AND MOSES WENT. Moses went to each tribe and tribe to inform them that he was about to die and that they should not fear.¹ He strengthened them² with his words to Joshua.³, etc.,(vs. 7,8). Scripture therefore afterwards reads, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it (v. 7). I believe that he then⁴ (v. 7). blessed the tribes.⁵ This is so even though the blessings are recorded later.⁶

footnotes: ¹ For they would not be left leaderless. ² He encouraged them. ³ Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land ⁴ After charging Joshua in the sight of all of Israel ⁵ While they were assembled together. ⁶ In Deut. 33.

GO OUT AND COME IN. In war.⁷ Even if I did not die now, I would not have the ability to wage war. You have no need for any person to help you, for God will destroy the nations.⁸ Joshua will do the same.⁹ (v. 3). What you saw with your eyes in the war of Sihon and Og is proof.¹⁰

footnotes: ⁷ To lead you into battle. ⁸ I.E.’s paraphrase of the first part of verse 3. ⁹ I.E.’s interpretation of and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath spoken ¹⁰ I.E.’s interpretation of verse 4.

AND YE SHALL DO UNTO THEM. To break their pillars.¹¹. Hence I.E.’s comment.

footnotes: ¹¹ See Deut. 7:5, which literally reads: But thus shall you do unto them…dash in pieces their pillars

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE. Now that you know that God goes with you wherever you go to battle.

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE. Moses also said this to Joshua¹² whom he appointed over them.

footnotes: ¹² As he did to Israel (v. 6).

FOR THOU SHALT GO WITH THIS PEOPLE. The word et means with.¹³ means with this people. The word et usually indicates the accusative and is not translated. Hence I.E.’s comment.

footnotes: ¹³ Thus et ha-am

AND DELIVERED IT UNTO THE PRIESTS THE SONS OF LEVI. Who teach the Torah.

AND UNTO ALL THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL. The Sanhedrin.¹⁴ Or its meaning is like And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded (Deut. 27:1).¹⁵ in teaching the Torah.

footnotes: ¹⁴ To interpret the Torah. ¹⁵ The meaning of which is that the elders assisted Moses in transmitting the word of God. Similarly, here too Moses commanded the elders to assist the kohanim

AT THE END OF EVERY SEVEN YEARS. At the beginning of the year.¹⁶ (at the end) sometimes means at the beginning. See I.E. on Deut. 15:1. I.E. interprets thus because the seventh year was to be a year of Torah study. He felt that the public reading of the Torah was not the climax of this year but the initiation of a year of Torah study.

footnotes: ¹⁶ According to I.E. the word mi-ketz

THAT THEY MAY LEARN. The entire year.¹⁷ Similarly on the Sabbath.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁷ The year was to be devoted to Torah. ¹⁸ Is to be devoted to Torah study.

AND THY STRANGER. Perhaps he will convert to Judaism.

[THAT THEY MAY HEAR, AND THAT THEY MAY LEARN.] When they hear¹⁹ they will ask. And he who is not wise and the children who are young will learn.

footnotes: ¹⁹ The Torah being read.

THY DAYS APPROACH THAT THOU MUST DIE. For there is a time set for each and everyone.²⁰ I have previously explained this.²¹

footnotes: ²⁰ To pass away. ²¹ See I.E. on Ex. 23:26 (Vol. 2, p. 518).

AND MOSES…WENT. From the camp of Israel, for that is where he was.²² He then came to the camp where God’s presence rested.

footnotes: ²² When he took leave of and blessed Israel.

AND THE LORD APPEARED IN THE TENT. The specified tent.²³ (tent) has a heh ha-yedi’ah prefixed to it. The meaning of our verse is that the pillar of cloud was at the door of the tent and God was seen inside the tent. This²⁴ is what the glory²⁵ refers to.²⁶ The statement that I may give him a charge (v. 14) refers to And he²⁷ gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge (v. 23) by the command of God, may He be blessed. Scripture therefore reads, which I swore unto them (Ibid.).²⁸ After this came the passage Behold, thou art about to sleep with thy fathers (v. 16).²⁹ There is no chronological order in the Torah. The passage And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law (v. 24) is connected to³⁰ And Moses wrote this law (v. 9).

footnotes: ²³ The tent of meeting mentioned in the previous verse. Hence the word ohel ²⁴ The pillar of cloud. ²⁵ The glory of God. ²⁶ When Scripture speaks of the glory of God appearing in the tent of meeting, the reference is to the pillar of cloud. See Ex. 16:10. ²⁷ Moses. ²⁸ Moses uses the term “I” because he was speaking for God by God’s command. ²⁹ According to I.E. the sequence of events was as follows: Verses 14,15; 23; 16-22; 9. The reason for the aforementioned is purely exegetical. It allows for a logical, sequential unfolding of events. ³⁰ It follows.

AND THIS PEOPLE WILL RISE UP. It is not possible for this to be connected to what precedes it, for what reason is there to say,³¹ and this people will rise up, and go astray.³²

footnotes: ³¹ At this point. ³² Our verse does not logically follow God’s telling Moses that He is going to charge Joshua. Hence verses 16-22 follow what is recorded in verse 23.

The meaning of ve-zanah (and go astray) is, to leave God’s authority³³ in one’s thought.

footnotes: ³³ Literally, to leave God’s domain, to believe in another god.

AFTER THE FOREIGN GODS OF THE LAND. We know that God is one.³⁴ Change comes from the recepients.³⁵ God does not change His works,³⁶ for they are executed in wisdom. It is part of the service of God to harness one’s power to receive spiritual inspiration in accordance with the place.³⁷ Scripture therefore reads, the manner of the God of the land (II Kings 17:26).³⁸ Jacob therefore said,³⁹ Put away the strange gods (Gen. 35:2).⁴⁰ The place is unlike other places with regard to engaging in sexual intercourse with women whom Scripture deems as being of close flesh.⁴¹ The intelligent will understand.⁴²

footnotes: ³⁴ God is unchangeable. God remains the same at all times. ³⁵ Of Divine beneficence. According to I.E. praying to God does not change God’s mind. It changes the petitioner. The person changes his fate because he becomes a different person. Thus God’s decrees remain unchangeable. ³⁶ The laws of nature, or any of His actions. ³⁷ The Land of Israel. According to I.E. if a person follows a certain way of life, i.e., following God’s commandments, certain things will follow automatically. He also believed that God’s influence varies in accordance with the place. Hence certain laws have to be followed in the Land of Israel if the land is to maintain its sanctity and receive the amount of divine influence allotted to it. See I.E. on Gen. 4:14; 28:16. Also see Ex. 15:17. ³⁸ The reference is to the people whom the king of Assyria brought to Samaria. They wanted to learn the manner of the God of the land because they knew that if they wanted to remain in the Land of Israel, they would have to alter their ways to fit the religious requirements of the land. ³⁹ To his sons. ⁴⁰ According to I.E., Jacob told his sons, “Now that we are in the Land of Israel put away the images which you held on to while you were outside of the Land of Israel.” ⁴¹ A person is not allowed to marry a variety of close relatives. Among these are two sisters and an aunt. However, Jacob married two sisters and Amram married his aunt. According to I.E. they did so because they were outside of the Land of Israel. See I.E. on Lev. 18:26. ⁴² That the Land of Israel has special spiritual significance.

[AMONG THEM.] Be-kirbo (among them) refers to foreign.⁴³. I.E. does not believe that Scripture would use the term “among them” when referring to foreign gods, for such gods do not exist, and it is impossible to come among them. Hence his interpretation. Scripture, as it were, states, and go astray after the gods of a foreign people,⁴⁴ who are the gods of the land.⁴⁵ is short for “the foreign people of the gods of the land.” However, it appears that be-kirbo refers to the word ha-aretz (of the land),⁴⁶ should be translated as “in it” or “into the midst of it” and our verse rendered, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they enter. for the word eretz is found in the masculine.⁴⁷ which is masculine, can refer to eretz. Eretz is usually feminine. Hence I.E.’s comment. Compare, And the land (ha-aretz) was not able to bear (nasa)⁴⁸ is masculine. them (Gen. 13:6); the land [is] burnt up (netam⁴⁹ is masculine. aretz) (Is. 9:18).

footnotes: ⁴³ That is, foreign people. Our verse reads, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to he among them ⁴⁴ The Canaanite nations. ⁴⁵ In other words, the foreign gods of the land ⁴⁶ In this case be-kirbo ⁴⁷ Hence the word be-kirbo ⁴⁸ Nasa ⁴⁹ Netam

AND I WILL FORSAKE THEM. All of them.

AND THEY SHALL BE.⁵⁰ (literally, and he shall be). Each one of them shall be food for the enemy.⁵¹

footnotes: ⁵⁰ Hebrew, ve-hayah ⁵¹ Hence the combination of the plural and the singular.

[AND I WILL SURELY HIDE.] The meaning of And I will surely hide is, if they call Me, I will not answer. Scripture compares God to a person who does not see or know what is happening. It is the custom of Scripture to employ two verbs.⁵² (I will surely hide). Literally, hide, I will hide. Those who know grammar understand this.⁵³

footnotes: ⁵² Our verse reads, haster astir ⁵³ That it is biblical style to employ an infinitive followed by a conjugated verb.

