‏ Deuteronomy 31

Summary for Deut 31:1-29: 31:1-29  ^a For covenant documents to have abiding authority and relevance, they must be kept perpetually in a place where both parties could have easy access to them. The book of Deuteronomy had to be preserved for future reference so that Israel would always be reminded to submit to the Lord’s sovereignty.
Summary for Deut 31:1-8: 31:1-8  ^b Moses’ impending death meant that his role as covenant administrator would soon be over. Joshua had to be properly and publicly introduced as his successor with the same authority. 31:1  ^c Based on the context, these instructions refers to all of Deuteronomy (see 1:1  ^d).
31:3  ^e The Lord ... will cross over ahead of you: The conquest would be God’s war. The conflict would be commanded, initiated, and led by the Divine Warrior, the Lord God of Israel (see 1:30  ^f).

• From the earliest days of the Sinai wandering (Exod 17:8  ^g) to the present, Joshua had served as Moses’ attendant; now he was divinely appointed as Moses’ successor (see Deut 1:38  ^h; 3:23-29  ⁱ; Num 27:15-23  ^j).
31:4  ^k Sihon and Og: See study note on 2:24; Num 21:21-35  ^l.
31:6  ^m He will neither fail you nor abandon you: This encouragement for Israel on the verge of taking possession of the Promised Land also states a general principle of God’s care for his people (see also Heb 13:5  ⁿ).
Summary for Deut 31:9-13: 31:9-13  ^o So that future generations in Israel could be reminded of their covenant obligations, the covenant text was to be read publicly. Doing so was a practical necessity in an era when personal copies of documents were not generally available. 31:9  ^p Ark of the Lord’s Covenant: This gold-plated wooden chest contained the two stone tablets bearing the text of the Ten Commandments. It was also the Lord’s throne, as he sat there invisibly among his people (see study note on 10:1).
31:10  ^q The Year of Release was the seventh year of the calendar, not the seventh year of a given transaction between individuals. All debts were to be cancelled and Hebrew bond servants released from obligation to their creditors (see 15:1-3  ^r).

• Festival of Shelters (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles): The people observed this celebration in the seventh month (Tishri, September/October) of every year to commemorate God’s miraculous preservation of Israel in the wilderness. It also celebrated the fall harvest (see 16:13-15  ^s).
31:12  ^t Even foreigners living among the Israelites were to submit to the requirements of the covenant law. Despite their disadvantaged status, the Lord would provide for them (see 10:18  ^u).
31:14  ^v Tabernacle (literally Tent of Meeting): At first, the Tent of Meeting was a provisional place of encounter between God and his people (especially Moses). Later, the term became synonymous with the Tabernacle (see Exod 28:43  ^w; 33:7-11  ^x; 40:2  ^y; Num 11:16  ^z, 24  ^aa, 26  ^ab; 12:4  ^ac). See study note on Lev 1:1.
31:15  ^ad Since God is spirit, he cannot be seen unless he chooses to manifest his glory physically. The pillar of cloud was such a manifestation, sometimes called a theophany (see study note on 1:33). When the pillar appeared, those who saw it recognized in it the presence of God (see Exod 33:9  ^ae; Num 12:5  ^af).
31:18  ^ag I will hide my face: The invisible God used this figure of speech (see study note on 8:2) to communicate the breaking of fellowship between himself and his people. He turned away to indicate his rejection and repudiation.
Summary for Deut 31:19-22: 31:19-22  ^ah When sung by the collective community in days to come, this song (32:1-43  ^ai) would remind the people of God’s faithfulness in the past and of their too-frequent disloyalty. The major blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience were implicit in the song. The people of Israel would sing it as a sign that they had placed themselves under these promises and threats. Through music, they would be reminded of God’s blessings for obedience and would invoke God’s judgment should they prove unfaithful.
31:20  ^aj land flowing with milk and honey: See study note on 6:3.

• become fat: Fatness did not imply obesity or self-indulgence but blessing and prosperity.

• despise me: Israel would disregard the Lord and treat him lightly by falsely assuming that their prosperity had come through their own efforts or through the false gods of the land.
31:22  ^ak Moses wrote down the words: This statement is good evidence for the traditional view that Moses wrote Deuteronomy (see Deuteronomy Book Introduction, “Authorship”).
31:23  ^al I will be with you: These words given to Joshua were the same words God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, when he called him to lead Israel out of Egypt (Exod 3:12  ^am). The same God, with the same assurance, was able to guarantee the same results.
31:26  ^an beside the Ark: Unlike the stone tablets, the scroll of Deuteronomy was not to be placed in the Ark but near it, in the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and, later, of the Temple (see 31:9  ^ao; Exod 25:16  ^ap; 26:33  ^aq).

