It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to heaven, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will go over the sea for us, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?” But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
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Deuteronomy 30:12-14 sits inside this longer paragraph.
For this commandment which I command you today is not too hard for you or too distant. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to heaven, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will go over the sea for us, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?” But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil. For I command you today to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away and worship other gods, and serve them, I declare to you today that you will surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you pass over the Jordan to go in to possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants, to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Parallel Translations
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It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to heaven, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?”
Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will go over the sea for us, bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?”
But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
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It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Show all 3 translations
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It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say: 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'
Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say: 'Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Cross-references (26)
- Romans 10:8-10 (v14) But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you…
- Romans 10:6-8 (v12) But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ…
- Jeremiah 12:2 (v14) You have planted them. Yes, they have taken root. They grow. Yes, they produce fruit. You are near in their mouth, and far from their heart.
- Matthew 7:21 (v14) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
- John 5:46 (v14) For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.
Show all 26 cross-references
- Ezekiel 2:5 (v14) They, whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse, for they are a rebellious house, yet they will know that there has been a…
- Ezekiel 33:31 (v14) They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their…
- Ezekiel 33:33 (v14) “When this comes to pass—behold, it comes—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
- Luke 10:11-12 (v14) ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’…
- Hebrews 2:1-3 (v14) Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away. For if the word spoken through…
- Proverbs 30:4 (v12) Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has…
- Proverbs 2:1-5 (v13) My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you, so as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to…
- Proverbs 3:13-18 (v13) Happy is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gets understanding. For her good profit is better than getting silver, and her return is…
- Proverbs 8:11 (v13) For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can’t be compared to it.
- Proverbs 16:6 (v13) By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil.
- Matthew 12:42 (v13) The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to…
- John 3:13 (v12) No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
- John 6:27 (v13) Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the…
- Acts 8:27-40 (v13) He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was…
- Acts 10:22 (v13) They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed…
- Acts 10:33 (v13) Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all…
- Acts 13:26 (v14) Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.
- Acts 16:9 (v13) A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help…
- Acts 28:23-28 (v14) When they had appointed him a day, many people came to him at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying about God’s Kingdom, and…
- Romans 10:14-15 (v13) How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear…
- Acts 13:38-41 (v14) Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins, and by him everyone who believes is…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv13–14 By heaven and the sea he meaneth places most…
By heaven and the sea he meaneth places most far distant.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Deu 30:12 It [is] not in heaven, that thou…
Deu 30:12 It [is] not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Ver. 12. Who shall go up for us to heaven?] And yet to know heavenly things, is to ascend into heaven. {Pro 30:4}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv12–14 In heaven, i.e. shut up there; but it hath…
In heaven, i.e. shut up there; but it hath been thence delivered and published in thy hearing.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv12–14 It is not in heaven,.... The scheme of it…
It is not in heaven,.... The scheme of it was formed in heaven, it was hid in the heart of God there, before revealed; it was ordained before the world was for our glory; it was brought down from thence by Christ, and committed to his apostles and ministers of the word to preach it to men; and has been ever since continued on earth, and will be at the time of the conversion of the Jews:
that thou shouldest say; that there should be any occasion of saying; it forbids any such kind of speech as, follows:
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who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? there is no need of that, for it is brought from thence already, and may be heard, and should be obeyed; for to put such a question would be the same as to ask "to bring Christ down from above", who is come down already by the assumption of human nature, to preach the Gospel, give the sense of the law, and fulfil it, to do the will of his Father, bring in an everlasting righteousness, and save his people; so that there is no need of his coming again on the same errand, since he has obtained eternal redemption, and is the author of everlasting salvation, which is the sum and substance of the Gospel.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv12–14 In heaven - Shut up there, but it hath…
In heaven - Shut up there, but it hath been thence delivered and published in thy hearing.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Verse 12. It is not in heaven] Shall not…
Verse 12. It is not in heaven] Shall not be communicated in that way in which the prophets received the living oracles; but the WORD shall be made flesh, and dwell among you.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v12 Deu 30:12-14. In heaven — Shut up there, but…
Deu 30:12-14. In heaven — Shut up there, but it hath been thence delivered and published in thy hearing. Neither beyond the sea — The knowledge of this commandment is not to be fetched from far distant places, to which divers of the wise heathen travelled for their wisdom; but it was brought to thy very doors and ears, and declared to thee in this wilderness. In thy mouth — Thou knowest it so well, that it is the matter of thy common discourse. In thy heart — In thy mind, (as the heart is very commonly taken,) to understand and believe it. In a word, the law is plain and easy: but the gospel is much more so.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv12, 14 Work. There is no need of studying the mysteries…
Work. There is no need of studying the mysteries of astrology, as the Magi do, to understand the will of God. (Grotius) --- St. Paul adds, (ver. 7,) or who shall descend into the deep? which is not in [the] Hebrew. (Calmet) --- But he probably alludes to the following verse, as the sea is often styled the deep. It was not necessary for the Jews, or for Christians, (Haydock) to undertake long voyages, to discover the true God, as the ancient philosophers were obliged to do; and after they had obtained some idea of the truth, they were afraid to declare it, on account of the prejudices of the people. (Calmet) --- But the most illiterate among us, may easily obtain sufficient knowledge to regulate his life. (Haydock)
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).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v14 14. Nigh unto thee — Augustine says these words…
14. Nigh unto thee — Augustine says these words direct our eyes to the New Testament. Compare Paul’s application of the passage in Rom_10:8.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv12–14 12. not in heaven] Not among the hidden things…
12. not in heaven] Not among the hidden things still with God, Deu_29:29 (28), and requiring a mediator. God has not left men to hunger for it; it has been mediated and heard.
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.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v13 General Information:
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)
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Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us and make us to hear it, so that we may do it?
This rhetorical question continues the idea that the people of Israel think Yahweh's commands are too difficult to know. This question can be translated as a statement. AT: "Someone must travel across the sea to learn God's commands and then return and tell us what they are." (See: Rhetorical Question)
in your mouth and your heart
This means that the people already know God's commands and can tell them to others. (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
word
heart
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12–14 30:12 not kept in heaven: The revelation of God…
30:12 not kept in heaven: The revelation of God is not known only to him but is accessible to human beings (see Rom 10:6-8).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.