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JPS Old Testament

Deuteronomy 4:34

Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before thine eyes?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Arm;   God Continued...;   Miracles;   Obedience;   Obligation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jews, the;   Unity of God;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Miracles;   Signs;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Awe, Awesome;   Knowledge of God;   Temptation, Test;   Word;   Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Polytheism;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baptism of Fire;   Deuteronomy, the Book of;   Knowledge;   Miracles, Signs, Wonders;   Plagues;   Sign;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Deuteronomy;   Election;   Hand;   Temptation;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Arm;   Assay;   God;   Miracle;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hafṭarah;   Miracle;   Sidra;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Or has God tried to go and take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Mitzrayim before your eyes?
King James Version
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Lexham English Bible
Or has a god ever attempted to go to take for himself a nation from the midst of a nation, using trials and signs and wonders and war, with an outstretched arm and with great and awesome deeds, like all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
English Standard Version
Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
New Century Version
No other god has ever taken for himself one nation out of another. But the Lord your God did this for you in Egypt, right before your own eyes. He did it with tests, signs, miracles, war, and great sights, by his great power and strength.
New English Translation
Or has God ever before tried to deliver a nation from the middle of another nation, accompanied by judgments, signs, wonders, war, strength, power, and other very terrifying things like the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
Amplified Bible
"Or has any [man-made] god ever tried to go and take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your [very] eyes?
New American Standard Bible
"Or has a god ventured to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, just as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from among nations, by tentations, by signes, and by wonders, and by warre, and by a mightie hand, and by a stretched out arme, & by great feare, according vnto all that the Lord your God did vnto you in Egypt before your eyes?
Legacy Standard Bible
Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation with trials, with signs and wonders and with war and with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terrors, as Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Complete Jewish Bible
Or has God ever tried to go and take for himself a nation from the very bowels of another nation, by means of ordeals, signs, wonders, war, a mighty hand, an outstretched arm and great terrors — like all that Adonai your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
Darby Translation
Or hath God essayed to come to take him a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a powerful hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Easy-to-Read Version
Has any other god ever tried to go and take a people for himself from inside another nation? No! But you yourselves have seen everything that the Lord your God did for you. He showed you his power and strength. You saw the troubles that tested the people. You saw miracles and wonders. You saw war and the terrible things that happened.
George Lamsa Translation
Or have they tried out the God who went forth and took for himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and by wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm and by great visions, according to all that the LORD your God did to the Egyptians before your eyes?
Good News Translation
Has any god ever dared to go and take a people from another nation and make them his own, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt? Before your very eyes he used his great power and strength; he brought plagues and war, worked miracles and wonders, and caused terrifying things to happen.
Christian Standard Bible®
Or has a god attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of another nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Literal Translation
Or has God gone forth to take to Himself a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God didfor you in Egypt before your eyes?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Or whether God assaied to go & take vnto him a people out of ye myddes of a nacion, thorow tentacions, thorow tokens, thorow wonders, thorow warre, & thorow a mightie hande, & thorow a stretched out arme, and thorow greate visios, acordinge vnto all as the LORDE youre God hath done with you in Egipte before thine eyes.
American Standard Version
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Bible in Basic English
Has God ever before taken a nation for himself from out of another nation, by punishments and signs and wonders, by war and by a strong hand and a stretched-out arm and great acts of wonder and fear, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Or hath God assayed to go and take hym a people from among nations, by temptations, by signes, by wonders, by warre, by a mightie hand, by a stretched out arme, & by great sightes, accordyng vnto all that the Lorde your God dyd vnto you in Egypt before your eyes?
King James Version (1611)
Or hath God assayed to goe and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signes, and by wonders, and by warre, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretehed out arme, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
if God has assayed to go and take to himself a nation out of the midst of another nation with trial, and with signs, and with wonders, and with war, and with a mighty hand, and with a high arm, and with great sights, according to all the things which the Lord our God did in Egypt in thy sight.
English Revised Version
Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Berean Standard Bible
Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation-by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors-as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
if God `dide, that he entride, and took to him silf a folc fro the middis of naciouns, bi temptaciouns, myraclis, and grete wondris, bi batel, and strong hond, and arm holdun forth, and orrible siytis, bi alle thingis whiche youre Lord God dide for you in Egipt, `while thin iyen sien;
Young's Literal Translation
Or hath God tried to go in to take to Himself, a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a strong hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors -- according to all that Jehovah your God hath done to you, in Egypt, before your eyes?
Update Bible Version
Or has any god assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Webster's Bible Translation
Or hath God essayed to go [and] take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an out-stretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
World English Bible
Or has God tried to go and take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
New King James Version
Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
New Living Translation
Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.
New Life Bible
Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation, by trials, special things to see, great works, war, a powerful hand, a long arm, and spreading much fear? The Lord your God did this for you in Egypt in front of your eyes.
New Revised Standard
Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Or did a god ever make trial of entering in to take unto him a nation out of the midst of a nation, by provings, by signs and by wonders and by fighting, and by a firm hand and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, - according to all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?
Douay-Rheims Bible
If God ever did so as to go, and take to himself a nation out of the midst of nations by temptations, signs, and wonders, by fight, and a strong hand, and stretched out arm, and horrible visions according to all the things that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, before thy eyes.
Revised Standard Version
Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
THE MESSAGE
Or has a god ever tried to select for himself a nation from within a nation using trials, miracles, and war, putting his strong hand in, reaching his long arm out, a spectacle awesome and staggering, the way God , your God, did it for you in Egypt while you stood right there and watched?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Contextual Overview

