1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
3 And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day;
5 And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
7 But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did.
8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
1 Therefore thou shalt love H157 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 and keep H8104 his charge, H4931 and his statutes, H2708 and his judgments, H4941 and his commandments, H4687 alway. H3117
2 And know H3045 ye this day: H3117 for I speak not with your children H1121 which have not known, H3045 and which have not seen H7200 the chastisement H4148 of the LORD H3068 your God, H430 his greatness, H1433 his mighty H2389 hand, H3027 and his stretched out H5186 arm, H2220
3 And his miracles, H226 and his acts, H4639 which he did H6213 in the midst H8432 of Egypt H4714 unto Pharaoh H6547 the king H4428 of Egypt, H4714 and unto all his land; H776
4 And what he did H6213 unto the army H2428 of Egypt, H4714 unto their horses, H5483 and to their chariots; H7393 how he made the water H4325 of the Red H5488 sea H3220 to overflow H6687 them H6440 as they pursued H7291 after H310 you, and how the LORD H3068 hath destroyed H6 them unto this day; H3117
5 And what he did H6213 unto you in the wilderness, H4057 until ye came H935 into this place; H4725
6 And what he did H6213 unto Dathan H1885 and Abiram, H48 the sons H1121 of Eliab, H446 the son H1121 of Reuben: H7205 how the earth H776 opened H6475 her mouth, H6310 and swallowed them up, H1104 and their households, H1004 and their tents, H168 and all the substance H3351 that was in their possession, H7272 in the midst H7130 of all Israel: H3478
7 But your eyes H5869 have seen H7200 all the great H1419 acts H4639 of the LORD H3068 which he did. H6213
8 Therefore shall ye keep H8104 all the commandments H4687 which H834 I command H6680 you this day, H3117 that ye may be strong, H2388 and go in H935 and possess H3423 the land, H776 whither ye go H5674 to possess H3423 it;
9 And that ye may prolong H748 your days H3117 in the land, H127 which the LORD H3068 sware H7650 unto your fathers H1 to give H5414 unto them and to their seed, H2233 a land H776 that floweth H2100 with milk H2461 and honey. H1706
10 For the land, H776 whither thou goest in H935 to possess H3423 it, is not as the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 from whence ye came out, H3318 where thou sowedst H2232 thy seed, H2233 and wateredst H8248 it with thy foot, H7272 as a garden H1588 of herbs: H3419
11 But the land, H776 whither ye go H5674 to possess H3423 it, is a land H776 of hills H2022 and valleys, H1237 and drinketh H8354 water H4325 of the rain H4306 of heaven: H8064
12 A land H776 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 careth for: H1875 the eyes H5869 of the LORD H3068 thy God H430 are always H8548 upon it, from the beginning H7225 of the year H8141 even unto the end H319 of the year. H8141
1 Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, alway.
2 And know ye this day: for `I speak' not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm,
3 and his signs, and his works, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
4 and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how Jehovah hath destroyed them unto this day;
5 and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came unto this place;
6 and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel:
7 but your eyes have seen all the great work of Jehovah which he did.
8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it;
9 and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs;
11 but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, `and' drinketh water of the rain of heaven,
12 a land which Jehovah thy God careth for: the eyes of Jehovah thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
1 `And thou hast loved Jehovah thy God, and kept His charge, and His statutes, and His judgments, and His commands, all the days;
2 and ye have known to-day -- for it is not your sons who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, His greatness, His strong hand, and His stretched-out arm,
3 and His signs, and His doings, which He hath done in the midst of Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to all his land;
4 and that which He hath done to the force of Egypt, to its horses, and to its chariot, when He hath caused the waters of the Red Sea to flow against their faces in their pursuing after them, and Jehovah destroyeth them, unto this day;
5 and that which He hath done to you in the wilderness, till your coming in unto this place;
6 and that which He hath done to Dathan, and to Abiram, sons of Eliab, sons of Reuben, when the earth hath opened her mouth and swalloweth them, and their houses, and their tents, and all that liveth, which is at their feet, in the midst of all Israel:
7 `-- But `it is' your eyes which are seeing all the great work of Jehovah, which He hath done;
8 and ye have kept all the command which I am commanding thee to-day, so that ye are strong, and have gone in, and possessed the land whither ye are passing over to possess it,
9 and so that ye prolong days on the ground which Jehovah hath sworn to your fathers to give to them and to their seed -- a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 `For the land whither thou art going in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt whence ye have come out, where thou sowest thy seed, and hast watered with thy foot, as a garden of the green herb;
11 but the land whither ye are passing over to possess it, `is' a land of hills and valleys; of the rain of the heavens it drinketh water;
12 a land which Jehovah thy God is searching; continually `are' the eyes of Jehovah thy God upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the latter end of the year.
