1sn Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same. 2sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (which some English versions substitute here for clarity, cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). 3tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation. 4tn Heb “testings.” This is a reference to the plagues; see note at 4:34. 5tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.” 6tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. 7tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.” 8tc The LXX reads “that he is the Lord your God.” 9tn Heb “words.” 10tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shof˙tekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.” 11tn Heb “your.” 12tn Heb “for you to pass on into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath, which the Lord your God is cutting with you today.” 13tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons. 14tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25). 15tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT). 16tn The Hebrew term שִׁקּוּץ (shiquts) refers to anything out of keeping with the nature and character of Yahweh and therefore to be avoided by his people Israel. It is commonly used with or as a synonym for תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “detestable, abhorrent”; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see note on the term “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46. 17tn The Hebrew text includes “which were with them.” Verses 16-17 constitute a parenthetical comment. 18tn Heb “yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood.” The Hebrew noun לַעֲנָה (la’anah) literally means “wormwood” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB), but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here “fruit poisonous and bitter.” 19tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 20tn Heb “in his heart.” 21tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse. 22tn Heb “heart.” 23tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here. 24tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches – “the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.” 25tn Heb “the wrath of the Lord and his zeal.” The expression is a hendiadys, a figure in which the second noun becomes adjectival to the first. 26tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.” 27tn Heb “the entire oath.” 28tn Or “will lie in wait against him.” 29tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.” 30tn Heb “set him apart.” 31tn Heb “for evil”; NAB “for doom”; NASB “for adversity”; NIV “for disaster”; NRSV “for calamity.” 32tn Heb “will say and see.” One expects a quotation to appear, but it seems to be omitted. To avoid confusion in the translation, the verb “will say” is omitted. 33tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” This construction is a hendiadys intended to intensify the emotion. 34tn Heb “this great burning of anger”; KJV “the heat of this great anger.” 35tn Heb “did not assign to them”; NASB, NRSV “had not allotted to them.” 36tn Heb “the entire curse.” 37tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV “children.”
1sn Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
2sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (which some English versions substitute here for clarity, cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
3tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation.
4tn Heb “testings.” This is a reference to the plagues; see note at 4:34.
5tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.”
6tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”
8tc The LXX reads “that he is the Lord your God.”
9tn Heb “words.”
10tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shof˙tekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”
11tn Heb “your.”
12tn Heb “for you to pass on into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath, which the Lord your God is cutting with you today.”
13tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
14tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
15tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
16tn The Hebrew term שִׁקּוּץ (shiquts) refers to anything out of keeping with the nature and character of Yahweh and therefore to be avoided by his people Israel. It is commonly used with or as a synonym for תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “detestable, abhorrent”; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see note on the term “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46.
17tn The Hebrew text includes “which were with them.” Verses 16-17 constitute a parenthetical comment.
18tn Heb “yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood.” The Hebrew noun לַעֲנָה (la’anah) literally means “wormwood” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB), but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here “fruit poisonous and bitter.”
19tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20tn Heb “in his heart.”
21tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
22tn Heb “heart.”
23tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
24tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches – “the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
25tn Heb “the wrath of the Lord and his zeal.” The expression is a hendiadys, a figure in which the second noun becomes adjectival to the first.
26tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”
27tn Heb “the entire oath.”
28tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”
29tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”
30tn Heb “set him apart.”
31tn Heb “for evil”; NAB “for doom”; NASB “for adversity”; NIV “for disaster”; NRSV “for calamity.”
32tn Heb “will say and see.” One expects a quotation to appear, but it seems to be omitted. To avoid confusion in the translation, the verb “will say” is omitted.
33tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” This construction is a hendiadys intended to intensify the emotion.
34tn Heb “this great burning of anger”; KJV “the heat of this great anger.”
35tn Heb “did not assign to them”; NASB, NRSV “had not allotted to them.”
36tn Heb “the entire curse.”
37tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV “children.”