Tyndale Open Study NotesDeuteronomy 11

The common translation Red Sea (literally sea of reeds) comes from the Greek Old Testament. People called it the "Sea of Reeds" because marshy plants grew along its shores.

Dathan and Abiram: See Numbers 16:1–40. In the government of God's kingdom, God set up levels of authority and command against which people could not rebel. God chose Moses and Aaron as leaders. So, when Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses, they also rebelled against God's sovereign rule.

Here, Moses adds to the covenant stipulations (the commands in chapters 5–11) a list of blessings and curses. These blessings and curses are similar to the longer list that appears at the end of the covenant text in 27–28. They show the results of obeying or disobeying the covenant.

a land for which the LORD your God cares: God’s care included blessing the land with all the resources his people would need to survive and prosper there.

where your foot treads: This idea suggests claiming a territory by placing a foot on it or walking through it (see Genesis 13:17; Joshua 1:3; 14:9).

In covenant contexts, a blessing is the outcome of obedience, while a curse is the result of disobedience (see chapters 27–28).

• Mount Gerizim is a well-known hill located just west of Shechem. Later, the Samaritans built a temple there (see John 4:20).

• Mount Ebal is on the opposite side of the valley from Mount Gerizim, to the east of Shechem.

• Gilgal was the first camp the Israelites made in Canaan after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 4:19). It was about 3.2 kilometers (two miles) northeast of Jericho, but its exact location is uncertain. A line from Jericho to Shechem would pass near Gilgal.

• The Oak of Moreh was near Shechem. This was where Abram set up his first camp in Canaan (Genesis 12:6). Jacob later buried Laban’s idols there (Genesis 35:4).