1 Thou shalt love then Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments continually.
2 And know ye this day ...; for [I speak] not with your children who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his powerful hand, and his stretched-out arm,
3 and his signs and his acts which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
4 and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and unto their chariots, over which he made the water of the Red sea flow as they pursued after you, and Jehovah destroyed them unto this day;
5 -- and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came to this place;
6 and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, -- how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, with their households, and their tents, and all the living substance that belonged to them, in the midst of all Israel.
7 For your eyes have seen all the great work of Jehovah which he hath done.
8 Keep then all the commandment which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and enter in and possess the land, whither ye pass over to possess it;
9 and that ye may prolong your days in the land which Jehovah swore unto your fathers to give unto them and unto their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 For the land, whither thou enterest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs;
11 but the land, whereunto ye are passing over to possess it, is a land of mountains and valleys, which drinketh water of the rain of heaven,
12 a land which Jehovah thy God careth for; the eyes of Jehovah thy God are constantly upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
1 Therefore you shall love Yahweh your God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, always.
2 Know you this day: for I don't speak with your children who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of Yahweh your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm,
3 and his signs, and his works, which he did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and to all his land;
4 and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how Yahweh has destroyed them to this day;
5 and what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place;
6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel:
7 but your eyes have seen all the great work of Yahweh which he did.
8 Therefore shall you keep all the commandment which I command you this day, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land, where you go over to possess it;
9 and that you may prolong your days in the land, which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 For the land, where you go in to possess it, isn't as the land of Egypt, from whence you came out, where you sowed your seed, and watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs;
11 but the land, where you go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, [and] drinks water of the rain of the sky,
12 a land which Yahweh your God cares for: the eyes of Yahweh your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.
1 So have love for the Lord your God, and give him worship, and keep his laws and his decisions and his orders at all times.
2 And be certain in your minds this day; for these words are not said to your children, who have had no experience of the training of the Lord your God, and who have not seen his great power or his strong hand and his stretched-out arm,
3 Or his signs and wonders which he did in Egypt, to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his land;
4 And what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and their war-carriages; how he made the waters of the Red Sea come up over them when they went after you, and how the Lord put an end to them even to this day;
5 And what he did for you in the waste land, till you came to this place;
6 And what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; when they went down into the open mouth of the earth, with their families and their tents and every living thing which was theirs, before the eyes of all Israel:
7 But your eyes have seen all the great works of the Lord which he has done.
8 So keep all the orders which I give you today, so that you may be strong, and go in and take the land which is to be your heritage;
9 And that your days may be long in the land which the Lord gave by an oath to your fathers and to their seed after them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 For the land where you are going is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you put in your seeds, watering them with your foot, like a planted garden:
11 But the land where you are going is a land of hills and valleys, drinking in the rain of heaven:
12 A land cared for by the Lord your God: the eyes of the Lord your God are on it at all times from one end of the year to the other.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Deuteronomy 11
Commentary on Deuteronomy 11 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
In Deuteronomy 11:1-12 the other feature in the divine requirements (Deuteronomy 10:12), viz., love to the Lord their God, is still more fully developed. Love was to show itself in the distinct perception of what had to be observed towards Jehovah (to “ keep His charge ,” see at Leviticus 8:35), i.e., in the perpetual observance of His commandments and rights. The words, “ and His statutes ,” etc., serve to explain the general notion, “His charge.” “ All days ,” as in Deuteronomy 4:10.