• a witness: Like the song that the Israelites were to sing (see Deut 31:19  ^ar), the presence of the scroll of Deuteronomy would be a perpetual reminder of Israel’s covenant obligations and privileges (see 31:10  ^as, 19  ^at).
Summary for Deut 31:30-32:47: 31:30–32:47  ^au In ancient times, the validity of a treaty arrangement between individuals or nations was secured by both parties’ vows. Israel’s promise was in the song of witness that Moses composed under divine inspiration (31:19-22  ^av). When Israel sang the song (presumably as part of a regular covenant-renewal ceremony; 31:21  ^aw), they invoked upon themselves the covenant’s judgments and reminded themselves of its promises.

‏ Deuteronomy 32

32:1  ^ax Listen, O heavens. ... Hear, O earth: Moses appealed to the witnesses of the covenant to note Israel’s confession and commitment as well as its anticipated disobedience and disloyalty (see 30:19  ^ay).
32:2  ^az like rain ... like dew: This simile shows the refreshing gentleness of Moses’ teaching. It should produce the fruit of obedience in the hearts of God’s people.
32:4  ^ba the Rock: This metaphor represents the Lord as strong, stable, and reliable; he is more than capable of providing righteousness and justice (see 32:15  ^bb, 18  ^bc, 30  ^bd; Hab 1:12  ^be).
32:7  ^bf Ask your father: History instructs those who are willing to learn from it. In the wisdom tradition of the Old Testament, the father was given the task of teaching his children the lessons that had previously been transmitted to him (see, e.g., Prov 1:8  ^bg; 2:1  ^bh; 3:1  ^bi).
32:8  ^bj God is sovereign over and concerned with all nations and has allotted their land in accord with his own purposes (see Ps 74:17  ^bk; Acts 17:26  ^bl).

• the Most High (Hebrew ‘Elyon): Abraham learned this name for God when he encountered Melchizedek (Gen 14:19  ^bm). This ancient name describes God’s universal sovereignty.

• assigned lands: One evidence of God’s sovereignty was his distribution of lands to the nations (see Gen 10  ^bn).
32:9  ^bo his special possession (literally his inheritance): God declared Israel to be his son, whom he redeemed from bondage in Egypt (see Exod 4:22-23  ^bp; 13:15  ^bq; Deut 7:6  ^br).
32:14  ^bs rams from Bashan, and goats: This high plateau east of the Sea of Galilee was famous for such livestock (see study note on 1:4; see also Ps 22:12  ^bt; Ezek 39:18  ^bu; Amos 4:1  ^bv).
32:15  ^bw Israel: Hebrew Jeshurun. This name, which appears to be derived from a verb meaning “to be upright,” demonstrates the Lord’s strong affection for his people (see 33:5  ^bx, 26  ^by; Isa 44:2  ^bz).

• the Rock: This metaphor describes God’s strength and reliability, especially regarding salvation (see Deut 32:4  ^ca).
32:16  ^cb his jealousy: See study note on 4:24. Just as a husband is properly jealous when another man tries to draw his wife away (Prov 6:34  ^cc), God was jealous when Israel worshiped other gods.
32:17  ^cd demons: In the ancient Near East, the gods were thought to protect individuals and places from harm, but worshiping these pagan deities actually amounted to worshiping evil spirits (cp. 1 Cor 10:20-21  ^ce; Rev 9:20  ^cf).

• New gods were false deities that Israel had never before encountered.
32:18  ^cg the Rock: This expression draws attention to God’s reliability as Father (see 32:4  ^ch, 9  ^ci).
32:20  ^cj The phrase without integrity indicates disloyalty to the covenant. Israel had promised to be true to the Lord but had consistently been unfaithful (see Exod 19:8  ^ck).
32:21  ^cl roused my jealousy: The Lord was not petulant because of attention paid to false gods. Rather, Israel had broken their covenant with him by worshiping other gods, demonstrating their disdain for him and his sovereignty (see 32:16  ^cm).

