1tn Heb “These are the words.”

2tn Heb “to all Israel.”

3tn Heb “on the other side of the Jordan.” This would appear to favor authorship by someone living on the west side of the Jordan, that is, in Canaan, whereas the biblical tradition locates Moses on the east side (cf. v. 5). However the Hebrew phrase בְּעֵבֶר הַיּרְדֵּן (b’’ever hayyr’den) is a frozen form meaning “Transjordan,” a name appropriate from any geographical vantage point. To this day, one standing east of the Jordan can describe himself as being in Transjordan.

4tn The Hebrew term מוֹל (mol) may also mean “in front of” or “near” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

5sn This place is otherwise unattested and its location is unknown. Perhaps it is Khirbet Sufah, 4 mi (6 km) SSE of Madaba, Jordan.

6tn The Hebrew term בֵּין (ben) may suggest “in the area of.”

7sn Paran is the well-known desert area between Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea (cf. Num 10:12; 12:16).

8sn Tophel refers possibly to et£-T£afīleh, 15 mi (25 km) SE of the Dead Sea, or to Da‚bīlu, another name for Paran. See H. Cazelles, “Tophel (Deut. 1:1),” VT 9 (1959): 412-15.

9sn Laban. Perhaps this refers to Libnah (Num 33:20).

10sn Hazeroth. This probably refers to ąAin Khadra. See Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 199-200.

11sn Di Zahab. Perhaps this refers to Mina al-Dhahab on the eastern Sinai coast.

12sn An eleven-day journey was about 140 mi (233 km).

13sn Horeb is another name for Sinai. “Horeb” occurs 9 times in the Book of Deuteronomy and “Sinai” only once (33:2). “Sinai” occurs 13 times in the Book of Exodus and “Horeb” only 3 times.

14sn Kadesh Barnea. Possibly this refers to ąAin Qudeis, about 50 mi (80 km) southwest of Beer Sheba, but more likely to ąAin Qudeirat, 5 mi (8 km) NW of ąAin Qudeis. See R. Cohen, “Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?” BAR 7 (1981): 20-33.

15sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom. “By way of Mount Seir” refers to the route from Horeb that ended up in Edom Cf. CEV “by way of the Mount Seir Road”; TEV “by way of the hill country of Edom.”

16tn Heb “in” or “on.” Here there is a contrast between the ordinary time of eleven days (v. 2) and the actual time of forty years, so “not until” brings out that vast disparity.

17sn The eleventh month is Shebat in the Hebrew calendar, January/February in the modern (Gregorian) calendar.

18sn The fortieth year would be 1406 b.c. according to the “early” date of the exodus. See E. H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 66-75.

19tn Heb “according to all which.”

20tn Heb “when he struck [or “smote”].”

21sn See Deut 2:26–3:22.

22tn Heb “who lived.”

23sn Heshbon is probably modern Tell Hesban, about 7.5 mi (12 km) south southwest of Amman, Jordan.

24tn Heb “who lived.”

25sn Ashtaroth is probably Tell ąAshtarah, about 22 mi (35 km) due east of the Sea of Galilee.

26sn Edrei is probably modern Derąa, 60 mi (95 km) south of Damascus (see Num 21:33; Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31).

27tn Heb “this instruction”; KJV, NIV, NRSV “this law”; TEV “God’s laws and teachings.” The Hebrew noun תוֹרָה (torah) is derived from the verb יָרָה (yarah, “to teach”) and here it refers to the Book of Deuteronomy, not the Pentateuch as a whole.

28tn Heb “lived”; “dwelled.”

29tn Heb “turn”; NAB “Leave here”; NIV, TEV “Break camp.”

30tn Heb “go (to).”

31tn Heb “its dwelling places.”

32tn Heb “the Arabah” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

33tn Heb “lowlands” (so TEV) or “steppes”; NIV, CEV, NLT “the western foothills.”

sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country.

34sn The Hebrew term Negev means literally “desert” or “south” (so KJV, ASV). It refers to the area south of Beer Sheba and generally west of the Arabah Valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.

35tn Heb “I have placed before you the land.”

36tn Heb “the Lord.” Since the Lord is speaking, it is preferable for clarity to supply the first person pronoun in the translation.

37tn Heb “swore” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to God’s promise, made by solemn oath, to give the patriarchs the land.

38tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 11, 21, 35).

39tn Heb “their seed after them.”

40tn Heb “multiplied you.”

41tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

42tn Heb “may he bless you.”

43tn The Hebrew verb נְבֹנִים (n’vonim, from בִּין [bin]) is a Niphal referring to skill or intelligence (see T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:652-53).

