Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 27:14
And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
14. answer ] As in Deu 21:7, solemnly pronounce.
with a loud voice ] Lit. a high voice, not elsewhere in the O.T. Cp. Deu 5:19, a great voice.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
14 26. Appointment of the Levites to Curse
According to 11 13 both a blessing and a curse were to be pronounced, here we have only curses, twelve in number. There Levi was one of six tribes appointed to bless; here the Levites, in religious distinction from all the other tribes, are to pronounce the curses. Further, the 12 curses are not confined to sins dealt with in the Code of D; the objects of only 7 are forbidden in D, of 6 in E, Exo 20:2-23, of 1 in J, Exodus 34, and of as many as Deu 27:9 in H, Leviticus 17-26. The inferences are reasonable that this passage is not from the same hand as the preceding (i.e. not from E) and not from D.
The inclusion of so many sins forbidden only in H does not necessarily imply that the list of curses is exilic (Berth.). It may be from a source independent of all those documents, some national or local liturgy; and Meyer Luther ( Die Israeliten, 552) suggest that it was in use at the sanctuary of Shechem. Nor is the hand which introduced it here that of D, but of a late editor, for note the simple term Levites instead of D’s the priests the Levites and the phrase unto all the men of Israel, found elsewhere only in Jos 10:24 in a passage with many editorial elements. D’s phrase is all Israel (see, above Deu 27:9).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Levites, i.e. some of the Levites, to wit, the priests,
which bare the ark, as it is expressed, Jos 8:33, for the body of the Levites stood upon Mount Gerizim, Deu 27:12; but these stood in the valley between Gerizim and Ebal, looking towards the one or the other mountain as they pronounced either the blessings or the curses, as may be gathered from Jos 8:33.
With a loud voice; so as they might be heard by a great number of the people, by whom the rest were informed and directed by some signal when they should answer.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel,…. Rather, “answer e and say”; not the whole tribe of Levi, for that stood on Mount Gerizim to bless, De 27:12; but the priests of that tribe who were placed in the valley, between the two mountains, and pronounced both the blessings and the curses in the hearing of all the tribes of Israel, to which they were to answer Amen; and that they might plainly hear, they expressed their words
with a loud voice, clearly and distinctly, as follow.
e “respondebunt”, Montanus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“ And the Levites shall lift up and speak to all the men of Israel with a high (loud) voice: ” i.e., they shall pronounce the different formularies of blessing and cursing, turning towards the tribes to whom these utterances apply; and all the men of Israel shall answer “ Amen,” to take to themselves the blessing and the curse, as uttered by them; just as in the case of the priestly blessing in Num 5:22, and in connection with every oath, in which the person swearing took upon himself the oath that was pronounced, by replying “Amen.” “ The Levites ” are not all the members of the tribe of Levi, but those “in whom the spiritual character of Levi was most decidedly manifested” ( Baumgarten), i.e., the levitical priests, as the guardians and teachers of the law, and those who carried the ark of the covenant (Jos 8:33). From the passage in Joshua, where the fulfilment of the Mosaic injunctions is recorded, we learn that the Levitical priests stationed themselves in the centre between the two mountains, with the ark of the covenant, and that the people took up their position, on both sides, opposite to the ark, viz., six tribes on Gerizim, and six on Ebal. The priests, who stood in the midst, by the ark of the covenant, then pronounced the different formularies of blessing and cursing, to which the six tribes answered “Amen.” From the expression “all the men of Israel,” it is perfectly evident that in this particular ceremony the people were not represented by their elders or heads, but were present in the persons of all their adult men who were over twenty years of age; and with this Jos 8:33, when rightly interpreted, fully harmonizes.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 14-26:
“The Levites” in this text refers to the priesthood who bore the Ark of God, not to the entire tribe of Levi. They likely occupied a position in the valley between the two mountains, see Jos 8:33. They stood in such a location that they could be readily heard and understood by all assembled.
The curses and responses were not spoken by the voice of one man alone. They were chanted in unison by the chorus of voices of the priests.
The first eleven of the curses pronounced were directed to some specific commandment in the Law already given. The twelfth was a general curse, directed toward all who refused to adopt the whole Law as the rule of their life.
( 1) Verse 15, see Exo 20:4; Lev 26:1.