• people who are not even a people: God’s purpose for Israel was not just to redeem them, but through them to redeem all nations of the earth. In Israel’s eyes, other peoples were worthless, but through God’s attention to other nations, Israel would be drawn back to obedience (see Hos 1:9  ^cn; 2:23  ^co; Rom 9:25  ^cp; 10:19  ^cq).
32:22  ^cr The realm of the dead was thought to be in the depths beneath the earth, and the entrance to that world was the grave. God is omnipresent, and his judgment reaches the most inaccessible places (see Ps 139:7-12  ^cs).
32:27  ^ct I feared: God is never terrified or intimidated. This fear is concern that Israel’s enemies would attribute their success to their own efforts rather than to God’s sovereign judgment of his people (see Exod 32:11-14  ^cu).
32:29  ^cv their fate (literally their latter end): Israel’s future had not been predetermined; this statement expresses how things would turn out if Israel continued on its rebellious course.
32:30  ^cw How could one person chase a thousand: When God gives his people over to destruction, they are vulnerable against all odds.

• their Rock: Here the metaphor is used ironically. The very one upon whom Israel should stand as the source of their strength will desert them because of their own wickedness and unfaithfulness (see 32:4  ^cx).
32:31  ^cy the rock of our enemies: In this sarcastic comparison between the pagan gods and the Lord God of Israel, the false deities come up woefully short.
32:32  ^cz Sodom ... Gomorrah: These cities were the epitome of evil (see Gen 18:16–19:38  ^da). Pagan perversity and godlessness found their inspiration and source in these cities, and because they were unrepentant, they were utterly destroyed (see Deut 29:23  ^db).
32:34  ^dc Metaphorically, my treasury is the place where God, as Divine Warrior, lays up his implements of war and judgment until the time comes for them to be put to use (see 1:30  ^dd).
32:36  ^de will change his mind about: When speaking of God, the Old Testament frequently uses figurative language (see study note on 8:2). Human beings cannot understand God’s mind (Isa 55:8  ^df), so God uses human language and gives himself human physical characteristics and feelings. Although the Bible frequently speaks of God’s eyes, arms, hands, and feet, he is invisible and has no body; these metaphors describe his activity. Similarly, when the Bible says that God fears (Deut 32:27  ^dg) or changes his mind, it expresses how God’s actions appear to humans.
32:37  ^dh the rocks: This sarcastic metaphor concerns the impotence of pagan gods (see 32:31  ^di).
32:38  ^dj ate the fat ... drank the wine: Most polytheistic religious systems that practice sacrifice include the notion that the gods find nourishment in the sacrifices made to them. Israel fell victim to this superstitious belief for a time before the Lord graciously taught them otherwise and restored them to himself (32:36  ^dk).
32:40  ^dl I raise my hand to heaven: This anthropomorphism (see study notes on 4:34 and 8:2) asserts God’s solemn intention to keep his covenant promises to deliver his people from their enemies. When God makes an oath, he is not bound to some course of action in the event that he proves undependable. Rather, the statement emphasizes the reliability of God’s promises above and beyond his character alone (see Num 14:21  ^dm, 28  ^dn; Isa 49:18  ^do; Ezek 20:5-6  ^dp).
32:42  ^dq The phrase arrows drunk with blood combines personification and hyperbole to show the extent of the carnage that will result from God’s judgment of the nations.
32:47  ^dr they are your life: Obeying the Lord’s words brings life (see 8:3  ^ds; 30:20  ^dt).

• long life: This promise does not guarantee individual longevity and certainly not immortality; it is about Israel’s long tenure in the Land of Promise.
32:49  ^du The mountains east of the river are a range of mountains overlooking the Jordan Valley. Mount Nebo, a prominent peak in this range, was the point from which Moses could view Canaan to the west and was also where he died (32:50  ^dv; see 3:17  ^dw).
32:50  ^dx The location of Mount Hor is uncertain, but the traditional location (Jebel Haroun) is within sight of the Nabatean city of Petra (see Num 20:22-29  ^dy).

• The phrase joined his ancestors is a euphemism for burial.
32:51  ^dz you betrayed me: During the wilderness sojourn, Moses dishonored the Lord by striking a water-producing rock. This fit of impatient anger disqualified Moses from entering the Promised Land (Num 20:1-13  ^ea; see Deut 1:37  ^eb; 3:26-27  ^ec).

‏ Deuteronomy 33

Summary for Deut 33:1-29: 33:1-29  ^ed On the eve of his death, Jacob blessed his twelve sons (Gen 49:1-28  ^ee). As the founding father of his nation, Moses blessed these same sons, now grown into mighty tribes.
33:2  ^ef This poetic account does not establish an itinerary that God followed. Instead, it portrays God in his splendor as he came at certain times and places to lead his people against their foes in God’s war.

• Mount Paran is the highlands of Paran in the northeast region of the Sinai Peninsula (see 1:1  ^eg).
33:3  ^eh In covenant contexts, to love is frequently synonymous with to choose. The Lord does love his people, but here it means that he chooses them as his special possession (4:20  ^ei).

• his hands: This phrase figuratively conveys the security that Israel (his holy ones) had in the Lord.

• his steps: Following the Lord requires adopting his lifestyle and going where he goes.

• His teaching refers particularly and pertinently to the Torah in all its fullness.
33:4  ^ej of Israel: Literally of Jacob. The Hebrew probably uses Jacob because the tribes descended from Jacob’s twelve sons are here listed by name as recipients of God’s blessing (33:6-25  ^ek; cp. Gen 49:1-28  ^el).
33:6  ^em Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben: The NLT adds this line for clarity (cp. 33:7  ^en, 8  ^eo, 12  ^ep, etc.).

• Reuben was Jacob’s eldest son by Leah (see Gen 29:32  ^eq). His sin against his father (Gen 35:22  ^er) might explain his tribe’s lack of prominence (Gen 49:3-4  ^es).
33:7  ^et Judah was Jacob’s fourth son by Leah (Gen 29:35  ^eu). The anticipated messianic ruler would come through this tribe. This promise was fulfilled first in David (Ruth 4:18-22  ^ev; 1 Chr 2:3-15  ^ew) and then in Jesus Christ (Matt 1:1-6a  ^ex; see Gen 49:10  ^ey).
33:8  ^ez Levi was Jacob’s third son by Leah (Gen 29:34  ^fa). The Levites, particularly those descended from Aaron, were entrusted with the priesthood (see Exod 28:1  ^fb; 32:29  ^fc; Num 3:9  ^fd).

• Thummim and Urim were precious stones embedded in or suspended from the breastpiece of the ephod, a garment worn by the chief priest. These stones could be consulted to determine God’s will. Their names may be translated “perfections” and “lights,” respectively (see study note on Exod 28:30).

• Massah means “[place of] testing,” referring to an incident when the people ran out of water and tested the Lord (see study note on Deut 6:16; Exod 17:1-7  ^fe).

• Meribah means “[place of] contention,” referring to another occasion when the people of Israel fought with the Lord until he brought them water from a rock (Num 20:13  ^ff, 24  ^fg).
33:9  ^fh guarded your covenant: The verse alludes to the incident of the gold calf at Mount Sinai (Exod 32:25-29  ^fi) and to the affair at Baal-peor (Num 25:6-9  ^fj). The Levites’ love for the Lord and loyalty to his covenant eclipsed their devotion to their own families, averted God’s judgment, and brought them the honor expressed here.
33:10  ^fk They teach your regulations ... instructions: In addition to carrying out priestly duties such as sacrifices and otherwise assisting at the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Levites had the task of teaching the Torah (31:9-13  ^fl).

• present incense: This ministry was limited to Levitical priests (Num 16:39-40  ^fm). Later, when King Uzziah entered the Temple to offer incense, he was roundly condemned for his arrogant breach of the priests’ privilege and was afflicted by a skin disease for the rest of his life (2 Chr 26:16-21  ^fn).
33:12  ^fo Benjamin was Jacob’s youngest son (Gen 35:18  ^fp; 49:27  ^fq). Because Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife, Benjamin was also favored. His tribe was blessed by the Lord’s special protection.
Summary for Deut 33:13-17: 33:13-17  ^fr Joseph was Jacob’s eleventh son (Gen 30:23-24  ^fs) and his favorite child (Gen 37:3  ^ft). Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, received Jacob’s special blessing (Gen 48  ^fu; 49:22-26  ^fv). As a result, the tribes of Joseph prospered and multiplied, becoming two separate tribes.
33:16  ^fw the one who appeared in the burning bush: See Exod 3:2-4  ^fx. The same Lord who favored Israel by rescuing them from bondage blessed the tribes of Joseph.

