| JPS | Alter | Fox | Friedman | Hebrew |
| 19. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life--if you and your offspring would live-- | I call to witness for you today the heavens and the earth. Life and death I set before you, the blessing and the curse, and you shall choose life so that you may live, you and your seed. |
I call-as-witness against you today the heavens and the earth: life and death I place before you, blessing and curse; now choose life, in order that you may stay-alive, you and your seed, |
I call the skies and the earth to witness regarding you today: I've put life and death in front of you, blessing and curse. And you shall choose life, so you'll live, you and your seed, | הַעִידֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ֒ הַחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּֽחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ |
| 20. by loving the LORD your God, heeding His commands, and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the LORD swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them. | To love the LORD your God, to heed his voice, and to cling to Him, for He is your life and your length of days to dwell on the soil which the LORD your God swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them." |
by loving YHWH your God, by hearkening to his voice and by cleaving to him, for he is your life and the length of your days, to be settled on the soil that YHWH swore to your fathers, to Avraham, to Yitzhak, and to Yaakov, to give them! |
to love YHWH, your God, to listen to His voice and to cling to Him, because He is your life and the extension of your days to reside on the land that YHWH swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them." | לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ כִּ֣י ה֤וּא חַיֶּ֙יךָ֙ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמֶ֔יךָ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת עַל־הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהוָ֧ה לַאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם לְיִצְחָ֥ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם׃ |
Verse 19
choose life.
- The theme of the path to life began early in Moses' speech (Deut 4:1) and culminates here in the last words of the speech. This focus at the conclusion of the Torah returns us to the Torah's opening: the loss of the tree of life. Humans lost access to the tree of life as the price of having gained access to the tree of knowledge of good and bad. Now the people are told, "I've put in front of you life and good, blessing and curse." Using the knowledge of good and bad, and choosing to do good, is the path back to life--not necessarily eternal life (though who knows?), but meaningful life, fulfilling life. (Friedman)
- ...this is not a one-time choice, but a constant commitment that we reassess and renew on a daily basis. For life is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Though the road may be difficult to traverse at times, God has promised us that the end result will be worthwhile. (Alan Cook, 2006)
Verse 20
to cling to Him. "Cling" is the same term that is used for man's attachment to woman at the beginning of the Torah (Gen 2:24). This is part of a string of terms in this passage (vv. 15-20) that call to mind the opening chapters of the Torah: life, death, good and bad, the skies and the earth, the ground, the day, "your seed," be fruitful, to give, to tell, to command, to watch (or observe), and to listen to the voice.... This cluster of language here in the last sentences of Moses' address forms a great connection back to the start of Genesis and a reminder of the unity of the Torah. (Friedman)
He is your life. This can also be understood to mean "It is your life." Translators are split on this. The former means that Moses is saying that God is the people's life and the source of their being in their land a long time. The latter means that the people's choice to love, listen, and cling to God is their life and the source of lengthy time in the land. That is, the question is whether it is God or it is people's feeling about God that brings this about. I do not know which is correct. (Friedman)
Sforno:
hold fast to it. meaning that all of your activities during life on earth should be focused on giving glory to His name.
