Deuteronomy 4

1 And now, thou Israel, hear the behests and dooms which I teach thee, that thou do those, and live, and that thou enter and wield the land which the Lord God of your fathers shall give to you. (And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and laws, or judgements, which I shall teach thee, so that thou do them, and live, and so that thou can enter and take the land which the Lord God of your fathers shall give to you.)
2 Ye shall not add to the word which I speak to you, neither ye shall take away from it; keep ye the commandments of your Lord God (obey the commandments of the Lord your God), which I command to you.
3 Your eyes saw all things which the Lord did against Baalpeor; how he all-brake all the worshippers of him from the midst of you. (Your own eyes saw all the things which the Lord did at Mount Peor; how he destroyed all the worshippers of Baal of Peor in the midst of you.)
4 Forsooth ye that cleave(d) to your Lord God live all till into (this) present day. (But all of ye who cleaved to the Lord your God still be alive unto this present day.)
5 Ye know that I taught you the behests and the rightwisenesses, as my Lord God commanded to me; so ye shall do them in the land that ye shall wield, (Ye know that I have taught you all the statutes and the laws, or the judgements, as the Lord my God commanded to me; and ye shall do them in the land that ye shall take,)
6 and ye shall keep, and fulfill them in work. For this is your wisdom and understanding before [the] peoples, that all men hear these behests, and say, Lo! a wise people and an understanding (one)! a great folk! (and ye shall obey them, and fulfill them in work. For this shall show your wisdom and understanding to the other peoples, and when the other peoples hear of these statutes, they shall say, Lo! a wise people, a people of understanding! yea, a great nation!)
7 None other nation is so great, that hath Gods nighing to itself, as our God is ready to all our beseechings. (No other nation, no matter how great, hath gods so near to it, as our God is to us.)
8 For what other folk is so noble, that it hath ceremonies, and just dooms, and all the law, which I shall set forth today before your eyes? (For what other nation is so noble, that it hath statutes, and judgements, and all the law/s, which I shall set forth today before your eyes?)
9 Therefore keep thyself, and thy soul busily; forget thou not the words which thine eyes have seen, and fall they not down from thine heart, in all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach those (to) thy sons, and thy sons? sons. (And so guard thyself, and thy soul; forget thou not the things which thine eyes have seen, and fall they not down from thy heart, all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and thy daughters, and to thy children's children.)
10 Tell thou to them (about) the day in which thou stoodest before thy Lord God in Horeb, when the Lord spake to me, and said, Gather thou the people to me, that it hear my words, and that it learn for to dread me in all time in which it liveth in (the) earth, and teach his sons. (Tell thou them about the day in which thou stoodest before the Lord thy God at Mount Sinai, when the Lord spoke to me, and said, Gather thou the people to me, so that they can hear my words, and that they learn to fear me/and that they learn to revere me, in all the time in which they live on the earth, and that they also teach their sons and their daughters this.)
11 And ye nighed to the root of the hill, that burnt till to heaven; and darknesses, and cloud, and mist were therein. (And ye came near, and stood at the foot of the mountain, that burned unto the heavens; and darkness, and cloud, and mist were on that mountain.)
12 And the Lord spake to you from the midst of [the] fire; ye heard the voice of his words, and utterly ye saw no form, or shape. (And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; ye heard him speaking to you, but truly ye saw no shape, or form.)
13 And he showed to you his covenant, which he commanded that ye should do, and [the] ten words, which he wrote in two tables of stone. (And he told you his covenant, which he commanded that ye should do, and the Ten Words, that is, the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two tablets of stone.)
14 And he commanded to me in that time, that I should teach you ceremonies and dooms (that I should teach you the statutes and laws, or judgements), which ye ought to do in the land which ye shall wield.
15 Therefore keep ye busily your minds; ye saw not any likeness in the day in which the Lord spake to you in Horeb, from the midst of the fire; (And so guard ye your minds; for ye saw not any form, or figure, on the day in which the Lord spoke to you on Mount Sinai, from the midst of the fire;)
16 lest peradventure ye be deceived, and make to you a graven likeness, either an image of male, either female; (lest ye be deceived, and make for yourselves an idol, a carved image of a man, or a woman,)
17 or a likeness of all beasts that be on earth, either of birds flying under heaven, (or a likeness of any beast that is on the earth, or of any bird flying in the sky,)
18 either of creeping beasts that be moved in the earth, either of fishes that dwell under the earth in waters; (or of any creeping beast that moveth on the ground, or of any fish that liveth in the waters under the earth;)
19 lest peradventure, when thine eyes be raised up to heaven, thou see the sun, and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and thou be deceived by error, and worship those things, and honour them, the which things thy Lord God made of nought, into the service of all folks that be under heaven. (lest, when thine eyes be raised up to the heavens, and thou see the sun, and the moon, and all the stars in the sky, that is, the host of heaven, thou be deceived by error, and thou worship those things, and honour them, which things the Lord thy God made out of nothing, for the service of all the peoples who be under heaven.)
20 Forsooth the Lord took you, and led you out of the iron furnace, or strong tribulation, of Egypt, that he should have a people of heritage, as it is in [the] present day. (But the Lord took you, and led you out of the iron furnace, that is, out of thy strong tribulation, in Egypt, so that he would have a people of inheritance, as ye be to this present day.)
21 And the Lord was wroth against me for your words, and swore that I should not pass (the) Jordan, and that I should not enter into the best land, which he shall give to you. (But because of you, the Lord was angry with me, and he swore that I would not cross over the Jordan River, and that I would not enter into that best land, which he shall give to you.)
22 Lo! I die in this land; I shall not pass (the) Jordan; ye shall pass it, and shall wield the noble land. (Lo! I shall die here in this land; I shall not cross over the Jordan River, but ye shall cross over it, and ye shall possess the noble land.)
23 Be ye ware, lest any time thou forget the covenant of thy Lord God, which he made with thee, and lest thou make to thee a graven likeness of those things which the Lord hath forbidden thee to make. (Be ye careful, lest any time thou forget the covenant of the Lord thy God, which he made with thee, and lest thou make for yourselves a carved image, or an idol, of those things which the Lord hath forbidden thee to make.)
24 For thy Lord God is a fire wasting; a jealous God. (For the Lord thy God is a wasting fire; yea, a jealous God.)
25 If ye beget sons, and sons of sons, and ye dwell in the land, and ye be deceived, and make to you any likeness, or image (and make for yourselves any likeness, or idol), and do evil before your Lord God, (so) that ye stir him to great wrath,
26 I call (to) witness today heaven and earth, that ye shall perish soon from the land, that ye shall wield, when ye have passed (the) Jordan; ye shall not live long time therein, but the Lord shall do away you, (I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that ye soon shall perish from the land that ye shall take, when ye have crossed over the Jordan River; ye shall not live a long time in it, but the Lord shall do you away,)
27 and he shall scatter you abroad among all heathen men, and ye shall dwell few (in number) among the nations, to which the Lord shall lead you.
28 And there ye shall serve to gods, that be made by men's hands, to tree and to stone (And there ye shall serve gods, that be made by the hands of men, out of wood and stone), (gods) that neither see, neither hear, neither eat, neither smell.
29 And when thou hast sought there thy Lord God, thou shalt find him (But if thou shalt seek the Lord thy God there, thou shalt find him); if nevertheless thou seekest him with all thy heart, and with all the tribulation of thy soul.
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.)
41 Then Moses separated three cities beyond (the) Jordan at the east coast, (Then Moses set apart three cities east of the Jordan River,)
42 that he flee to those, that slayeth his neighbour not willfully, and was not (an) enemy (to him) before one and the tother day, and that he may flee to some of these cities; (so that anyone might flee to them, who did not willfully, or intentionally, kill his neighbour, and was not an enemy to him the day before, and so that he might escape to one of these cities, and live;)
43 Bezer in the wilderness, which is set in the field land, of the lineage of Reuben; and Ramoth in Gilead, which is in the lineage of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, which is in the lineage of Manasseh. (Bezer in the wilderness, which is set on the plains, for the tribe of Reuben; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, for the tribe of Manasseh.)
44 This is the law which Moses setted forth before the sons of Israel,
45 and these be the witnessings, and ceremonies, and the dooms, which he spake to the sons of Israel, when they went out of Egypt, (and these be the testimonies, and statutes, and the laws, or the judgements, which he spoke to the Israelites, when they went out of Egypt,)
46 beyond (the) Jordan, in the valley against the temple of Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon, king of Amorites, that dwelled in Heshbon, whom Moses killed. And the sons of Israel went out of Egypt, (east of the Jordan River, in the valley opposite the town of Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. Moses and the Israelites defeated him, after they went out of Egypt,)
47 and wielded his land, and the land of Og, king of Bashan, two kings of Amorites, that were beyond (the) Jordan, at the rising of the sun; (and they took his land, and also the land of Og, the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan River;)
48 from Aroer, which is set on the brink of the strand of Arnon, till to the hill of Sion, which is Hermon; (from Aroer, which is set on the bank of the Arnon River, unto Mount Sirion, that is, Mount Hermon;)
49 and they wielded all the plain beyond (the) Jordan, at the east coast, unto the sea of (the) wilderness, and unto the roots of the hill of Pisgah. (and they took all the plain, or the Arabah, east of the Jordan River, unto the Dead Sea, and the foot of Mount Pisgah.)