• the prince among his brothers: Joseph’s dream that he would rule over his siblings was fulfilled when they submitted to him in Egypt (Gen 37:5-11  ^fy; 42:6  ^fz).
33:17  ^ga Ephraim is listed first because he received the blessing of the firstborn over Manasseh (Gen 48:8-22  ^gb). Manasseh, the firstborn, would normally have received the double portion belonging to the firstborn (cp. Deut 21:17  ^gc), but Jacob gave it to Ephraim, Joseph’s younger son. Moses’ blessing reflects Jacob’s blessing by listing the tribe of Ephraim as numbering in multitudes (literally tens of thousands) and Manasseh in thousands. After the conquest and establishment of the nation, Ephraim became the dominant tribe of the north; later, after the kingdom was divided following Solomon’s death (1 Kgs 12  ^gd), the name Ephraim was used interchangeably with Israel in speaking of the northern kingdom.
33:18  ^ge Zebulun and Issachar (NLT adds and Issachar for clarity) were the sixth and fifth sons of Jacob by Leah (Gen 30:18  ^gf, 20  ^gg).

• in their travels ... in their tents: This figure of speech (a merism) encompasses life in all its fullness for both tribes, from activity (travels) to inactivity (tents).
33:19  ^gh to the mountain: Issachar was allotted much of the plains of Jezreel or Esdraelon. Mount Tabor, a prominent landmark of this region, was probably the mountain in view because later tradition knows this as a place of worship (Hos 5:1  ^gi). The nature of that worship is unclear, but it was probably proper even though it was not carried out at the Temple (see 1 Kgs 18:30  ^gj, 32  ^gk).

• The phrase riches of the sea might refer to the maritime industry of the people of Zebulun when their western border extended to the Mediterranean Sea (see Gen 49:13  ^gl).
33:20  ^gm Gad was the elder of two sons of Jacob by Leah’s servant Zilpah (Gen 30:10-11  ^gn). His name means “good fortune,” but the message is that the one who enables the tribe to enlarge its territory is the fortunate one. That territory was east of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee.
33:21  ^go the best land: Gad chose this territory prior to the conquest. It was the famously rich and productive land of Bashan (Num 32:1-5  ^gp). The commendation of Gad for carrying out the Lord’s justice and obeying his regulations probably refers to the tribe’s faithfulness in assisting the western tribes in their conquest of Canaan (Josh 22:1-3  ^gq).
33:22  ^gr Dan was the elder of two sons of Jacob by Rachel’s servant Bilhah (Gen 30:5-6  ^gs). The name means “he judged.” The tribe of Dan was originally given territory between Judah and the Mediterranean. However, because of fierce hostility in that region, they were unable to settle there (Josh 19:40-48  ^gt). The tribe then moved to the far north, destroyed the people who lived there, and settled in their place near Mount Hermon, north of the Sea of Galilee and adjacent to Bashan. The historical record doesn’t mention Dan’s staging area from which an attack was made against Laish, but the phrase leaping out from Bashan might suggest that Dan would attack from Bashan (Judg 18:27-28  ^gu; see Gen 49:16-17  ^gv).
33:23  ^gw Naphtali was the younger of two sons of Jacob by Rachel’s servant Bilhah (Gen 30:7-8  ^gx). The name means something like “my struggle.”

• the west and the south (or southward to the sea): The Hebrew word (yam) can mean either “west” or “sea.” This phrase might refer to the region this tribe settled in near the Sea of Galilee (see Matt 4:12-17  ^gy), known for its fishing and farming.
33:24  ^gz Asher was the younger of two sons of Jacob by Leah’s servant Zilpah (Gen 30:12-13  ^ha). The name means “happy” or “blessed,” evident in the abundance of olive oil from the orchards that cover the lower Galilean hills and Mount Carmel, as well as the security from danger that these hills and other natural formations provided (Deut 33:25  ^hb).
33:26  ^hc He rides across the heavens: Moses’ blessing of the tribes climaxes with praise to the Lord. Like a mighty warrior, God rides triumphantly through the skies on chariots of cloud (see 1:30  ^hd).
33:27  ^he God’s everlasting arms suggest his eternal nature (he has always existed and always will), omnipotence (power), and care. God’s power would evict the Canaanites from the Promised Land so that Israel could enter and occupy it.
33:29  ^hf stomp on their backs: Treading on an enemy’s back figuratively meant having complete victory over him. The word backs can also be translated “high places,” meaning the heights of the land and the traditional places of pagan worship—a way of suggesting total physical and spiritual conquest. The Lord promised to lead the way and guaranteed success in the forthcoming conquest (see 11:24-25  ^hg; Josh 1:3  ^hh; 14:9  ^hi; cp. Amos 4:13  ^hj; Mic 1:3  ^hk; Hab 3:15  ^hl).