4:4a

The LORD continued to speak here. Since this verse begins a new paragraph, it may be helpful in some languages to repeat the speech clause from 4:3d. Check what you did in the similar situation at 3:6 and do the same here, if it is appropriate.

the law of My servant Moses: This means the law which the LORD gave to Moses to give to the people. This is made explicit in 4:4b. In some languages it may be more natural to make it explicit here.

My servant Moses: Moses is called the LORD’s servant because he consistently obeyed and submitted himself to the LORD. In some languages a word like “servant” may imply wrong meanings. If that is true in your language, try to express the idea of loyalty and obedience in a natural way. For example:

Moses, who faithfully obeyed me
-or-
Moses, my faithful worker.

4:4b

statutes: The Hebrew word hoq which the Berean Standard Bible translates statutes refers to the laws which the LORD gave to the people of Israel.

ordinances: The Hebrew word mišpaṭ which the Berean Standard Bible translates as ordinances refers to the decisions the LORD made when he judged people. He decided what was right to do in particular cases, and those decisions continued to apply for all future cases of that type. This has been translated in various ways by English versions. For example:

precepts (Revised English Bible)

regulations (New Living Translation (2004))

commands (Good News Translation)

all Israel: This refers to all the people of Israel.

Horeb: This is an alternative name for Mount Sinai, where the LORD gave his law to Moses.

General Comment on 4:4b

Although the terms “statutes” and “ordinances” are not always exact synonyms, here they do function as synonyms. They both refer to the laws the LORD gave to Moses. In some languages it may be necessary to translate these two terms with only one expression. For example:

When I gave these commands to him at Mount Sinai, I ordered all the people of Israel ⌊to obey them⌋.

Paragraph 4:5–6

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