translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: DEU

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1 .


text: The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה ( to ’ evah , “an abomination”; cf. NAB) describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25 .


text: Heb “gates.”


text: Heb “does the evil in the eyes of the Lord your God.”


label: NET textual note

text: The MT reads “and to the sun,” thus including the sun, the moon, and other heavenly spheres among the gods. However, Theodotion and Lucian read “or to the sun,” suggesting perhaps that the sun and the other heavenly bodies are not in the category of actual deities.


text: Heb “which I have not commanded you.” The words “to worship” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


text: Heb “an abomination” ( תּוֹעֵבָה ); see note on the word “offensive” in v. 1 .


text: Heb “stone them with stones so that they die” (KJV similar); NCV “throw stones at that person until he dies.”


text: Heb “the hand of the witnesses.” This means the two or three witnesses are to throw the first stones (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).


text: Heb “the hand of all the people.”


text: Heb “between blood and blood.”


text: Heb “between claim and claim.”


text: Heb “between blow and blow.”


text: Several Greek recensions add “to place his name there,” thus completing the usual formula to describe the central sanctuary (cf. Deut 12:5, 11, 14, 18; 16:6 ). However, the context suggests that the local Levitical towns, and not the central sanctuary, are in mind.


text: Heb “who acts presumptuously not to listen” (cf. NASB).


text: The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “without fail.”


text: Heb “your brothers,” but not referring to siblings (cf. NIV “your brother Israelites”; NLT “a fellow Israelite”). The same phrase also occurs in v. 20 .


text: Heb “your brothers.” See the preceding note on “fellow citizens.”


text: Heb “in order to multiply horses.” The translation uses “do so” in place of “multiply horses” to avoid redundancy (cf. NAB, NIV).


text: Heb “must not multiply” (cf. KJV, NASB); NLT “must not take many.”


text: Or “instruction.” The LXX reads here τὸ δευτερονόμιον τοῦτο ( to deuteronomion touto , “this second law”). From this Greek phrase the present name of the book, “Deuteronomy” or “second law” (i.e., the second giving of the law), is derived. However, the MT’s expression מִשְׁנֶה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת ( mishneh hattorah hazzo ’ t ) is better rendered “copy of this law.” Here the term תּוֹרָה ( torah ) probably refers only to the book of Deuteronomy and not to the whole Pentateuch.


text: The Hebrew term סֵפֶר ( sefer ) means a “writing” or “document” and could be translated “book” (so KJV, ASV, TEV). However, since “book” carries the connotation of a modern bound book with pages (an obvious anachronism) it is preferable to render the Hebrew term “scroll” here and elsewhere.


text: Heb “upon his kingship.” Smr supplies כִּסֵא ( kise ’, “throne”) so as to read “upon the throne of his kingship.” This overliteralizes what is a clearly understood figure of speech.