Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 31:12
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that [is] within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
12. Assemble the people ] Again Sg. confirmed by Sam. though LXX codd. have Pl. Cp. Deu 4:10, assemble me the people. On assemble see Deu 5:22. It is not necessary to take Assemble gates as a later intrusion (Marti) on the grounds that the command to assemble the people is out of order after the previous v., for this may be explained by the looseness of the writer’s style and by the writer’s use of the Sg., for as we have seen there are reasons for supposing that this is original. On men, women gates see Deu 29:11.
hear learn fear, etc.] See Deu 4:10, Deu 14:23, Deu 17:19.
observe to do ] Deu 5:1; all the words of this law, Deu 5:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gather the people together; not into one place, where all could not hear, but into divers assemblies or synagogues.
Women hereby are required to go to Jerusalem at this solemnity, as they were permitted to do in other solemnities, when the males only were enjoined to go, Exo 23:17.
Children, to wit, such of them as could understand, as appears from Neh 8:2,3.
Thy stranger, i.e. the proselytes, though others also were admitted.
That they may learn; that they may then certainly and constantly do so, though they had also other opportunities to do so, as upon the sabbath days, Act 15:21, and other solemn feasts, yea, even in their private houses.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9-13. And Moses wrote this law, anddelivered it unto the priestsThe law thus committed to writingwas either the whole book of Deuteronomy, or the important part of itcontained between the twenty-seventh and thirtieth chapters. It wasusual in cases of public or private contract for two copies of theengagement to be madeone to be deposited in the national archivesor some secure place for reference, should occasion require. Theother was to remain in the hands of the contracting parties (Jer32:12-14). The same course was followed on this renewal of thecovenant between God and Israel. Two written copies of the law wereprepared, the one of which was delivered to the publicrepresentatives of Israel; namely, the priests and the elders.
the priests, . . . who barethe ark of the covenantIn all ordinary journeys, it was thecommon duty of the Levites to carry the ark and its furniture (Nu4:15); but, on solemn or extraordinary occasions, that office wasdischarged by the priests (Jos 3:3-8;Jos 6:6; 1Ch 15:11;1Ch 15:12).
all the elders of IsraelTheywere assistants to the priests and overseers to take care of thepreservation, rehearsal, and observance of the law.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children,…. At the three grand festivals in other years, only males were obliged to appear; women might if they would, but they were not bound to it; but at this time all of every age and sex were to be summoned and assembled together; and it is said z, when the king read in the book of the law, all the people were obliged to come and bring their families, as it is said De 31:12; “gather the people”, c. and as it could not be done when it happened on the sabbath day, the reading of the section was put off to the day following:
and thy stranger that [is] within thy gates not only the proselyte of righteousness, but the proselyte of the gate that renounced idolatry, for his further conviction and thorough conversion to the religion of the true God; or, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, that they might see the honour and glory of the law. The end is more fully expressed as follows,
that they may hear; all the laws which God had given:
and that they may learn; and attain unto the true knowledge and right understanding of them:
and fear the Lord your God; serve and worship him internally and externally, according to these laws:
and observe to do all the words of this law; so take notice of them as to put them in practice; and reading them in such a solemn and reverent manner made them the more servable, and raised the greater attention to them, to the importance of them; otherwise they were read in their families, and on sabbath days in their synagogues; see De 6:7
Ac 13:15.
z Bartenora in Misn. Megillah, c. 1. sect. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
12. Gather the people together. (241) Literally, “to gather,” (242) etc., in the infinitive mood; and although this is sometimes taken for the imperative, yet, in this passage some improperly translate it “Gather,” etc., as if Moses commanded them to give these injunctions once only to the people of their own generation, whereas he is rather continuing with the foregoing sentence. This verse, then, is connected with what went before, viz., that the Law should be promulgated anew, in the years in which they were to hold their greatest assembly; because the people was then called to the Jubilee by the sound of the trumpet. The word “gather,” therefore, extends to all these septennial assemblies, of which mention will be elsewhere made. Nor certainly would what he says of the people that are “within their gates,” accord with the times of Moses, since in those days there were none. Consequently he more fully explains why he pointed out the seventh year, viz., because the whole people then came “to appear before God.” He specially mentions the “women and children,” lest their age or sex might be an excuse; and this heightens the villany and dishonesty of those (243) who would debar not children only, but women also, from religious learning; since God invites all from the least to the greatest to His school, and would have them to be His disciples. With respect to “the strangers,” we must understand not those who had come into the land of Canaan on business, and were soon to return home, but those who had chosen to take up their abode there, and from their long residence had coalesced into the same body with the Israelites. The fruit and utility (of this recitation (244)) is added, that by hearing they might learn to fear God. Whence we infer, that true religion has its origin in knowledge, and that whatever piety men not instructed by God’s word may appear to have, is mere pretense. “To observe to do,” is equivalent to applying themselves diligently and zealously to obey the precepts of the Law.
(241) “Congregando,” by congregating — Lat. There is much abridgment of the passage in the French.
(242) הקהל. The form is strictly that of the imperative Hiphil, whilst the infinitive of the same voice is properly הקהיל, as seen in Num 10:7, though its yod might be changed into a tzere, in which case the form of these two different tenses would be identical. — W
(243) L’audace du Pape et de son clerge. — Fr.
(244) Added from the French.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
12. Gather the people together Not the men alone, but the whole families were to listen to the solemn repetition of this law. What a deep and abiding impression this would produce!
Nothing was better calculated to keep alive the remembrance of Jehovah’s warnings and Jehovah’s promises.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
children = little ones.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
fear
(See Scofield “Psa 19:9”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Gather: Deu 4:10
men: Deu 6:6, Deu 6:7, Ezr 10:1, Psa 19:7-11, Joh 5:39, 2Ti 3:15-17
that they may: Deu 29:29, Psa 34:11-14
Reciprocal: Gen 49:1 – Gather Exo 10:9 – We will go Lev 9:5 – and all the congregation Num 9:14 – General Deu 29:10 – General Deu 31:28 – Gather unto me Jos 8:33 – stranger Jos 8:35 – women Neh 13:1 – they read Mar 10:13 – disciples Luk 18:16 – Suffer Act 5:14 – multitudes