To awaken this love they were now to know, i.e., to ponder and lay to heart, the discipline of the Lord their God. The words from “ for (I speak) not ” to “ have not seen ” are a parenthetical clause, by which Moses would impress his words most strongly upon the hearts of the older generation, which had witnessed the acts of the Lord. The clause is without any verb or predicate, but this can easily be supplied from the sense. The best suggestion is that of Schultz , viz., ההוּא הדּבר , “for it is not with your children that I have to do,” not to them that this admonition applies. Moses refers to the children who had been born in the desert, as distinguished from those who, though not twenty years old when the Israelites came out of Egypt, had nevertheless seen with their own eyes the plagues inflicted upon Egypt, and who were now of mature age, viz., between forty and sixty years old, and formed, as the older and more experienced generation, the stock and kernel of the congregation assembled round him now. To the words, “ which have not known and have not seen ,” it is easy to supply from the context, “what ye have known and seen.” The accusatives from “the chastisement” onwards belong to the verb of the principal sentence, “know ye this day.” The accusatives which follow show what we are to understand by “the chastisement of the Lord,” viz., the mighty acts of the Lord to Egypt and to Israel in the desert. The object of them all was to educate Israel in the fear and love of God. In this sense Moses calls them מוּסר ( Eng. Ver. chastisement ), παιδεία , i.e., not punishment only, but education by the manifestation of love as well as punishment (like יסּר in Deuteronomy 4:36; cf. Proverbs 1:2, Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 4:1, etc.). “ His greatness ,” etc., as in Deuteronomy 3:24 and Deuteronomy 4:34. On the signs and acts in Egypt, see at Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 6:22; and on those at the Red Sea, at Ex 14. פּניהם - הצּיף אשׁר , “ over whose face He made the waters of the Red Sea to flow; ” cf. Exodus 14:26. - By the acts of God in the desert (Deuteronomy 11:5) we are not to understand the chastenings in Num 11-15 either solely or pre-eminently, but all the manifestations of the omnipotence of God in the guidance of Israel, proofs of love as well as the penal wonders. Of the latter, the miraculous destruction of the company of Korah is specially mentioned in Deuteronomy 11:6 (cf. Numbers 16:31-33). Here Moses only mentions Dathan and Abiram, the followers of Korah, and not Korah himself, probably from regard to his sons, who were not swallowed up by the earth along with their father, but had lived to perpetuate the family of Korah. “ Everything existing, which was in their following ” (see Exodus 11:8), does not mean their possessions, but their servants, and corresponds to “all the men who belonged to Korah” in Numbers 16:32, whereas the possessions mentioned there are included here in the “tents.” היקוּם is only applied to living beings, as in Genesis 7:4 and Genesis 7:23. - In Deuteronomy 11:7 the reason is given for the admonition in Deuteronomy 11:2 : the elders were to know (discern) the educational purpose of God in those mighty acts of the Lord, because they had seen them with their own eyes.
And this knowledge was to impel them to keep the law, that they might be strong, i.e., spiritually strong (Deuteronomy 1:38), and not only go into the promised land, but also live long therein (cf. Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 6:3). - In Deuteronomy 11:10-12 Moses adduces a fresh motive for his admonition to keep the law with fidelity, founded upon the peculiar nature of the land. Canaan was a land the fertility of which was not dependent, like that of Egypt, upon its being watered by the hand of man, but was kept up by the rain of heaven which was sent down by God the Lord, so that it depended entirely upon the Lord how long its inhabitants should live therein. Egypt is described by Moses as a land which Israel sowed with seed, and watered with its foot like a garden of herbs. In Egypt there is hardly any rain at all (cf. Herod . ii. 4, Diod. Sic. i. 41, and other evidence in Hengstenberg's Egypt and the Books of Moses , pp. 217ff.). The watering of the land, which produces its fertility, is dependent upon the annual overflowing of the Nile, and, as this only lasts for about 100 days, upon the way in which this is made available for the whole year, namely, by the construction of canals and ponds throughout the land, to which the water is conducted from the Nile by forcing machines, or by actually carrying it in vessels up to the fields and plantations.
(Note: Upon the ancient monuments we find not only the draw-well with the long rope, which is now called Shaduf , depicted in various ways (see Wilkinson, i. p. 35, ii. 4); but at Beni-Hassan there is a representation of two men carrying a water-vessel upon a pole on their shoulders, which they fill from a draw-well or pond, and then carry to the field (cf. Hengstenberg, Egypt and the Books of Moses , pp. 220-1).)
