Deuteronomy 30:12

“It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to the heavens and get it for us and make us hear it, so that we may do it?””
Deuteronomy 30:12 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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Moses says the word is not far off: it is in your mouth and your heartThe Word of God The commandment is not far off: it is in your mouth and in your heartObedience

With the Hebrew beneath

It is notלֹא הִואin the heavens,בַשָּׁמַיִםthat you should say,לֵאמֹר“Whoמִיwill go upיַעֲלֶהfor usלָּנוּto the heavensהַשָּׁמַיְמָהand get itוְיִקָּחֶהָfor usלָּנוּand make us hearוְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּit,אֹתָהּso that we may do it?”וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה

Quotation · Romans 10:6-8

Go to Romans 10:6-8

Paul quotes phrases from Deuteronomy 30:12-14 and comments on each one (“that is…”). Where Deuteronomy asks “Who will cross the sea?”, Romans says “Who will go down into the abyss?”

Formula: ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτως λέγει “the righteousness that is from faith speaks this way” (Romans 10:6)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτως λέγει Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν τοῦτ’ ἔστιν Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν ἤ Τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον τοῦτ’ ἔστιν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν ἀλλὰ τί λέγει Ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τοῦτ’ ἔστιν τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה וְלֹא מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲבָר לָנוּ אֶל עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ

Septuagint (Deuteronomy 30:14 in the Septuagint numbering): ἔστιν σου ἐγγὺς τὸ ῥῆμα σφόδρα ἐν τῷ στόματί σου κοὶ ἐν τῆ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσίν σου αὐτὸ ποιεῖν.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 4 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Deuteronomy 30:12, word by word

in the heavensשָּׁמַיִםshamayim

sky

The high space seen above the earth, where the birds, clouds, sun and stars are.

Where else “shamayim” appears

that you should sayאמֹרmor

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “mor” appears

will go upיַעֲלֶהyaale

go up

To go from a low place to a higher one: up the mountain, to Jerusalem or to a city.

Where else “yaale” appears

and get itיִקָּחֶyikache

fetch

To take someone along, or go and fetch something.

Where else “yikache” appears

and make us hearיַשְׁמִעֵyashmie

proclaim

Literally "make hear": to make known to all.

Where else “yashmie” appears

so that we may do itנַעֲשֶׂnaase

To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.

Where else “naase” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Romans 10:6-8

Paul quotes phrases from Deuteronomy 30:12-14 and comments on each one (“that is…”). Where Deuteronomy asks “Who will cross the sea?”, Romans says “Who will go down into the abyss?”

See them side by side

Deuteronomy 30:12

¹²It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to the heavens and get it for us and make us hear it, so that we may do it?”

Romans 10:6-8

⁶But the righteousness that is from faith speaks this way: Do not say in your heart, Who will go up into heaven? (that is, to bring down the Messiah);

The context

11For this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it far away.

12 · This verse (above)

13Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross over for us to the other side of the sea and get it for us and make us hear it, so that we may do it?”

Read all of Deuteronomy 30

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