¹tc For the MT reading El#Y}w~ (“he went”), the LXX and Qumran have lk^y+w~ (“he finished”): “So Moses finished speaking,” etc. The difficult reading of the MT favors its authenticity.
²tn In the MT this refers to the words that follow.
³tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
⁴tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).
⁵tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
⁶tn The Hebrew term hF*m!v=, a derivative of the verb fmv (“to release; to relinquish”), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See note on this word at Deut 15:1.
⁷tn The Hebrew phrase toKS%h^ [gj^] (“[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.
sn For the regulations on this annual festival see Deut 16:13-15.
⁸tn Heb “before all Israel.”
⁹tn The phrase “this law” is not in the Hebrew text, but English style requires an object for the verb here. Other translations also supply the object which is otherwise implicit (cf. NIV “who do not know this law”; TEV “who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God”).
¹⁰tc The LXX reads “by the door of the tent” in line with v. 10 but also, perhaps, as a reflection of its tendency to avoid over-familiarity with Yahweh and his transcendence.
¹¹tn Heb “tent of assembly” (du@om lh#a)); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called /K*v=m! (“dwelling-place”), a reference to its being invested with God’s presence. The “tent of meeting” was erected earlier than the tabernacle and was the place where Yahweh occasionally appeared, especially to Moses (cf. Exod 18:7-16; 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 24, 26; 12:4).
¹²tn Heb “I will command him.”
¹³tn Heb “and the pillar of cloud.” This phrase was not repeated in the translation; a relative clause was used instead.
¹⁴tn Heb “lie down with your fathers.”
¹⁵tn Heb “he.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “they,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style. The third person singular also occurs in the Hebrew text twice more in this verse, three times in v. 17, once in v. 18, five times in v. 20, and four times in v. 21. Each time it is translated as third person plural for stylistic reasons.
¹⁶tn Heb “he.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
¹⁷tn Or “abandon.”
¹⁸tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
¹⁹tn Heb “on that day.” This same expression also appears later in the verse and in v. 18.
²⁰tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
²¹tn Heb “hide my face from.”
²²tn Heb “find,” “encounter.”
²³tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
²⁴tn Heb “he.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
²⁵tn Heb “evils.”
²⁶tn Heb “me.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
²⁷tn Heb “my.”
²⁸tn Heb “me.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.
²⁹tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
³⁰tn Heb “he.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³¹tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³²tn Heb “his.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³³tn Heb “he.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³⁴tn Heb “and are satisfied.”
³⁵tn Heb “he.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³⁶tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”
³⁷tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³⁸tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
³⁹tn Heb “his.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
⁴⁰tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”
⁴¹tn Heb “his.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
⁴²tn Heb “which he is doing.”
⁴³tn Heb “him.” The SP, LXX, and Tgs read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.
⁴⁴tn Heb “he.” Since the pronoun could be taken to refer to Moses, the referent has been specified as “the Lord” in the translation for clarity. See also the note on the word “you” later in this verse.
⁴⁵tc The LXX reads, “as the Lord promised them, and he will be with you.” This relieves the problem of Moses apparently promising to be with Joshua as the MT reads on the surface (“I will be with you”). However, the reading of the LXX is clearly an attempt to clarify an existing obscurity and therefore is unlikely to reflect the original.
⁴⁶tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
⁴⁷tn Heb “stiffness of neck.” See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.
⁴⁸tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.
⁴⁹tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “totally.”
⁵⁰tn Heb “do the evil.”
⁵¹tn Heb “the work of your hands.”