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Deuteronomy 4:8

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 4:8 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
Deuteronomy 4:8 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as Jehovah my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the midst of the land whither ye go in to possess it.
6Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
7For what great nation is there, that hath a god so nigh unto them, as Jehovah our God is whensoever we call upon him?
8And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
9Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children`s children;
10the day that thou stoodest before Jehovah thy God in Horeb, when Jehovah said unto me, Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
11And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
← Deuteronomy 4:7Deuteronomy 4:9 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, etc.] Founded in justice and equity, and so agreeable to right reason, and so well calculated and adapted to lead persons in the ways of righteousness and truth, and keep them from doing any injury to each other’s persons and properties, and to maintain good order, peace, and concord among them: as all this law which I set before you this day? which he then repeated, afresh declared, explained and instructed them in; for otherwise it had been delivered to them near forty years ago. Now there was not any nation then in being, nor any since, to be compared with the nation of the Jews, for the wise and wholesome…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“So righteous - Whereby he implies that the true greatness of a nation doth not consist in pomp or power, or largeness of empire, as commonly men think, but in the righteousness of its laws. Deuteronomy 4:10”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“4:8 Israel’s laws were righteous and fair because they originated with God.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Deu 10:12, Deu 10:13; Psa 19:7-11, Psa 119:86, Psa 119:96, Psa 119:127, Psa 119:128, Psa 147:19, Psa 147:20; Rom 7:12-14; Ti2 3:16, Ti2 3:17 Deuteronomy 4:9”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 4 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification