THE FIFTH BOOK OF

MOSES,
called
D E U T E R O N O M Y

Deuteronomy 4

1An exhortation to obedience from God's past dealings; 15and a particular dissuasive against idolatry, 25and solemn admonition of the ill consequences of disobedience, and of the happy consequences of returning to God. 32The especial regard shewn to the Israelites in God's wonderful dealings with them. 41Moses appointeth the three cities of refuge on the east side of Jordan. 44Recapitulation.


1NOW therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutesa and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

a Lev. 19:37; 20:8; 22:31.

2Ye shall notb add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

b Deut. 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18.

3Your eyes have seen what the LORD did 1because of Baal-peor:c for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.

1 That is, about the idolatry committed with Baal-peor. Other, against, because of, with.

c Num. 25:4; Joshua 22:17.

4But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

5Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

6Keep therefore and do them; for 2this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, 3Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

2 That is, ye shall hold this to be true wisdom and courage, and make public confession thereof among the nations round about; whereby I will also work so effectually that they shall consider you to be only a truly wise and courageous people.

3 Other, surely, or, certainly is this great people, etc.

7Ford what nation is there so great, who hath God so 4nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is 5in all things that we call upon him for?

d Deut. 26:19.

4 That is, manifesting Divine gracious presence with all manner of blessings, and especially with most wonderful, ready and powerful help in distresses and difficulties.

5 Hebr. in all our calling unto Him, that is, as oft as we call upon Him; or, in all things for which we call upon Him.

8And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set 6before you this day?

6 Or, which I give before your face.

9Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul 7diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thye sons, and thy sons' sons;

7 Hebr. greatly; and so verse 15, etc.

e Deut. 6:7; 11:19.

10Specially the day that 8thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

8 This must in general be understood of all the people of Israel; for, those who stood at that time at mount Horeb, were now all dead, Deut. 2:14, 15, 16. However, it is probable that some of those, who were alive at present and who were very young at that time, have stood likewise with their fathers at mount Horeb.

11And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountainf burned with fire unto the 9midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

f Exod. 19:18.

9 Hebr. unto the heart of heaven, that is, in the midst of the air. So in the heart of the sea, Exod. 15:8; Prov. 23:34; 30:19. Likewise in the heart of the oak, 2 Sam. 18:14; in the heart of the earth, Mat. 12:40.

12And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no 10similitude; 11only ye heard a voice.

10 Namely, whereby God would be represented.

11 That is, but only heard a voice.

13And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten 12commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

12 Or, words.

14¶And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.

15Take ye therefore good heed 13unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

13 That is, for the good of your souls; take great care for your souls. Compare Joshua 23:11; Jer. 17:21; Mal. 2:15, 16.

16Lest ye corrupt 14yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of 15any figure, the likeness of male or female,

14 Or, Lest ye corrupt it.

15 Understand unto a religious use. For, this concerns not the civil, necessary and moderate use of picture, statutes, maps, coins, etc., neither also the ornaments of the tabernacle, which the Lord Himself has commanded.

17The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth 16in the air,

16 That is, through or in the air.

18The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:

19And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, 17which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

17 That is, because they are not God, but God’s creatures, which He created for the common use and service of man.

20But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the 18iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him 19a peopleg of inheritance, as ye are this day.

18 Understand a melting furnace or melting-kettle, wherein iron is melted. See 1 Kings 8:51. Egypt is compared to such a furnace in regard of the affliction and misery which Israel had sustained and suffered there.

19 See Exod. 19:5; Titus 2:14.

g Exod. 19:5.

2120Furthermore the LORD was angryh with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:

20 See Deut. 1:37.

h Deut. 1:37; 3:26; 31:2; 34:4.

22But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.

23Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he 21made with you, and make you a 22graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath 23forbidden thee.

21 See Gen. 15 on verses 17, 18.

22 Or, carved.

23 Hebr. hath commanded. See of the use of this word, Lev. 4 on verse 2; Deut. 2:37.

24For the LORD thy God is a consumingi24fire, even aj25jealous God.

i Deut. 9:3; Heb. 12:29.

24 God is compared to a fire in regard of His hatred and dreadful anger against sin and the sinner, whom He pursues and consumes (if he persists in unbelief and impenitence) with temporal, and especially, with eternal judgments as a kindled and burning fire, consuming all combustible matter on every side. See Deut. 9:3; 32:22; Psalm 21:9; 78:21; Isa. 33:14, etc.; Jer. 4:4; Heb. 12:29.

j Exod. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 5:9; 6:15.

25 Who is zealous, and must be alone acknowledged and honored as God, and permits no one to partake with Him in that honor (Isa. 42:8 and 48:11), behaving Himself strong and zealous against all that concerns His honor, and hates as an enemy whatsoever opposes it.

25¶When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have 26remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of 27any thing, and shall do 28evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:

26 That is, shall have lived long.

27 See verses 16, 17, 18, 19; Exod. 20 on verse 4.

28 That is, which displeases or gives offense to Him.

26I call 29heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon 30utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall 31utterly be destroyed.

29 That is, all heavenly and earthly creatures to witness against you. This is a phrase whereby the brute creatures are brought in against man, by reason of his stupidity and senselessness, to accuse and convince him by natural reasons, which he ought to practice them in contemplation and employment, of his obstinacy and unthankfulness towards the almighty and gracious God. See Deut. 30:19; 31:28 and compare Deut. 32:1; Isa. 1:2: Micah 6:2.

30 Hebr. perishing perish.

31 Hebr. being destroyed be destroyed.

27And the LORD shall scatterk you among the nations, and ye shall be left 32few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

k Deut. 28:62, 64.

32 Hebr. men of number, that is, who are quickly numbered. See Gen. 34:30.

28And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’sl hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

l Psalm 115:4; 135:15.

29But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with 33all thy heart and with all thy soul.

33 See Deut. 6 on verse 5.

30When thou art in tribulation, and 34all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, 35if thou turn 36to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

34 Hebr. all these words, or, things shall find thee. See similar phrase Deut. 31:17; 1 Sam. 23:17. Understand the aforementioned miseries. See verses 26, 27.

35 This verse (as likewise the previous one) seems to be a prophecy of the conversion of the Jews. Compare Deut. 30:1, 2, 3, etc.; Hosea 3:5. Other, and thou shalt return unto the LORD thy God, etc., and then in the following verse, he will not forsake thee, etc.

36 Other, even unto the LORD thy God. See hereof Joel 2 on verse 12.

31(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant 37of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

37 That is, established with your fathers, as the following words do show.

32For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the 38one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?

38 That is, in the entire world, which is under heaven, from the one end of the world unto the other. Also Deut. 30:4; Mat. 24:31; Mark 13:27.

33Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?

34Or hath God assayedm to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by 39temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by 40war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great 41terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

m try, attempt*

39 Whereby Pharaoh was tempted whether he would let Israel go (or not); and Israel, whether they would trust in their God (or not).

40 Both against Pharaoh, whom God drowned and destroyed with all his host in the Red Sea, and against Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites.

41 Which first came upon the Egyptians, and after that upon other nations. See Exod. 23:27; Deut. 2:25; 34:12. Other, horrors, that is, terrible acts.

35Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD 42he is God; there is nonen else 43beside him.

42 That is, that He alone is the true God, as the following words declare.

n Deut. 32:39; Isa. 45:5, 18, 22; Mark 12:29, 32.

43 Or, except him alone, or, beside him alone.

3644Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and 45upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

44 That is, out of the air.

45 That is, upon mount Sinai.

37And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose 46their seed after them, and broughto thee out 47in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

46 Hebr. his seed after him, that is, everyone’s seed after him.

o Exod. 13:3, 9, 14.

47 Other, with his face, that is, manifesting His presence in a special manner by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, and having you always in His sight to guide and conduct you everywhere. Compare Exod. 13:21; 14:19, 20.

38To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.

39Know therefore this day, and consider it 48in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

48 That is, be mindful of, lay to heart.

40Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, 49for ever.

49 Understand with the condition of obedience. Compare verses 26, 27. Hebr. all the days. These words may also be added in the beginning of the verse: Keep all the days, namely, of your life, always.

41¶Thenp Moses 50severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;

p Num. 35:6, 14.

50 According to God’s command, Num. 35:14.

42That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not 51in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:

51 That is, heretofore, in times past.

43Namely, 52Bezerq in the wilderness, in the plain country, 53of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.

52 See Joshua 20 on verse 8.

q Joshua 20:8.

53 Hebr. for the Reubenite, and so in the sequel. Other, of or of the, and so in the sequel.

44¶And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:

4554These are the 55testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt,

54 Namely, which are mentioned in the following chapters.

55 Understand God’s holy doctrine, testifying of His Essence, will and works. See Deut. 6:17; Psalm 19:7, etc.

46On this side Jordan, in the valley over against 56Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote,r after they were come forth out of Egypt:

56 See Deut. 3 on verse 29.

r Num. 21:24; Deut. 1:4.

47And they possessed his land, and the land of Ogs king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;

s Num. 21:33; Deut. 3:3.

48From Aroer, which is by the 57bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount 58Sion, which is Hermon,

57 Hebr. lip. See Gen. 41 on verse 3.

58 See Deut. 3:9.

49And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the 59sea of the plain, under the 60springs of Pisgah.

59 Understand the Dead Sea, or the salt sea. See Gen. 14 on verse 3

60 See Deut. 3 on verse 17.