The expression, “with thy foot,” probably refers to the large pumping wheels still in use there, which are worked by the feet, and over which a long endless rope passes with pails attached, for drawing up the water (cf. Niebuhr, Reise, i. 149), the identity of which with the ἕλιξ described by Philo as ὑδρηλὸν ὄργανον ( de confus. ling. i. 410) cannot possibly be called in question; provided, that is to say, we do not confound this ἕλιξ with the Archimedean water-screw mentioned by Diod. Sic. i. 34, and described more minutely at v. 37, the construction of which was entirely different (see my Archaeology, ii. pp. 111-2). - The Egyptians, as genuine heathen, were so thoroughly conscious of this peculiar characteristic of their land, which made its fertility far more dependent upon the labour of human hands than upon the rain of heaven or divine providence, that Herodotus (ii. 13) represents them as saying, “The Greeks, with their dependence upon the gods, might be disappointed in their brightest hopes and suffer dreadfully from famine.” The land of Canaan yielded no support to such godless self-exaltation, for it was “a land of mountains and valleys, and drank water of the rain of heaven” ( ל before מטר , to denote the external cause; see Ewald , §217, d .); i.e., it received its watering, the main condition of all fertility, from the rain, by the way of the rain, and therefore through the providential care of God.
It was a land which Jehovah inquired after, i.e., for which He cared ( דּרשׁ , as in Proverbs 31:13; Job 3:4); His eyes were always directed towards it from the beginning of the year to the end; a land, therefore, which was dependent upon God, and in this dependence upon God peculiarly adapted to Israel, which was to live entirely to its God, and upon His grace alone.
This peculiarity in the land of Canaan led Moses to close the first part of his discourse on the law, his exhortation to fear and love the Lord, with a reference to the blessing that would follow the faithful fulfilment of the law, and a threat of the curse which would attend apostasy to idolatry.
Deuteronomy 11:13-15
If Israel would serve its God in love and faithfulness, He would give the land early and latter rain in its season, and therewith a plentiful supply of food for man and beast (see Leviticus 26:3 and Leviticus 26:5; and for the further expansion of this blessing, Deuteronomy 28:1-12).
Deuteronomy 11:16-25
But if, on the other hand, their heart was foolish to turn away from the Lord and serve other gods, the wrath of the Lord would burn against them, and God would shut up the heaven, that no rain should fall and the earth should yield no produce, and they would speedily perish (cf. Leviticus 26:19-20, and Deuteronomy 28:23-24). Let them therefore impress the words now set before them very deeply upon themselves and their children (Deuteronomy 11:18-21, in which there is in part a verbal repetition of Deuteronomy 6:6-9). The words, “ as the days of the heaven above the earth ,” i.e., as long as the heaven continues above the earth, - in other words, to all eternity (cf. Psalms 89:30; Job. Deuteronomy 14:12), - belong to the main sentence, “ that your days may be multiplied ,” etc. (Deuteronomy 11:21). “The promise to give the land to Israel for ever was not made unconditionally; an unconditional promise is precluded by the words, 'that your days may be multiplied'” ( Schultz ). (For further remarks, see at Deuteronomy 30:3-5.) For (Deuteronomy 11:22-25) if they adhered faithfully to the Lord, He would drive out before them all the nations that dwelt in the land, and would give them the land upon which they trod in all its length and breadth, and so fill the Canaanites with fear and terror before them, that no one should be able to stand against them. (On Deuteronomy 11:23, cf. Deuteronomy 7:1-2; Deuteronomy 9:1, and Deuteronomy 1:28.) The words, “every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours,” are defined more precisely, and restricted to the land of Canaan on both sides of the Jordan by the boundaries which follow: “ from the desert (of Arabia on the south), and Lebanon (on the north), and from the river Euphrates (on the east) to the hinder sea ” (the Mediterranean on the west; see Numbers 34:6). The Euphrates is given as the eastern boundary, as in Deuteronomy 1:7, according to the promise in Genesis 15:18. (On Deuteronomy 11:25, cf. Deuteronomy 7:24; Deuteronomy 2:25, and Exodus 23:27.)
