Deuteronomy 29:12

29:12 The technical phrase to enter into the covenant meant subscribing to the terms of the agreement.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Alluding to them, that when they made a sure covenant, divided a beast in twain, and passed between the parts divided, Gen. 15:10.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 12. That thou shouldest enter] לעבר leaber, to pass through, that is, between the separated parts of the covenant sacrifice. See Clarke on Ge 15:18.

And into his oath] Thus we find that in a covenant were these seven particulars:

1. The parties about to contract were considered as being hitherto separated.

2. They now agree to enter into a state of close and permanent amity. 3. They meet together in a solemn manner for this purpose.

4. A sacrifice is offered to God on the occasion, for the whole is a religious act.

5. The victim is separated exactly into two equal parts, the separation being in the direction of the spine; and those parts are laid opposite to each other, sufficient room being allowed for the contracting parties to pass between them.

6. The contracting parties meet in the victim, and the conditions of the covenant by which they are to be mutually bound are recited.

7. An oath is taken by these parties that they shall punctually and faithfully perform their respective conditions, and thus the covenant is made and ratified. See Jer 34:18-19, and Clarke's notes on "Ge 6:18"; "Ge 15:18"; "Ex 29:45"; Le 26:44-45.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(12) Enter (literally “pass “) into covenant with the Lord.—Comp. Eze_20:37 : “I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant” Rashi illustrates by Jer_34:18, the passing between the parts of the divided victim, in order to enter into the covenant. (Comp. Gen_15:17-18.) But no such ceremony is mentioned here, and therefore we can only say that possibly the practice may have given occasion for this use of the word “pass.”

His oath.—A word here used for the first time in Deuteronomy. It is rendered “curse” in Deu_29:19-21. It seems to mean an imprecation in the name of God (comp. Lev_5:4; Gen_24:41), which may bring a curse if the thing sworn to is not fulfilled.

Which the Lord thy God maketh with thee.—Maketh; literally, cutteth. The word refers to the “covenant.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12. enter into the covenant] Lit. pass over into only here. Cp. the passing over into a select and numbered body, Exo_30:13 f. (P); also the prepositions in our terms ‘trans-act,’ ‘carry through.’ On covenant see Deu_4:13.

and into his oath] Cp. Neh_10:29 : enter into an oath. God confirms His covenant by an oath, Deu_4:31, etc. The Heb. ’alah is used three times in this ch., 12, 14, 19 (q.v.), as = oath, and thrice Deu_29:20-21 and Deu_30:7 as imprecation, or curse; but nowhere else in Deut.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God,.... That is, they were all to appear and stand in this order before the Lord, that they might solemnly avouch him to be their God, and hear him declaring them to be his people, and the many promises and prophecies of good things he should deliver to them, as well as threatenings of wrath and vengeance in case of disobedience to him: or "that thou shouldest pass" (e): which some think is an allusion to the manner of making covenants, by slaying a creature, and cutting it in pieces, and passing between them, as in Jer 34:18; so Jarchi and Aben Ezra:

and into his oath; annexed to his covenant and promise, to show the immutability and certain fulfilment of it on his part; and may signify not only the oath he swore that they should be his people, but the oath he gave them, and they took, that he should be their God:

which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day; which refers both to the covenant and the oath, or the covenant confirmed by an oath, even the covenant now made in the plains of Moab, distinct from that at Horeb or Sinai.

(e) "ut transeas", V. L. Tigurine version, Munster, Vatablus, Pagniuns, Cocceius; "ad transeundum", Montanus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Pass; alluding to the custom of people who pass between the victims, when they engage in a solemn covenant, as Abraham did, Genesis xv. 10. --- Oath. Septuagint, "imprecations," specified in the preceding chapters, ver. 14. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Into covenant, and into his oath, i.e. into covenant or agreement, confirmed by a solemn oath.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Into covenant and into his oath - Into covenant, confirmed by a solemn oath.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Moses speaks to the Israelites as if they were one man, so the words "you" and "your" here are singular. (See: Forms of You)

to enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God and into the oath that Yahweh your God is making with you today

"to agree to the covenant and to swear that you will obey all that Yahweh your God commands"

a people for himself

"a people group that belongs to him alone"

translationWords

covenant

God

oath

people of God

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

למען הקים אתך היום לו לעם THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH THEE TO-DAY FOR A PEOPLE UNTO HIMSELF — He undertakes so much trouble (in making another covenant with you) in order that He may keep (הקים) you for a people in His presence,

והוא יהיה לך לאלהים SINCE HE MUST BE UNTO THEE A GOD, because He has promised it unto you and has sworn unto your fathers not to exchange their descendants for another nation. For this reason He binds you by these oaths not to provoke Him to anger since He, on His part, cannot dissociate Himself from you. — Thus far I have given an exposition according to the literal sense of the chapter. An Agadic explanation, however, is: Why is the section beginning with the words, “Ye are standing this day” put in juxtaposition to the curses in the previous chapter? Because when Israel heard these ninety-eight curses besides the forty-nine that are contained in Torath-Cohanim (Leviticus 26:14 ff.), their faces turned pale (they were horrified), and they exclaimed, “Who can possibly stand against these?!” Therefore Moses began to calm them: “See, you are standing today before the Lord!” — many a time have you provoked the Omnipresent to anger and yet He has not made an end to you, but you still continue in His presence (Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1).

היום THIS DAY — like the “day” which endures for ever, for though it becomes dark for a period it shines again, (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1, Sanhedrin 110b); so has He made you shine (i.e. given you periods when you have had nought but happiness) and will again make you shine; and it is just the curses and the sufferings that give you permanence and stability (נצבים) before Him. — So, too, the section preceding this (1 ff. which follows immediately after the curses) consists of comforting words: “Ye have seen all the Lord did [before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, etc.]”. — Another explanation of אתם נצבים: Because the Israelites were now passing from one leader to another, from Moses to Joshua, therefore he (Moses) made them stand in ranks (מצבה) that he might address admonitions to them. Similarly did Joshua (cf. Joshua 24:1) and similarly did Samuel, who said, (I Samuel 12:7): “Now therefore take your stand (התיצבו) that I may reason with you before the Lord”, when they were leaving his hand (leadership) and were coming under the hand of Saul (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 1).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.