(2) Verse 16, see Exo 20:12; Exo 21:17.
(3) Verse 17, see Deu 19:14.
(4) Verse 18, see Lev 19:14.
(5) Verse 19, see Deu 24:17.
(6) Verse 20, see Deu 22:30; Lev 18:8.
(7) Verse 21, see Lev 18:23; Lev 20:15.
(8) Verse 22, see Lev 18:9.
(9) Verse 23, see Lev 18:9; Lev 18:17.
(10) Verse 24, see Exo 20:13; Num 35:16-18.
(11) Verse 25, see Exo 23:7-8.
(12) Verse 26, see Deu 28:15; Jer 11:3-4; Gal 3:10.
The people were to respond in unison to each of these curses by the affirmation, “Amen,” which means, “so be it.” This showed their agreement with the principle in each statement, and their acceptance of the terms.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
14-26. The Levites shall speak These twelve curses were to be pronounced against transgressors of the law. The first is against those who make graven or molten images. Comp. Exo 20:4. The second is against those who are lacking in respect to parents. Comp. Exo 21:17 and Lev 19:3. The third is against those who remove boundaries. Comp. Deu 19:14. The fourth, against those who lead the blind astray. Comp. Lev 19:14. The fifth, against those who wrong the stranger, the orphan, or the widow. Comp. Deu 24:17. The sixth, against unchastity in respect to the wife of the father. Lev 18:8. The seventh is against unnatural crime. Comp. Lev 18:8. The eighth, against unchastity in the case of incest with a sister. Comp. Lev 18:9. The ninth is also against unchastity. In this case with the mother-in-law or other near relative. Comp. Lev 18:17. The tenth is against the secret murder of a neighbour. Comp. Deu 19:11. The eleventh, against the one who takes a bribe to judicially condemn the innocent. Comp. Exo 23:7-8. Finally, the twelfth is to be pronounced against him who does not keep the law. This condemns every act of transgression.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Probably from the number of Israel, many Levites was engaged in this service.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
speak, and say. Note idiom, usually rendered in New Testament “answer and say”. The first verb is to be rendered according to the context. Here = “curse and say”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Deu 33:9, Deu 33:10, Jos 8:33, Neh 8:7, Neh 8:8, Dan 9:11, Mal 2:7-9
Reciprocal: Jos 8:34 – blessings Neh 5:13 – Amen Neh 13:25 – cursed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Deu 27:14. The Levites Some of the Levites, namely, the priests, who bare the ark, as it is expressed Jos 8:33, for the body of the Levites stood upon mount Gerizim, Deu 27:12. But these stood in the valley between Gerizim and Ebal, looking toward the one or the other mountain as they pronounced either the blessings or the curses.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
B. The curses that follow disobedience to specific stipulations 27:14-26
This is the first of two sections of curses (cf. Deu 28:15-68) that sandwich one section of blessings (Deu 28:1-14). The present group of curses explains the consequences of disobedience to specific stipulations of the covenant whereas the second group of curses clarifies the consequences of disobedience to general stipulations of the covenant.
The twelve curses that a group of Levites was to repeat probably represented the twelve tribes. The idea was not that the practice mentioned in each curse had been a besetting sin of one of the tribes. Each tribe received a warning against disobeying the whole Mosaic Law by receiving one specific injunction. God seems to have selected the warnings somewhat at random. They dealt with idolatry (Deu 27:15), breaches of love for one’s neighbor (Deu 27:16-19), sexual irregularities (Deu 27:20-23), and bodily injuries (Deu 27:24-25).
"The matters taken up are not a neat, ordered collection; they deal with fundamental aspects of the order of Israel’s existence: the exclusive worship of the Lord, honor of parents, protection of life and property, justice for the weak and powerless, and sexual relations. These curses have often been regarded as a kind of ancient collection of laws analogous to the Ten Commandments, which have no curse expressions attached but do seem to have a sense of absoluteness implied and in other contexts are given the penalty of death." [Note: Miller, p. 195.]
The last verse includes violation of any other command in the law (Deu 27:26). Paul used this verse to emphasize the fact that no one can obey God perfectly (Gal 3:10-14). The unifying theme seems to be that these were all sins the Israelites could commit in secret. [Note: Craigie, The Book . . ., p. 331.]