For thereby you shall have life. for your cleaving to Him is your real life, the reason why you will enjoy eternal life
| JPS | Alter | Fox | Friedman | Hebrew |
| 1. Moses went and spoke these things to all Israel. | And Moses finished speaking these words to all Israel. |
Moshe went and spoke these words to all Israel, |
And Moses went and spoke these things to all Israel. | וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
| 2. He said to them: I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer be active. Moreover, the LORD has said to me, "You shall not go across yonder Jordan." | And he said to them, "A hundred and twenty years old I am today. I can no longer sally forth and come in, and the LORD has said to me, 'You shall not cross this Jordan.' | he said to them: A hundred and twenty years old am I today; I am no longer able to go-out and to come-in, and YHWH has said to me: you are not to cross over this Jordan! | And he said to them, "I'm a hundred twenty years old today. I'm not able to go out and come in anymore. And YHWH said to me, 'You shall not cross this Jordan.' | וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם בֶּן־מֵאָה֩ וְעֶשְׂרִ֨ים שָׁנָ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ הַיּ֔וֹם לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל ע֖וֹד לָצֵ֣את וְלָב֑וֹא וַֽיהוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֥ן הַזֶּֽה׃ |
| 3. The LORD your God Himself will cross over before you; and He Himself will wipe out those nations from your path and you shall dispossess them. --Joshua is the one who shall cross before you, as the LORD as spoken.-- | The LORD your God, He it is who crosses over before you. He shall destroy these nations before you and you shall dispossess them. Joshua, he it is who is to cross over before you as the LORD has spoken. | YHWH your God, he will cross over before you, he will destroy those nations from before you, so that you may dispossess them; Yehoshua, he will cross over before you, as YHWH has promised. |
YHWH, your God: He is crossing in front of you. He'll destroy these nations in front of you, and you'll dispossess them. Joshua: he is crossing in front of you, as YHWH has spoken, |
יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ ה֣וּא ׀ עֹבֵ֣ר לְפָנֶ֗יךָ הֽוּא־יַשְׁמִ֞יד אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָאֵ֛לֶּה מִלְּפָנֶ֖יךָ וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֑ם יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ ה֚וּא עֹבֵ֣ר לְפָנֶ֔יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃ |
| 4. The LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and to their countries, when He wiped them out. | And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorite, and to their land, when He destroyed them. | YHWH will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, that he destroyed them. | And YHWH will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, that He destroyed them. | וְעָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֗ה לְסִיח֥וֹן וּלְע֛וֹג מַלְכֵ֥י הָאֱמֹרִ֖י וּלְאַרְצָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִשְׁמִ֖יד אֹתָֽם׃ |
| 5. The LORD will deliver them up to you, and you shall deal with them in full accordance with the Instruction that I have enjoined upon you. | And the LORD will give them before you, and you shall do to them according to all the command that I have charged you. | YHWH will give them before you and you will do to them according to all the command that I have commanded you. | And YHWH will put them in front of you, and you shall do to them according to all of the commandment that I've commanded you. | וּנְתָנָ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה לִפְנֵיכֶ֑ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם לָהֶ֔ם כְּכָל־הַמִּצְוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי אֶתְכֶֽם׃ |
| 6. Be strong and resolute, be not in fear or in dread of them; for the LORD your God Himself marches with you: He will not fail you or forsake you. | Be strong and courageous. Do not fear and do not dread them, for the LORD your God, He it is Who goes with you. He will not let go of you and He will not forsake you." | Be strong, be courageous, do not be overawed, do not be terrified before them for YHWH your God, he is the one who goes with you, he will not let-go-of you, he will not abandon you! | Be strong and be bold. Don't be afraid and don't be scared in front of them, because YHWH, your God: He is the one going with you. He won't let you down and won't leave you." | חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ אַל־תִּֽירְא֥וּ וְאַל־תַּעַרְצ֖וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ ה֚וּא הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֥א יַעַזְבֶֽךָּ׃ |
JPS: Moses announces his departure and his replacement by Joshua (vv. 1-6)
...Now Moses proceeds to carry out God's instructions. Urging Israel and Joshua not to fear the Canaanites, he encourages them with theological and historical reasons: God is their true leader, Joshua will be His earthly representative, and God's power is demonstrated by the recent victory over Sihon and Og.
Moses' remarks are similar to those often addressed to Israel's army and its leaders prior to battle.... Such exhortation is especially timely now, because Moses is about to die and the people, dependent on him for a whole generation, might lose their confidence as they prepare to do battle for the promised land.
Verse 1
And Moses finished speaking.
