PROPHET OF Deliverance

Introduction:

(Deut 18:14)

With the beginning of a new section, translators are advised to reintroduce Moses as the speaker.

These nations, which you are about to dispossess: see(Deut 9:1; 11:23; 12:2, 29.)

Give heed to: this means “pay attention to,” that is, “consult,” “go to them for advice.”

To soothsayers and to diviners: see 18:11.

The Lord your God has not allowed you so to do: God has forbidden the people of Israel to engage in these pagan practices. TEV has “The Lord your God does not allow you to do this,” and CEV has “… won’t allow you to do those things

Raise up a prophet:

18:15

Raise up for you a prophet: the verb raise up in this context means “to cause to appear.” More simply it means to send: “The Lord your God will send you a prophet.” For prophet see 13:1. The noun is singular in the Hebrew text, and most translations take it to refer to a particular prophet who will appear in the future. But as the alternative rendering in TEV shows, the singular here may be understood as a collective, meaning “God will send you [from time to time] prophets”; NRSV provides the same alternative in a footnote. However, translations do not give this meaning in the text. The promise (in the singular) is used in the New Testament as a reference to Jesus (see Acts 3:22; 7:37).

Like me: this can be understood to mean “as he sent me,” but most take it to mean that the coming prophet will be like Moses.

From among you, from your brethren: another case of duplication, for clarity. It means the coming prophet will be an Israelite, “one of your own people” (TEV, CEV).

To repeat what we have said earlier in the Handbook, the translator should be aware of what the second person pronouns you and your may mean in some languages; that is, the person (Moses) who says this is not an Israelite. Such a wrong meaning should be avoided. See, for example, 1:6.

Him you shall heed: the people are to listen to him and do as he commands.

TEV is a suitable model for this verse, as is CEV:

• Instead, he will choose one of your own people to be a prophet just like me, and you must do what that prophet says.

Mount Sinai:

18:16

Here Moses refers back to what happened at Mount Sinai (see 5:23–31).

Horeb: Mount Sinai (see 1:2).

The day of the assembly: see 9:10. NJPSV uses a capital letter, “the Assembly,” a way of emphasizing its importance in the life of Israel. But in many languages it will be simpler to follow TEV and CEV with “you were gathered at Mount Sinai.”

Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God: as usual the first person singular is used of the people as a whole. So it is possible to express this as “… and said to the Lord, ‘Please don’t let us hear your voice.’ ” However, instead of the direct quotation of what they said at that time, it may be better in some languages to use indirect speech, as TEV does: “you begged not to hear the Lord speak again.”

See the great fire any more: this refers to the fire that burned on top of Mount Sinai, indicating the presence of Yahweh. CEV has “this terrible fire again.”

Lest I die: continued exposure to God’s fiery presence would kill them all. Another way to express this is “If we do [see the fire] we will die.”

The Lord To Me:

18:17

The Lord said to me: notice that here the usual formula “the Lord your God” is not used.

They have rightly said all that they have spoken: this is an unnatural and wordy way of saying “Everything they say is true.” See the exact same statement in 5:28

I Will Put My Word In Your Mouth:

(Deut 18:18)

The first part of this verse repeats verse 15.

I will put my words in his mouth: the literal equivalent in many languages will be natural and vivid; in English it is better to say something like “I will give him the message he is to deliver,” or “I will tell him what to say” (TEV).

He shall speak to them: them is the people of Israel. So we may say “He will tell the people of Israel everything that I command” (similarly TEV).

Whoever will not give heed

18:19

Whoever will not give heed to my words which he shall speak in my name: CEV expresses the sense better with “Since the message comes from me, anyone who doesn’t obey the message will.…”

I myself will require it of him: see similar statements in Gen 9:5; Ezek 33:6; 34:10. It means that God will hold that person responsible. NJB has “will have to render an account to me,” NJPSV “I myself will call him to account,” and REB “I shall call that person to account.” This “calling to account,” of course, means punishment (see TEV).

Presumes to speak

18:20

This verse instructs the people on how they are to deal with a false prophet, that is, a person who claims to be speaking for Yahweh but who in fact is not. Any Israelite who spoke in the name of other gods would not be simply a false prophet but an apostate, a betrayer of the faith.

Presumes to speak: the verb is equivalent to the adjective “presumptuous” (see 1:43; 17:13), meaning to be “arrogant,” “conceited.” TEV has “dares to speak.”

A word in my name: or “a message from me” (CEV).

That same prophet shall die: this means that such a person must be execut ed. So “he must die for it” (TEV), or “You must kill that person.”

18:21

How are the people to be sure that what the prophet says is truly a message from Yahweh? This question follows naturally from the previous verse.

If you say in your heart: this is equivalent to “If you say to yourself,” “If you think.” Again the second singular is used for the people as a whole, but a plural pronoun is permissible; for example, “You [plural] may ask yourselves [or, think].”

How may we know …? Here, not like elsewhere, the first person plural is used.

… we know the word which the Lord has not spoken: this statement is non sense in English. Strictly speaking we cannot “know” a word that has not been spoken. In the context, however, what it intends to say seems clear enough, that is, the people want to know how they can tell whether or not the prophet’s message was actually given to him by God. So CEV says “How can we tell if a prophet’s message really comes from the Lord?”

This verse connects closely and logically with the following verse, and the connection should be clear and natural in translation.

18:22

This verse gives the answer to the question of the previous verse. To connect the two verses, a translator may say, for example, “You will know [if a prophet’s message …], if.…”

Does not come to pass or come true: again, there is some redundancy here; the two verbal expressions mean the same. Some translations, however, use two separate expressions; for example, NRSV “the thing does not take place or prove true,” and NJB “the thing does not happen and the word is not fulfilled.” It seems better to imitate TEV and use one verbal expression: “and what he says does not come true.” See also NJPSV “and the oracle does not come true.”

That is a word which the Lord has not spoken: more naturally, “that message did not come from the Lord.”

Has spoken it presumptuously: see the adjective “presumptuous” in 1:43; 17:13. An alternative model is “he has falsely claimed to speak for the Lord.”

Not be afraid of him: here the verb “be afraid” means not to be intimidated, not to treat the presumed prophet with respect, not to be in awe of him. The object, rendered “of him” by most translations, may mean “of it,” that is, the prophet’s message (so NRSV). This is a possibility and translators should feel free to adopt it if it is possible to speak in their language of being afraid of a message.

An alternative translation model for verses 21 and 22 is:

• 21 You [plural] may think, “How can we know if a prophet’s message really comes from the Lord?” 22 You will know, because if the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. But if it doesn’t, you will know that the person has falsely claimed to speak for the Lord. Don’t be afraid of such a person.

Bratcher, R. G., & Hatton, H. A. (2000). A handbook on Deuteronomy (pp. 322–323). New York: United Bible Societies.