1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did in Baal-peor; for all the men that followed the Baal of Peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the midst of the land whither ye go in to possess it. 6 Observe therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that, when they hear all these statutes, shall say: 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7 For what great nation is there, that hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is whensoever we call upon Him? 8 And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children; 10 the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me: 'Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

take him: Exodus 1:9, Exodus 3:10, Exodus 3:17-20

temptations: Deuteronomy 7:19, Deuteronomy 29:3, Exodus 9:20, Exodus 9:21, Exodus 10:7

by signs: Exodus 7:3, Psalms 78:12, Psalms 78:48-53

by a mighty: Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 6:21, Deuteronomy 7:8, Deuteronomy 7:9, Exodus 6:6, Exodus 13:3, 1 Peter 5:6

and by great: Deuteronomy 26:8, Deuteronomy 34:12, Exodus 12:30-33

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:20 - smite Exodus 6:1 - with a strong Exodus 11:1 - Yet will Exodus 33:16 - separated Deuteronomy 4:37 - with his Deuteronomy 6:22 - showed Deuteronomy 9:29 - which thou Deuteronomy 11:3 - General Deuteronomy 34:11 - In all the signs Joshua 24:7 - your eyes Judges 2:1 - I made 1 Kings 8:42 - thy strong hand 1 Kings 8:53 - separate 1 Chronicles 17:21 - greatness Nehemiah 9:10 - showedst Psalms 65:5 - terrible Psalms 68:7 - O God Psalms 75:1 - wondrous Psalms 76:1 - In Judah Psalms 77:10 - the years Psalms 78:43 - How Psalms 86:8 - neither Psalms 89:10 - thy strong arm Psalms 105:27 - They Psalms 106:21 - which Psalms 135:9 - sent tokens Isaiah 64:3 - thou didst Jeremiah 2:20 - For of Jeremiah 32:20 - hast set Lamentations 1:7 - all her Ezekiel 20:5 - and made Daniel 4:3 - great Micah 6:4 - I brought Luke 1:51 - showed Acts 4:30 - By stretching Acts 13:17 - and with

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation,.... As he now had done, namely, the nation of Israel out of the nation of the Egyptians; this he not only had assayed to do, but had actually done it; whereas no such instance like it could be produced, and especially as done in the manner this was:

by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war; the word "temptations" may be considered as a general word, as Aben Ezra thinks, and may signify the temptations by signs, c. or the various essays and trials, ways, means, and methods taken by the Lord to bring about the event by "signs" may be meant those which were required of Moses, and done by him before the people of Israel, and before Pharaoh, as proofs of his mission from the Lord, Exodus 4:1 and by "wonders", the ten plagues of Egypt, which were done by a supernatural and miraculous operation, and were amazing things; see Psalms 78:11; and by "war", either the slaying of the firstborn, with the destruction of the judges and gods of Egypt, as Aben Ezra; or the Lord's fighting for Israel at the Red sea, as Jarchi; he saved them and destroyed the Egyptians, and showed himself to be a man of war, Exodus 14:14

and by a mighty hand and stretched out arm; phrases frequently used when this affair is spoken of, and are expressive of the mighty power of God in the above instances, and in the issue of them, bringing Israel out of Egypt; though Aben Ezra interprets it of the pillar of fire and cloud in which the Lord went before them:

and by great terrors; which the same writer interprets of the drowning of Pharaoh and his host in the sea, and dividing it for Israel; but may be understood not only of the terrors which possessed him and his people then, but at other times, especially at the time of the thunder and lightning, and when they sat in thick darkness, and particularly when all their firstborn were slain; see Deuteronomy 26:8,

according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes; among the men of Egypt, as the above writer, Pharaoh and his courtiers: the above things were done as before them for their terror, so before Israel for their encouragement.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Unwilling, as it might seem, to close his discourse with words of terror, Moses makes a last appeal to them in these verses in a different strain.

