Deuteronomy-30
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Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I may
use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF).
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details of the - TaNaKh:
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the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon,
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Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ having been corrected like it once was pre the now “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following two
truth’s from our beloved Scriptures!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2.
With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
The following is my introduction, a careful exposition of the chapter’s sections based on the JPS-1917 Torah.
Introduction:
Davarim - Deuteronomy chapter 30 closes Moshe’s - Moses’ final exhortations by moving from ‘national judgment’ to ‘restoration’ and by ‘placing the moral choice before the people’. There is no doubt that the excellent JPS-1917 version translates and renders the chapter in clear, formal English that emphasizes ‘personal responsibility’, ‘communal continuity’, and the blessed Divine mercy!
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Devarim
- Deuteronomy 30. JPS-1917 version by ‘mechon-mamre.org’:
1. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations, whither יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha hath driven thee,
2. and shalt return unto יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;
3. that then יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ hath scattered thee.
4. If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.
5. And יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6. And יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
7. And יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, that persecuted thee.
8. And thou shalt return and hearken to the voice of יְהוָה - the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day.
9. And יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha will make thee over-abundant in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for יְהוָה - the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers;
10. if thou shalt hearken to the voice of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.
11. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off.
12. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say: 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'
13. Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say: 'Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'
14. But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil,
16. in that I command thee this day to love יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances; then thou shalt live and multiply, and יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheicha, shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it.
17. But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18. I declare unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it.
19. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;
20. to love יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, to hearken to His voice, and to cleave unto Him; for that is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which יְהוָה - the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
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Structure and verse-by-verse exposition:
Verses 1-5.
Promise of Return and Gathering: After exile and the experience of ‘blessing’ and ‘curse’, Israel is called to “return unto יְהוָה - the LORD” with heart and soul; אֱלֹהִים - Elohim will then restore the exiles from the ends of the earth and gather them back. The JPS wording clearly stresses both ‘human repentance’ and ‘Divine initiative in restoration’.
Verses 6-10.
Circumcision of the Heart and Life: Moses speaks of אֱלֹהִים “circumcising” the people’s heart to love אֱלֹהִים fully and to ‘obey’, promising that obedience will bring life and prosperity so that אֱלֹהִים will establish the covenantal blessings for them and their descendants.
Verses 11-14.
Accessibility of the Commandment: The chapter insists the command is not remote or hidden: it is near you, in your mouth and heart a claim in JPS 1917 that the Torah’s demand is practically and morally accessible to every Hebrew.
Verses 15-18.
Choice Set Before You: Moshe - Moses sets before the people life and good, death and evil, urging them to choose life by loving and obeying אֱלֹהִים so that they and their offspring may live and multiply in the land.
Verses 19-20.
Covenant Witness and Final Charge: The people are called to choose life so that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s covenantal Name may be invoked and the people may live in the land promised to their fathers!
Key themes
and theological points:
‘Repentance’ coupled with ‘Divine compassion’: The chapter balances human turning (teshuvah) with אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s promise to return and gather, but repentance is necessary but not sufficient without Divine mercy.
Ethical freedom and responsibility: The stark presentation of choice underscores moral agency, obedience is voluntary yet consequential.
Immediacy of Torah: By declaring the commandment near, in mouth and emphasizes that the covenant is not esoteric but lived and spoken of in daily life.
Intergenerational scope: Blessing and curse affect children and descendants; the covenant binds generations and calls for communal fidelity!
The Conclusion:
Deuteronomy 30 renders a compact theological and moral climax: It summons the Children of Israel to a take on a ‘decisive’, ‘accessible choice’, ‘return to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim and be ‘obedient’, and the promise that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s restorative mercy will follow, securing life for the covenant people.
I pray that this chapter showed us, both an ‘urgent exhortation’ and a ‘consoling promise’ for the future, closing Moshe - Moses’ charge of his long work in the Sinai dessert, and conclude with hope grounded in covenant obedience!
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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following, via several of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”.
Mal’a’chi -
Malachi 3:7. (JPS).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem;
walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances,
and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and
you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה
- the LORD your Eloheichem”.
Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
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follows;
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More Life”
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,
He is the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be
with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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