44tn Or “selected”; Heb “took.”

45tn Or “you.” A number of English versions treat the remainder of this verse and v. 17 as direct discourse rather than indirect discourse (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

46tn Heb “brothers.” The term “brothers” could, in English, be understood to refer to siblings, so “fellow citizens” has been used in the translation.

47tn The Hebrew word צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “fairly”) carries the basic idea of conformity to a norm of expected behavior or character, one established by God himself. Fair judgment adheres strictly to that norm or standard (see D. Reimer, NIDOTTE 3:750).

48tn Heb “between a man and his brother.”

49tn Heb “his stranger” or “his sojourner”; NAB, NIV “an alien”; NRSV “resident alien.” The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger) commonly means “foreigner.”

50tn Heb “you,” and throughout the verse (cf. NASB, NRSV).

51tn Heb “the small,” but referring to social status, not physical stature.

52tn The Hebrew participle has an imminent future sense here, although many English versions treat it as a present tense (“is giving us,” NAB, NIV, NRSV) or a predictive future (“will give us,” NCV).

53tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid repetition.

54tn Or “has given you the land” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV).

55tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.”

56tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.”

57tn Or “the Wadi Eshcol” (so NAB).

sn The Eshcol Valley is a verdant valley near Hebron, still famous for its viticulture (cf. Num 13:22-23). The Hebrew name “Eshcol” means “trestle,” that is, the frame on which grape vines grow.

58tn The Hebrew text includes “in their hand,” which is unnecessary and somewhat redundant in English style.

59tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God.” To include “the mouth” would make for odd English style. The mouth stands by metonymy for the Lord’s command, which in turn represents the Lord himself.

60tn Heb “in your tents,” that is, privately.

61tn Heb “have caused our hearts to melt.”

62tn Heb “greater.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “stronger,” NAB, NIV, NRSV; “bigger,” NASB).

63tn Or “as the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

64tn Heb “we have seen.”

65tn Heb “the sons of the Anakim.”

sn Anakites were giant people (Num 13:33; Deut 2:10, 21; 9:2) descended from a certain Anak whose own forefather Arba founded the city of Kiriath Arba, i.e., Hebron (Josh 21:11).

66tn Heb “do not tremble and do not be afraid.” Two synonymous commands are combined for emphasis.

67tn The Hebrew participle indicates imminent future action here, though some English versions treat it as a predictive future (“will go ahead of you,” NCV; cf. also TEV, CEV).

68tn Heb “according to all which he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

69tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“him”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

70tn Heb “and swore,” i.e., made an oath or vow.

71tn Heb “Not a man among these men.”

72sn Caleb had, with Joshua, brought back to Israel a minority report from Canaan urging a conquest of the land, for he was confident of the Lord’s power (Num 13:6, 8, 16, 30; 14:30, 38).

73tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun (“me”) has been employed in the translation, since it sounds strange to an English reader for the Lord to speak about himself in third person.

74tn Heb “the one who stands before you”; NAB “your aide”; TEV “your helper.”

75tn Heb “it”; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

76tn Heb “would be a prey.”

77sn Do not know good from bad. This is a figure of speech called a merism (suggesting a whole by referring to its extreme opposites). Other examples are the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9), the boy who knows enough “to reject the wrong and choose the right” (Isa 7:16; 8:4), and those who “cannot tell their right hand from their left” (Jonah 4:11). A young child is characterized by lack of knowledge.

78tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, as are the following verbs, indicating that Moses and the people are addressed (note v. 41).

79tn Heb “the Reed Sea.” “Reed” is a better translation of the Hebrew סוּף (suf), traditionally rendered “red.” The name “Red Sea” is based on the LXX which referred to it as ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης (eruqra" qalassh", “red sea”). Nevertheless, because the body of water in question is known in modern times as the Red Sea, this term was used in the translation. The part of the Red Sea in view here is not the one crossed in the exodus but its eastern arm, now known as the Gulf of Eilat or Gulf of Aqaba.

80tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.” See note at 1:26.

81tn Heb “in that hill country,” repeating the end of v. 43.

82tn Heb “came out to meet.”

83sn Hormah is probably Khirbet el-Meshash, 5.5 mi (9 km) west of Arad and 7.5 mi (12 km) SE of Beer Sheba. Its name is a derivative of the verb חָרָם (kharam, “to ban; to exterminate”). See Num 21:3.

84tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

85tn Heb “did not hear your voice and did not turn an ear to you.”

86tn Heb “like the days which you lived.” This refers to the rest of the forty-year period in the desert before Israel arrived in Moab.