Deuteronomy 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

Earnest exhortations to obedience, and dissuasives from idolatry. (1-23) Warnings against disobedience, and promises of mercy. (24-40) Cities of refuge appointed. (41-49)

Verses 1-23 The power and love of God to Israel are here made the ground and reason of a number of cautions and serious warnings; and although there is much reference to their national covenant, yet all may be applied to those who live under the gospel. What are laws made for but to be observed and obeyed? Our obedience as individuals cannot merit salvation; but it is the only evidence that we are partakers of the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ, Considering how many temptations we are compassed with, and what corrupt desires we have in our bosoms, we have great need to keep our hearts with all diligence. Those cannot walk aright, who walk carelessly. Moses charges particularly to take heed of the sin of idolatry. He shows how weak the temptation would be to those who thought aright; for these pretended gods, the sun, moon, and stars, were only blessings which the Lord their God had imparted to all nations. It is absurd to worship them; shall we serve those that were made to serve us? Take heed lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God. We must take heed lest at any time we forget our religion. Care, caution, and watchfulness, are helps against a bad memory.

Verses 24-40 Moses urged the greatness, glory, and goodness of God. Did we consider what a God he is with whom we have to do, we should surely make conscience of our duty to him, and not dare to sin against him. Shall we forsake a merciful God, who will never forsake us, if we are faithful unto him? Whither can we go? Let us be held to our duty by the bonds of love, and prevailed with by the mercies of God to cleave to him. Moses urged God's authority over them, and their obligations to him. In keeping God's commandments they would act wisely for themselves. The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. Those who enjoy the benefit of Divine light and laws, ought to support their character for wisdom and honour, that God may be glorified thereby. Those who call upon God, shall certainly find him within call, ready to give an answer of peace to every prayer of faith. All these statutes and judgments of the Divine law are just and righteous, above the statutes and judgments of any of the nations. What they saw at mount Sinai, gave an earnest of the day of judgment, in which the Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire. They must also remember what they heard at mount Sinai. God manifests himself in the works of the creation, without speech or language, yet their voice is heard, Ps. 19:1, Ps. 19:3 ; but to Israel he made himself known by speech and language, condescending to their weakness. The rise of this nation was quite different from the origin of all other nations. See the reasons of free grace; we are not beloved for our own sakes, but for Christ's sake. Moses urged the certain benefit and advantage of obedience. This argument he had begun with, ver. ( Deuteronomy 4:1 ) , That ye may live, and go in and possess the land; and this he concludes with, ver. ( Deuteronomy 4:40 ) , That it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee. He reminds them that their prosperity would depend upon their piety. Apostacy from God would undoubtedly be the ruin of their nation. He foresees their revolt from God to idols. Those, and those only, shall find God to their comfort, who seek him with all their heart. Afflictions engage and quicken us to seek God; and, by the grace of God working with them, many are thus brought back to their right mind. When these things are come upon thee, turn to the Lord thy God, for thou seest what comes of turning from him. Let all the arguments be laid together, and then say, if religion has not reason on its side. None cast off the government of their God, but those who first abandon the understanding of a man.

Verses 41-49 Here is the introduction to another discourse, or sermon, Moses preached to Israel, which we have in the following chapters. He sets the law before them, as the rule they were to work by, the way they were to walk in. He sets it before them, as the glass in which they were to see their natural face, that, looking into this perfect law of liberty, they might continue therein. These are the laws, given when Israel was newly come out of Egypt; and they were now repeated. Moses gave these laws in charge, while they encamped over against Beth-peor, an idol place of the Moabites. Their present triumphs were a powerful argument for obedience. And we should understand our own situation as sinners, and the nature of that gracious covenant to which we are invited. Therein greater things are shown to us than ever Israel saw from mount Sinai; greater mercies are given to us than they experienced in the wilderness, or in Canaan. One speaks to us, who is of infinitely greater dignity than Moses; who bare our sins upon the cross; and pleads with us by His dying love.

Chapter Summary

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.

Deuteronomy 4 Commentaries

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