- The Masoretic text reads, "And Moses went and spoke." This translation follows the Deuteronomy text found at Qumran, which accords with the Septuagint. The third-person forms of the verb "went," wayelekh וילך, and the verb "finished", wayekhal ויכל, have the same consonants, and the order of the last two consonants could easily have been reversed in a scribal transcription. The difference between the two versions is essential because the Qumran version makes this a proper introduction to the entire epilogue of Deuteronomy (ch. 31-34). Moses has completed his discourses...and he is not "going" anywhere to speak further words. Rather, the epilogue will now concern itself with...topics of closure. (Alter)
- [After explaining the above, Friedman adds that reading the Hebrew so the meaning is "finished"] makes better sense. It also adds a wordplay on his finishing יכל in v. 1 and his saying "I'm not able אוכל to go our and come in anymore" in v. 2. (Friedman)
- The paragraphing in the translation is misleading because it implies that verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 are all introductory to this chapter. In the idiom of Hebrew narrative, "these things" refers to words previously spoken, and verse 1 refers to the address of chapters 29-30.... (JPS)
- Tol'dot Yitzchak suggests that [Moses] went wherever he could teach and model God's mitzvot. Early Rabbinic sources suggest that Moses went in to the heart of every Jew who stood with him in the wilderness, and his spark was transmitted to every generation thereafter. Deuteronomy 31:1 offers textual "proof": "Moses went and spoke these things to all Israel." (Kenneth J. Weiss, 2001)
- וילך משה (Vayeilech Moshe), "A life change overcame Moses," וידבר (vay'dabeir) "so he spoke [to his people]." (Kenneth J. Weiss, 2004)
(א) וילך משה התעורר לזה כמו וילך איש מבית לוי. וילך ויעבוד ודומיהם. וזה שאחר שהשלים עניני כריתת הברית התעורר לנחם את ישראל על מיתתו כדי שלא יערבבו שמחת הברית הראויה להם להורות על היותם מקבלים הברית בשמחה על דרך ישמח ישראל בעושיו כאמרו וזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם ושמחת לפני ה' אלהיך:
(1) וילך משה, he was self-propelled, just as was Amram, Moses’ father who married his aunt Yocheved, daughter of Levi, and almost certainly many years his senior. (Exodus 2,1) Another of many uses of the word וילך meaning that the person described acted of their own initiative is found in Deut. 17,3 where the Jewish idolater described had not been seduced by anyone. After having concluded the matter of the covenant between G’d and this second generation of Israelites many of whom had not been born at the time of the Exodus, Moses now proceeds to comfort the people over his impending death. He does so in order that the joy over G’d having concluded this covenant with them should not be turned into sorrow over the prospect of his impending passing from the scene. Rejoicing over having been found fit to become a party to such a covenant is something natural, the psalmist in Psalms 149,2 speaking of Israel rejoicing with or over its Maker. Being in G’d’s presence, such as here, is always a joyful experience, as is offering sacrifices to Him, as we know from Deut. 27,7.when the occasion was to mark the erecting of the stones after the successful crossing of the river Jordan.
() וילך משה וידבר את כל הדברים האלה (דברים לא, א). יבואר על פי שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל פעמים היורד לפני התיבה ופעמים העובר לפני התיבה, כי הצדיק בשעה שמתפלל לפני השם יתברך צריך לדבק עצמו בהתיבות מהתפלה והתיבות הקדושות הם הם המנהיגים אותו. ויש צדיקים גדולים אשר הם למעלה ממדריגה זו אשר הם מנהיגים את התיבה וזהו מדריגות משה שהוא בעלה דמטרוניתא כנאמר בזוהר הקדוש. וזהו היורד לפני התיבה שהתיבה מנהיג אותו והוא למטה מן התיבה. ויש צדיק העובר לפני התיבה שהוא מנהיג התיבה והוא למעלה מן התיבה. וזהו העובר לפני התיבה. וכאן שהיה סוף ימיו של משה ונסתם ממנו מעיין החכמה כמבואר במדרש והיה בבחינה הראשונה שהתיבה היה מנהיג אותו. וזהו וילך משה וידבר, הלך אל הדיבור שהתיבה היה למעלה ממנו. ובזה תבין דבר נפלא למה בשירת האזינו נביאות משה רבינו סתומה מאוד שלא מצינו כזאת בכל התורה. כי הענין כך הוא, שנבואת משה רבינו היה באספקלריא המאירה וכל הנביאים באספקלריא שאינה מאירה ולכך נבואתו של משה רבינו שהיה באספקלריא המאירה היה לו כח גדול שיאמר הדברים כמו שקבל מהשם יתברך בלי שום התלבשות בדרך משל וחידה, מה שאין כן שאר הנביאים שלא היה להם כח של משה רבינו היו צריכים להלביש נבואתם דרך משל וחידה כמו נבואות זכריה ושאר נביאים שסתומים מאד וזו נקרא אספקלריא שאינה מאירה. והנה קודם הסתלקותו של משה רבינו ע"ה ניטלה מסורת החכמה ממנו וניתנה ליהושע, ולכך שירת האזינו היא סתומה בדרך התלבשות:
(undefined) Deuteronomy 31,1. “Moses went and spoke all these words to the whole people of Israel.”
