Deuteronomy4
English Standard Version
1And , O , to the and the I am you, and them, you may , and and of the the Lord, the of your , is you.
2You shall the I you, from , that you may the of the Lord your I you.
3Your have the Lord at , the Lord your you the the Baal of .
4But you who to the Lord your are .
5 , I have you and , the Lord my me, you should them the that you are to of it.
6 them and them, that will be your and your in the of the , , when they , will , is a and .
7 is there has a so to it as the Lord our is to us, we upon him?
8And is there, has and so as I you ?
9 , and your , you the your have , and they your the of your . Make them to your and your —
10how on the you the Lord your at , the Lord to me, the to me, that I may let them my , so they may to me the they the , and that they may their so.
11And you came and at the of the , while the with to the of , wrapped in , , and .
12Then the Lord to you out the of the . You the of , but ; there was a .
13And he to you his , he you to , that is, the , and he them of .
14And the Lord me at that to you and , that you might them in the that you are going to .
15Therefore very . you on the that the Lord to you at of the of the ,
16beware you by a for yourselves, in the of , the of or ,
17the of is on the , the of that in the ,
18the of that on the , the of is in the the .
19And beware you your to , and when you the and the and the , the of , you be and to them and them, things that the Lord your has to the the .
20But the Lord has you and the , out , to be a of his own , as you are .
21Furthermore, the Lord was with me of , and he that I should the , and that I should the the Lord your is you for an .
22 I must in ; I must the . But you shall and of .
23 , you the of the Lord your , he with you, and a , the of the Lord your has you.
24 the Lord your is a , a .
25 you and , and have grown in the , if you by a carved in the of , and by what is in the of the Lord your , so as to provoke him to ,
26I and to against you , you will the you are going the to . You will live it, but will be .
27And the Lord will you among the , and you will be in among the where the Lord will you.
28And you will of and , the of , , , , .
29But you will the Lord your and you will him, you after him with your and with your .
30When you are in , and you in the , you will to the Lord your and his .
31 the Lord your is a . He will you or you or the with your he to them.
32 of the that are , you, the the , and ask one of the , whether such a as has ever happened was ever of.
33Did any ever the of a out the of the , you have , and still ?
34 has any ever to and a for himself the of another , by , by , by , and by , by a and an , and by deeds of , of which the Lord your for you in ?
35To you it was , that you might the Lord is ; there is .
36Out he let you his , that he might you. And he let you his , and you his out the of the .
37And he your and their them and with his own , by his ,
38 you and you, to , to you their for an , as it is ,
39 therefore , and it to your , the Lord is in and the ; there is .
40Therefore you shall his and his , I you , it may with you and with your you, and you may your the the Lord your is you for .
41 in the the ,
42that the might , who his , being at with him in ; he may to of and save his :
43 in the on the for the , in for the , and in for the .
44 is the the of .
45 are the , the , and the , to the of when they out ,
46 the in the , in the of the of the , who at , and the of when they .
47And they took of his and the of , the of , the of the , lived to the the ;
48 , is the of the of the , as (that is, ),
49together with the on the of the as the of the , the of .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Deuteronomy 4.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: 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).
vv1-23
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.
vv24-40
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, 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, verse 1, That ye may live, and go in and possess the land; and this he concludes with, verse 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.
vv41-49
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.
Key Words
עַתָּה: at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
שָׁמַע: to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
חֹק: an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)
מִשְׁפָּט: properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style
אֲשֶׁר: who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
לָמַד: properly, to goad, i.e. (by implication) to teach (the rod being an Oriental incentive)
עָשָׂה: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
מַעַן: properly, heed, i.e. purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order that
חָיָה: to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive
Cross References
Deuteronomy 4Direct parallel forbidding adding to or diminishing from God's commands.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The historical account of the judgment at Baal-peor referenced by Moses.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Directly quotes 'our God is a consuming fire' in the context of the Sinai revelation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct historical fulfillment of Moses setting apart these three specific cities of refuge east of Jordan.
Explicitly links Egypt with the metaphor of the iron furnace.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Solomon's prayer repeating the 'iron furnace' description of the Exodus.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels God's self-revelation as a 'jealous God' who demands exclusive worship.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Deuteronomy's ultimate promise of restoration and gathering when seeking God from captivity.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Prophetic fulfillment of finding God when searched for with all the heart in exile.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The original command from Yahweh to designate three cities of refuge on this side of Jordan.
Wisdom literature parallel warning against adding to God's words.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jesus condemns teaching human commandments as divine doctrines.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The original historical account of the fire, thick cloud, and darkness at Sinai.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The explicit covenant warning of being scattered and serving gods of wood and stone.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Classic polemic detailing the utter helplessness of idols made by human hands.
Supported by Matthew Henry
New Testament comparison to the terrifying sights and sounds of the fire at Sinai.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Expands on election based purely on God's love and oath to the patriarchs.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Stresses that driving out mightier nations was God's work, not Israel's righteousness.
Supported by John Calvin
Elaborates the legal definition of manslaughter without prior hatred or intent, matching the terminology here.
Historical account of the defeat of Sihon, king of the Amorites, in the land mentioned here.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Historical account of the defeat of Og, king of Bashan, whose land was possessed.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Queen of Sheba's confession exemplifies nations recognizing Israel's wisdom.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Wisdom literature defining the fear of the Lord as true understanding.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Internal repetition warning against forgetting the covenant and making graven images.
Supported by Matthew Henry
New Testament description of the terrifying physical phenomena at Sinai/Horeb.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Second Commandment prohibiting the creation of any graven image.
Supported by JFB
Paul describes the pagan corruption of God's glory into animal images.
Supported by JFB
Provides the background for Moses being barred from Jordan because of the people.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Moses formally summons heaven and earth as perpetual legal witnesses against Israel.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Affirms God's merciful nature and commitment to covenant loyalty despite rebellion.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The historical account of the voice speaking out of the thick cloud.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The foundational Shema affirming that the Lord is one and there is none else.
Supported by JFB
Reiterates the core Deuteronomic promise of prolonged life and blessing through obedience.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the introductory statement of Moses declaring or setting forth the law beyond Jordan.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel geographical description of the Salt Sea under the slopes of Pisgah eastward.
Parallel summary of Israel's duty to fear, walk with, and serve God.
Supported by Matthew Henry