Deuteronomy 4:34

Temptations - Compare Deuteronomy 7:18-19; Deuteronomy 29:2-3; not, “i. e.” the tribulations and persecutions undergone by the Israelites, out the plagues miraculously inflicted on the Egyptians.

Deuteronomy 4:37

He chose their seed after them - literally, “his seed after him.” Speaking of the love of God to their fathers in general, Moses has more especially in mind that one of them who was called “the Friend of God” James 2:23.

Brought thee out in his sight - literally, “by His face:” “i. e.” by the might of His personal presence. Compare Exodus 33:14; where God promises “My presence (literally ‘My face’) shall go with thee.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 4:34. From the midst of another nation — This was a most extraordinary thing, that a whole people, consisting of upwards of 600,000 effective men, besides women and children, should, without striking a blow, be brought out of the midst of a very powerful nation, to the political welfare of which their services were so essential; that they should be brought out in so open and public a manner; that the sea itself should be supernaturally divided to afford this mighty host a passage; and that, in a desert utterly unfriendly to human life, they should be sustained for forty years. These were such instances of the almighty power and goodness of God as never could be forgotten.

In this verse Moses enumerates seven different means used by the Almighty in effecting Israel's deliverance.

1. TEMPTATIONS, מסת massoth, from נשה nasah, to try or prove; the miracles which God wrought to try the faith and prove the obedience of the children of Israel.

2. SIGNS, אתת othoth, from אתה athah, to come near; such signs as God gave them of his continual presence and especial providence, particularly the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, keeping near to them night and day, and always directing their journeys, showing them when and where to pitch their tents, c., c.

3. WONDERS, מופתים mophethim, from יפת yaphath, to persuade persuasive facts and events, says Parkhurst, whether strictly miraculous, and exceeding the powers of nature, as Exodus 7:9; Exodus 11:9-10; or not, as Isaiah 20:3; Ezekiel 12:6; Ezekiel 12:11. It probably means typical representations: in this signification the word is used, Zechariah 3:8. Joshua, the high priest, and his companions were אנשי מופת anshey mopheth, typical men, raised up by God as types of Christ, and proofs that God would bring his servant THE BRANCH. All the dealings of God with this people, and even the people themselves, were types-present significators of distant facts and future occurrences.

4. WAR, מלחמה milchamah, hostile engagements; such as those with the Amalekites, the Amorites, and the Bashanites, in which the hand of God was seen rather than the hand of man.

5. A MIGHTY HAND, יד חזקה yad chazakah; one that is strong to deal its blows, irresistible in its operations, and grasps its enemies hard, so that they cannot escape, and protects its friends so powerfully that they cannot be injured. Neither stratagem nor policy was used in this business, but the openly displayed power of God.

6. A STRETCHED-OUT ARM, זרוע נטויה zeroa netuyah; a series of almighty operations, following each other in quick astonishing succession. Let it be noted that in the Scriptures,

(1) The finger of God denotes any manifestation of the Divine power, where effects are produced beyond the power of art or nature.

(2) The hand of God signifies the same power, but put forth in a more signal manner.

(3) The arm of God, the Divine omnipotence manifested in the most stupendous miracles.

(4) The arm of God stretched out, this same omnipotence exerted in a continuation of stupendous miracles, both in the way of judgment and mercy. In this latter sense it appears to be taken in the text: the judgments were poured out on the Egyptians; the mercies wrought in favour of the Israelites.

7. GREAT TERRORS, מוראים גדלים moraim gedolim; such terror, dismay, and consternation as were produced by the ten plagues, to which probably the inspired penman here alludes: or, as the Septuagint has it, εν ὁραμασιν μεγαλοις, with great or portentous sights; such as that when God looked out of the cloud upon the Egyptians, and their chariot wheels were taken off, Exodus 14:24-25. More awful displays of God's judgments, power, and might, were never witnessed by man.


 
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