Deuteronomy 4:30-40

30 After that all things have found thee, that be before-said, soothly in the last time, thou shalt turn again to thy Lord God, and thou shalt hear his voice. (And when all these things have found thee, that be spoken of before, thou shalt finally return to the Lord thy God, and thou shalt listen to his voice, and obey him.)
31 For thy Lord God is a merciful God; he shall not forsake thee, neither he shall do thee away utterly, neither he shall forget the covenant, in which he swore to thy fathers. (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God; he shall not forsake thee, nor shall he utterly do thee away, nor shall he forget the covenant, which he swore to thy fathers.)
32 Ask thou (them) of [the] eld days, or times, that were before thee, from the day in which thy Lord God made of nought man upon (the) earth, ask thou from the one end of heaven unto the tother end thereof, that is, take heed to all things that ever were done, if such a thing was done any time, (Ask thou them about the days of old, or the former times, that were before thee, from the day in which the Lord thy God made a man out of nothing on the earth, ask thou from one end of heaven unto the other, that is, take heed of all the things that were ever done, if at any time such a thing was ever done,)
33 either if it was ever known, that a people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard and seen; (or was it ever made known, if any other people heard the voice of God speaking to them from the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and yet still lived?)
34 either if that God went in, and took to himself a folk from the midst of nations, by temptations, miracles, and great wonders, by battle, and strong hand, and arm stretched forth, and horrible sights, by all things which your Lord God did for you in Egypt, in sight of thine eyes; (or if any god went in, and took for himself a people from the midst of another nation, by temptations, and miracles, and great wonders, and by battle, and by a strong hand, and an outstretched arm, and terrible sights, yea, by all the things which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, in the sight of thine own eyes?)
35 that thou shouldest know, that the Lord himself is God, and none other is, besides (this) one. (so that thou wouldest know, that the Lord himself is God, and there is no other besides him.)
36 From heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he should teach thee; and in [the] earth he showed to thee his full great fire (and on the earth he showed thee his very great fire), and thou heardest his words from [the] midst of the fire;
37 for he loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them. And he led thee out of Egypt, and went before thee in his great strength,
38 that he should do away the greatest nations, and stronger than thou, in thine entering, and that he should lead thee in, and should give to thee their land into possession (and should give thee their land for a possession), as thou seest in (this) present day.
39 Therefore know thou today, and think in thine heart, that the Lord himself is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath, and none other is. (And so know thou today, and take to thy heart, that the Lord himself is God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath, and there is no other.)
40 Keep thou his behests, and his commandments, which I command to thee, that it be well to thee, and to thy sons after thee, and that thou dwell much time upon the land, which thy Lord God shall give to thee. (Obey thou his statutes, and his commandments, which I command to thee, that it be well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and so that thou live a long time on the land, which the Lord thy God shall give to thee.)

Deuteronomy 4:30-40 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 4

This chapter contains an exhortation to Israel to keep the commands, statutes, and judgments of God, urged from the superior excellency of them to those of all other nations, De 4:1-8, from the manner in which they were delivered, out of the midst of fire, by a voice of words, but no similitude seen, De 4:9-15, and particularly the Israelites are cautioned against idolatry, from the consideration of the goodness of God to them, in bringing them out of Egypt, De 4:16-20, and the rather Moses is urgent upon them to be diligent in their obedience to the laws of God, because he should quickly be removed from them, De 4:21-24, and should they be disobedient to them, it would provoke the Lord to destroy them, or to carry them captive into other lands, De 4:25-28 though even then, if they repented and sought the Lord, and became obedient, he would be merciful to them, and not forsake them, De 4:29-31 and they are put in mind again of the amazing things God had done for them, in speaking to them out of fire, and they alive; in bringing them out of another nation, and driving out other nations to make room for them; all which he improves, as so many arguments to move them to obedience to the divine commands, De 4:32-40 and then notice is taken of the three cities of refuge, separated on this side Jordan, De 4:41-43, and the chapter is concluded with observing, that this is the law, and these the testimonies, Moses declared and repeated to the children of Israel in the country of Sihon and Og, who were delivered into their hands, and their lands possessed by them, which laid them under fresh obligations to yield obedience to God, De 4:44-49.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.