This verse [seeing that the Torah does not tell us from where Moses walked to where, Ed.] may become easier to understand when we consider that our sages, when referring to the man leading the congregation in prayer sometimes refer to him as descending in front of the Ark, whereas on other occasions they describe him as עובר לפני התיבה, ”walking past” the front of the Ark.
When a tzaddik is engaged in prayer he needs to attach himself to the letters of his prayer, i.e. תיבות, [an alternate meaning of תיבה,] which in turn gives his prayer guidance and direction as a result of which his prayers focus better on their objective. There are some outstanding tzaddikim who are not in need of this guidance, but on the contrary, give deeper meaning to each of these letters and words. The latter type of tzaddik was Moses, who, in the celestial hierarchy represented the Matronita, as we know from the Zohar where Moses is described as the Matronita’s husband in the sense of “dominant companion of this Matronita who is portrayed as a combination of the emanation of malchut and Torah.”
At any rate, the expression יורד לפני התיבה, “descending beneath the Ark,” i.e. the word or letter, means receiving one’s spiritual inspiration from above, whereas people leading the congregation in prayer who are being described as עובר לפני התיבה, are presumed to be at least on the same spiritual level as the “ark,” so that they can inspire the Ark, i.e. words or letters, with some of their holiness. Moses was an individual belonging to this second group of tzaddikim, so much so, that after descending from Mount Sinai with the second set of the Tablets, his forehead exuded so much spiritual light that he had to “screen” it as it frightened the people who saw in him a supernatural phenomenon. We have explained repeatedly that the level of his prophecy was such that he saw clear visions whereas other prophets saw only unclear, murky visions. (Yevamot 49) This enabled him to relate the words G’d had spoken to him, verbatim, without having to paraphrase them.
Just as Yaakov lost his prophetic ability when he was about to reveal details of the eventual redemption to his children on his deathbed (Genesis 49,1-2) so Moses’ prophetic pre-eminence was taken away from him shortly before his death, as most of this was transferred to his successor Joshua. This is why his parting “song” האזינו, is full of allusions, many of which are difficult to decipher. Our verse above alludes to the process of the transition of Moses’ spiritual powers to Joshua.