Deuteronomy 11:26-30
Concluding summary. “ I set before you this day the blessing and the curse .” The blessing, if ( אשׁר , ὅτε , as in Leviticus 4:22) ye hearken to the commandments of your God; the curse, if ye do not give heed to them, but turn aside from the way pointed out to you, to go after other gods. To this there are added instructions in Deuteronomy 11:29 and Deuteronomy 11:30, that when they took possession of the land they should give the blessing upon Mount Gerizim and the curse upon Mount Ebal, i.e., should give utterance to them there, and as it were transfer them to the land to be apportioned to its inhabitants according to their attitude towards the Lord their God. (For further comment, see at Deuteronomy 27:14.) The two mountains mentioned were selected for this act, no doubt because they were opposite to one another, and stood, each about 2500 feet high, in the very centre of the land not only from west to east, but also from north to south. Ebal stands upon the north side, Gerizim upon the south; between the two is Sichem , the present Nabulus , in a tolerably elevated valley, fertile, attractive, and watered by many springs, which runs from the south-east to the north-west from the foot of Gerizim to that of Ebal, and is about 1600 feet in breadth. The blessing was to be uttered upon Gerizim, and the curse upon Ebal; though not, as the earlier commentators supposed, because the peculiarities of these mountains, viz., the fertility of Gerizim and the barrenness of Ebal, appeared to accord with this arrangement: for when seen from the valley between, “the sides of both these mountains are equally naked and sterile;” and “the only exception in favour of the former is a small ravine coming down, opposite the west end of the town, which is indeed full of foundations and trees” ( Rob. Pal. iii. 96, 97). The reason for selecting Gerizim for the blessings was probably, as Schultz supposes, the fact that it was situated on the south, towards the region of the light. “Light and blessing are essentially one. From the light-giving face of God there come blessing and life (Psalms 16:11).” - In Deuteronomy 11:30 the situation of these mountains is more clearly defined: they were “ on the other side of the Jordan ,” i.e., in the land to the west of the Jordan, “ behind the way of the sunset ,” i.e., on the other side of the road of the west, which runs through the land on the west of the Jordan, just as another such road runs through the land on the east ( Knobel ). The reference is to the main road which ran from Upper Asia through Canaan to Egypt, as was shown by the journeys of Abraham and Jacob (Genesis 12:6; Genesis 33:17-18). Even at the present day the main road leads from Beisan to Jerusalem round the east side of Ebal into the valley of Sichem, and then again eastwards from Gerizim through the Mukra valley on towards the south (cf. Rib . iii. 94; Ritter, Erdkunde, xvi. pp. 658-9). “ In the land of the Canaanite who dwells in the Arabah .” By the Arabah , Knobel understands the plain of Nabulus , which is not much less than four hours' journey long, and on an average from a half to three-quarters broad, “the largest of all upon the elevated tract of land between the western plain and the valley of the Jordan” ( Rob . iii. p. 101). This is decidedly wrong, however, as it is opposed to the fixed use of the word, and irreconcilable with the character of this plain, which, Robinson says, “is cultivated throughout and covered with the rich green of millet intermingled with the yellow of the ripe corn, which the country people were just reaping” ( Pal. iii. 93). The Arabah is the western portion of the Ghor (see at Deuteronomy 1:1), and is mentioned here as that portion of the land on the west of the Jordan which lay stretched out before the eyes of the Israelites who were encamped in the steppes of Moab. “ Over against Gilgal ,” i.e., not the southern Gilgal between Jericho and the Jordan, which received its name for the first time in Joshua 4:20 and Joshua 5:9; but probably the Gilgal mentioned in Joshua 9:6; Joshua 10:6., and very frequently in the history of Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha, which is only about twelve and a half miles from Gerizim in a southern direction, and has been preserved in the large village of Jiljilia to the south-west of Sinjil, and which stands in such an elevated position, “close to the western brow of the high mountain tract,” that you “have here a very extensive prospect over the great lower plain, and also over the sea, whilst the mountains of Gilead are seen in the east” ( Rob . Pal. iii. 81). Judging from this description of the situation, Mount Gerizim must be visible from this Gilgal, so that Gerizim and Ebal might very well be described as over against Gilgal.
(Note: There is much less ground for the opinion of Winer , Knobel , and Schultz , that Gilgal is the Jiljule mentioned by Robinson ( Pal . iii. 47; and Bibl. Researches , p. 138), which evidently corresponds to the Galgula placed by Eusebius and Jerome six Roman miles from Antipatris , and is situated to the south-east of Kefr Saba ( Antipatris ), on the road from Egypt to Damascus. For this place is not only farther from Gerizim and Ebal, viz., about seventeen miles, but from its position in the lowland by the sea-shore it presents no salient point for determining the situation of the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. Still less can we agree with Knobel , who speaks of the village of Kilkilia , to the north-east of Kefr Saba , as the name itself has nothing in common with Gilgal.)
The last definition, “ beside the terebinths of Moreh ,” is intended no doubt to call to mind the consecration of that locality even from the times of the patriarchs ( Schultz : see at Genesis 12:6, and Genesis 35:4).
Deuteronomy 11:31-32
Deuteronomy 11:31-32 contain the reason for these instructions, founded upon the assurance that the Israelites were going over the Jordan and would take possession of the promised land, and should therefore take care to keep the commandments of the Lord (cf. Deuteronomy 4:5-6).