad) lay some six miles east of Heshbon.
• Ramoth in Gilead was thirty-five miles east-southeast of the Sea of Galilee.
• The town of Golan was about forty miles north of Ramoth in Gilead.
4:44 bw body of instruction (Hebrew torah): The Hebrew noun is derived from the verb yarah, “to teach”; its basic meaning is instruction. The Greek Old Testament understands the term to mean “law.” In this context, the term introduces the body of instruction in the remainder of Deuteronomy (see study note on 5:1–26:19).
4:48 bx Mount Sirion: The Sidonians used the name Sirion for Mount Hermon.
4:49 by conquered the eastern bank of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea (Hebrew took the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the sea of the Arabah): The Arabah (“wilderness” or “wasteland”) usually refers to the Great Rift Valley south of the Dead Sea; in Deuteronomy, it also pertains to the lower Jordan Valley (see 1:1 bz; 3:17 ca).
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