Verse 2
After saying the "things" to which verse 1 refers, Moses turned to the matters at hand and explained that he could not continue as Israel's leader. (JPS)
I can no longer sally forth and come in. The idiom "go out and come in" (elsewhere, "bring out and bring in") means to lead the forces in battle. It is an apt phrase for Moses to use because Joshua, whom he is about to designate as his successor, figures above all as the military commander of the conquest. (Alter)
one hundred and twenty years old. Moses died forty years after the Exodus, which took place when he was eighty. Genesis 6:3 mentions 120 years as the maximum human lifespan, a notion found in Sumerian literature as well. This figure was probably based on a combination of empirical observation and ancient Near Eastern mathematics. Exceptionally long-lived individuals have been knows to live to the age of 110-140 years. In the sexagesimal mathematical system of ancient Mesopotamia, which was based on sixty instead of ten, 120 (2x60) was the only round typological number within these parameters. The biblical concept is the basis of the Jewish idiom for wishing someone a long life: "[May you live] to 120!" (JPS)
(ב) וילך משה וגו' אנכי היום. היום מלאו ימי ושנותי ביום זה נלדתי וביום זה אמות:
(ג) לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא. יכול שתשש כחו, תלמוד לומר (דברים לד, ז) לא כהתה עינו ולא נס לחה אלא מהו לא אוכל, איני רשאי, שנטלה ממני הרשות ונתנה ליהושע. דבר אחר, לצאת ולבא בדברי תורה, מלמד שנסתמו ממנו מסורות ומעינות החכמה:
(ד) וה' אמר אלי. זהו פרוש לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, לפי שה' אמר אלי:
(3) לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא I CAN NO LONGER GO OUT AND COME IN — One might think that this was because his physical strength failed him! Scripture, however, states (Deuteronomy 34:7) “His eye was not dim nor his natural force abated!” What then is the meaning of לא אוכל? It means: “I am not permitted” (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:17 and Deuteronomy 24:4), because the power (leadership) is being taken from me and given to Joshua. — Another explanation of לצאת ולבוא is: I can no more take the lead in the matter of the Law; this teaches us that the traditions and the well-springs of wisdom were stopped up for him (Tanchuma ואתחנן; cf. Sota 13b).
(ב) בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום ואין להתעצב על מיתתי שלא הייתי ראוי להיות עוד בטבע:
(ג) לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא וגם אם הייתי חי לא הייתי יכול לצאת ולבא לפניכם בזקנתי:
(ד) וה' אמר אלי לא תעבור וגם אם הייתי יכול לצאת ולבא הנה ה' אמר אלי לא תעבור ואם כן טוב לכם שאמות כדי שתוכלו לעבור:
(2) בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום, Moses mentions his age to remind the people that there is no reason to be sad that someone of his age has to die. According to any life expectancy and law of nature, he was no longer fit to go on living by natural means.
(3) לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, even if I were still able, I would not be able to function physically as a leader should, such as leading you in the conquest of the Land of Israel as I am suffering from symptoms of old age.
(4) וה' אמר אלי לא תעבור, furthermore, G’d had said to me a while ago: “you will not cross;” even if I were physically capable of leading you, the fact that G’d told me that I would not cross the Jordan would have made my leadership pointless. You are therefore better off without me so that you will be able to cross.
Verse 3
After Moses mentions his own inability to cross the Jordan, he might have been expected to continue immediately with the statement that Joshua will lead Israel across. Instead, he first mentions that God will lead Israel across and defeat the enemy. By saying this first, he makes clear that God's role, not Joshua's, is decisive....Since there is no grammatical coordination between the two clauses of this verse, and the second clause is the natural sequel to verse 2, it has been suggested that the first is an interpolation made for the purpose of emphasizing the theological point. (Verse 4-6 expand on this theological point) (JPS)
Verse 6
Be strong and resolute.
- Trusting in God's strength, not their own, they may be fully confident of victory. (JPS)
- "Be strong and of good courage" -- God and Moses urge this on the people often. Was this a "time-bound" command, intended only for the rigors of conquering the Land--or was it intended as a mitzvah for all time...? (Lawrence S. Kushner, 1996)
the LORD...marches with you. The promise that God will be, or go, with someone is a concise assurance of His assistance and protection. It is often given by God or in His name when He charges a person with a mission, especially a military one.... (JPS)
(ו) לא ירפך. לא יתן לך רפיון להיות נעזב ממנו:
לא ירפך means He will give you no looseness that you should be abandoned by Him (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 4:31).
(ו) לא ירפך כי יחזיק בידך בעת המלחמה:
(ז) ולא יעזבך אחרי כן שלא יגרע ממך עיני השגחתו ולא יתקוממו סביבותיך:
(6) לא ירפך, for at the hour of battle G’d will lend you additional mental fortitude
(7) ולא יעזבך, neither will He abandon you afterwards by decreasing the attention He pays to your affairs. As a result, none of the neighbouring nations will dare attack you.