Deuteronomy 2:29

Summary

Moses recalls that the descendants of Esau (in Seir) and the Moabites (in Ar) allowed safe passage, using this precedent to request the same treatment until Israel crosses the Jordan into the land Yehovah is giving them.

Key words

• 'a.Sher ("as/that", H0834D) — relative particle opening the comparison clause; used twice in the verse (also H0834A) to introduce subordinate clauses ("as they did," "until [that]," "which").
• yo.she.Vim ("dwell", H3427) — qal participle, masculine plural, used twice (for the sons of Esau and for the Moabites); the participle form expresses ongoing habitation, functioning as "the ones dwelling in..."
• 'e.'e.Vor ("I will pass over", H5674A) — qal imperfect, first person singular; expresses a future/ongoing action, "I will cross," referring to Moses speaking on behalf of the group crossing the Jordan.
• no.Ten ("[is] about to give", H5414G) — qal participle, masculine singular; describes Yehovah's action as continuous/imminent, "the one giving," rather than a completed act.
• 'e.lo.Hei. ("God", H0430G) — construct plural noun with pronominal suffix nu ("our," H9025), forming "God of us" = "our God," attached to Yehovah (H3068G).

What the text says

The verse is structured as a comparative clause beginning with ka'asher ("just as," H9004+H0834D), which sets up a parallel between past actions ("they did for me") and the request being made. The subject of 'a.su ("they did," H6213A, qal perfect) is bene 'Esav ("descendants of Esau," H1121G construct + H6215H), further specified by the participial phrase ha-yoshevim be-Se'ir ("who dwell in Seir"). This same construction repeats for ha-Mo'avim ("the Moabites," H4125) with ha-yoshevim be-'Ar ("who dwell in Ar").

The second half of the verse uses 'ad 'asher ("until," H5704+H0834A) to mark a temporal boundary, followed by 'e'evor ("I will pass over," H5674A, qal imperfect), an incomplete/future action describing the anticipated crossing of the Jordan (ha-Yarden, H3383), marked with the direct object marker 'et (H0853). The destination is introduced by 'el ha-'aretz ("into the land," H0413+H0776G), qualified by another relative clause: 'asher Yehovah 'elohei-nu noten lanu ("which Yehovah our God is giving to us"). Here noten (H5414G) is a participle, not a perfect verb, indicating the giving is portrayed as an ongoing or imminent process rather than a completed transaction.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew names the second location as Se'ir (H8165A) for Esau's descendants and 'Ar (H6144) for the Moabites. The LXX renders the second location as Ἀροήρ (Aroer) rather than Ar, differing from the Hebrew toponym 'Ar. The Vulgate's donec veniamus... et transeamus ("until we come... and cross over") uses two verbs where the Hebrew has one imperfect verb 'e'evor ("I will pass over"), and shifts to a first-person plural framing not explicit in the Hebrew singular 'e'evor.