Deuteronomy 9
9:1 a walls that reach to the sky: This figurative language emphasizes the impossibility of breaching these walls by human effort alone (Num 13:28 b). If Israel were to enjoy success, God must lead the way and fight the battle (Deut 9:5 c).9:3 d The graphic metaphor like a devouring fire depicts God’s war against his enemies (see 1:30 e). God will not just use fire but will himself be a raging inferno, consuming everything in his path. In the end, Israel would simply have to step in and occupy the subdued land.
9:5 f to fulfill the oath: In the covenant promises made to the patriarchs, God swore that their descendants would inherit the land of Canaan (Gen 13:14-17 g; 15:18-21 h; see Deut 1:8 i; 8:18 j).
9:6 k Stubborn (literally stiff-necked) describes a draft animal that is unwilling to bend its neck to the yoke (Exod 32:9 l; 33:3 m, 5 n; Isa 48:4 o). Sadly, Israel was not just occasionally stubborn; stubbornness was the nation’s characteristic behavior and attitude.
9:9 p Covenant here refers to the promises God made with Israel nearly forty years earlier at Sinai (see 4:13 q).
• The common biblical expression forty days and forty nights represents trial or testing (Exod 34:28 r). Moses’ fast was like Jesus’ fast (Matt 4:2 s). It is physically possible to go without food for forty days, but a person cannot ordinarily survive without water for more than a few days. Moses was directly sustained by God (cp. Matt 4:11 t).
9:10 u Speaking of God’s own finger (see study notes on 4:34 and 8:2) emphasizes God’s personal interest and involvement in communicating the text of the covenant (Exod 31:18 v; 32:15-16 w; 34:1 x, 28 y).
9:12 z The type of idol (from a Hebrew word meaning cast or pour) mentioned here was formed by pouring liquid metal into a mold (Exod 32:1-4 aa). Other idols were made of carved wood, stone, clay, or precious metals hammered in thin sheets over wooden cores.
9:14 ab erase their name: The Lord threatened to destroy Israel’s identity and existence (see study note on 7:24).
9:16 ac The gold calf idol Israel made at Sinai (Exod 32 ad) was probably modeled after bovine deities of Egypt, such as the bull god Apis and the cow goddess Hathor, both associated with fertility. When the Israelites entered Canaan, they would be confronted with the fertility gods of the Canaanite cults. They would be tempted to rely upon these false gods, rather than the one true God, as the source of their blessings (cp. Deut 8:18-20 ae).
9:22 af Shortly after Israel left Sinai, the people began to murmur against the Lord so incessantly and bitterly that he sent a fiery judgment to slay some of them at Taberah (Taberah means “place of burning”).
• Even earlier, the people came to Massah, a place where they tested the Lord to see whether he could supply their need for water (Massah means “place of testing”).
• At Kibroth-hattaavah, the Israelites demanded food other than manna. The Lord miraculously provided quail, with which they gorged themselves. Many of them paid for this sin of gluttony with their lives. Kibroth-hattaavah means “graves of gluttony.”
9:23 ag Israel made Kadesh-barnea its major headquarters for the thirty-eight years of wandering in the wilderness (see also study note on 1:19).
9:26 ah The Lord redeemed Israel from their bondage in Egypt by his own gracious efforts on their behalf.
9:27 ai In Hebrew, the term translated remember does not always mean to recall something that has been forgotten, especially when God is the subject (see study notes on 8:2 and 32:36). Here the meaning is that God would honor the promises he made to the patriarchs by doing what he said he would do. Appealing to God to remember goes beyond urging him to be aware of a need; it is a petition for him to act in the face of that need (cp. Luke 23:42-43 aj).
Deuteronomy 10
10:1 ak The Ark was a gold-plated wooden chest that contained the stone tablets; it was kept in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle or Temple (Exod 25:10 al). Later, a pot of manna and Aaron’s flowering rod were also placed in the Ark (Heb 9:4 am). The Ark was the throne upon which the invisible Lord sat on earth among his people (see study notes on Exod 25:22 and Lev 16:2).10:3 an acacia wood: This durable desert tree is probably the species Acacia raddiana; it is the only variety that grows large enough in the Negev to produce timber for building.
10:5 ao still there: Occasionally, phrases such as this one appear in Deuteronomy, indicating that the book received final touches sometime after Moses originally composed it. At the time the book was finally edited, the stone tablets were still in the Ark.
Summary for Deut 10:12-13: 10:12-13 ap fear the Lord your God: The fear of God is not terror from dread of his wrath. Rather, God wanted his people to recognize their finiteness and unworthiness in his divine presence (see study notes on 7:21 and Prov 1:7).
10:16 aq change your hearts (literally circumcise the foreskin of your hearts): This figure of speech encompasses both inward and outward conformity to the covenant (Gen 17:9-14 ar; Rom 2:28-29 as).
10:17 at The phrase God of gods does not affirm the existence of other gods; rather, it affirms God’s absolute sovereignty over all powers in heaven and earth. The Hebrew ’elohim, translated gods, can also refer to angels or other powerful beings (see Ps 82:1 au).
• shows no partiality: God is not impressed with people who hold power and influence, and therefore he offers them no privileged consideration (see Deut 1:17 av).
10:18 aw foreigners (literally sojourners): “A rabble of non-Israelites” (Exod 12:38 ax) came out of Egypt with the Israelites, and others later took up residence in Israel for various reasons. Some of these non-Israelites had no intention of becoming part of the covenant nation, but other foreigners, while not citizens of Israel, were God-fearers or potential proselytes. They lacked full equality with the Israelites and thus were often victims of neglect and discrimination.
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