IN THAT THEY ARE TURNED. This,⁵⁴ as I previously explained,⁵⁵ is the great evil. There is no evil which tops it.

footnotes: ⁵⁴ Idol worship. ⁵⁵ See I.E. on verse 16.

NOW…WRITE THIS. A commandment that Moses, and all who know how to write,⁵⁶ (write) is in the plural. Hence I.E.’s comment. should write it.

footnotes: ⁵⁶ Kitvu

AND TEACH THOU IT. Explain to them the difficult meanings.

PUT IT IN THEIR MOUTHS. That they should be able to recite it orally.⁵⁷

footnotes: ⁵⁷ Literally, that they should be proficient in it.

The words ve-lammedah (and teach thou it) and also simah (put it) are irregular, for grammatically the heh of ve-lammedah should have been vocalized with a kamatz and the lamed with a segol.⁵⁸ rather than ve-lammedah. Similarly simah should have read simeha.

footnotes: ⁵⁸ Our word should have read ve-lamdeha

A WITNESS…AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. This meaning of our verse is tied to For when I shall have brought them (v. 20).⁵⁹ (v. 19), For when I shall have brought them into the land… The song that is being discussed in these verses is the song in the following chapter. It is also possible that our verse is independent,⁶⁰ because Scripture states, ve-anetah (that…shall testify) (v. 21).⁶¹(v. 20) that this song shall testify before them (v. 21). Ve-anetah (that…shall testify) is similar to ta’aneh (bear)⁶² does not mean will answer but rather will testify. in thou shalt not bear…against thy neighbor (Ex. 20: 13). The song, as it were, will testify before those who ask, “Why did all this happen to us?”⁶³

footnotes: ⁵⁹ Our verse and the next one form one unit. The verses are to be read as follows: Now…write ye this song…that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel ⁶⁰ In other words, our verse is not tied to the verse that follows. ⁶¹ In this case, verse 20 opens a new thought and is tied to verse 21. The verses are to be read: For when I shall have brought them into the land… ⁶² That is, testify. In other words, ve-anetah ⁶³ The song will explain to all why what occurred came to pass.

BEFORE THEM. Le-fanav means before them. It means that the witness will not be removed from before them but shall always be with them.⁶⁴

footnotes: ⁶⁴ Israel shall always have a copy of the song with them.

FOR I KNOW THEIR IMAGINATION. For even if I did not know the future,⁶⁵ I know what they have done until this day.⁶⁶

footnotes: ⁶⁵ Supernaturally. ⁶⁶ And on this basis can surmise how they will act in the future.

THE SAME DAY. Moses did not tarry in doing this thing.⁶⁷ It is possible that this took place on the day he died, which was after writing the words of the Torah, for Moses wrote the song with it.

footnotes: ⁶⁷ In committing the song to writing.

UNTIL THEY WERE FINISHED. This is connected to the words.⁶⁸

footnotes: ⁶⁸ Hence the plural “they were finished.”

THAT MOSES COMMANDED THE LEVITES. Scripture is being brief.⁶⁹. Our verse, as it were, says, the earlier-mentioned Levites who are kohanim, but not all the Levites, for they do not touch the ark.⁷⁰.

footnotes: ⁶⁹ The Levites is short for the kohanim, the Levites ⁷⁰ I.E.’s interpretation of that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord

[THAT BORE THE ARK OF THE CONVENT OF THE LORD.] By command. There are many such instances.

IT MAY BE THERE FOR A WITNESS AGAINST THEE. Moses speaks to all of Israel. The kohanim are included when he speaks to Israel. However, when Moses addressed the Reubenites and the Gadites he spoke to them alone, as I previously explained.⁷¹

footnotes: ⁷¹ See Deut. 3:18.

AND HOW MUCH MORE AFTER MY DEATH. In addition, I know that after my death…⁷² (and how much more after my death) means, and how much more after my death will you rebel. for God told me, and this people will rise up, and go astray (v. 16) after you sleep with your fathers. This is what after my death refers to.⁷³

footnotes: ⁷² You will rebel. According to I.E., ve-af ki achare moti ⁷³ After my death you will rebel.

[BEFALL YOU.] The meaning of ve-karata (and…will befall you) is similar to ve-chatat (but the fault is) in but the fault is in thine people (Ex. 5:15).⁷⁴. It is explained there.⁷⁵

footnotes: ⁷⁴ Both words are perfects which become imperfects because of the conversive vav ⁷⁵ See I.E. on Ex. 5:16 (Vol. 2, p. 123).