King James Version
Deuteronomy 11
32 verses with commentary
Love and Obey the Lord
Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God</strong>—The Hebrew <em>ve'ahavta</em> (וְאָהַבְתָּ֕) is a commandment, not a suggestion. Love here means covenantal loyalty and devotion, not mere emotion. Following the Shema (6:5), Moses grounds this command in the 'therefore' (עַל־כֵּן) of the preceding chapter's rehearsal of God's mighty acts. Love for Yahweh is the proper response to His red...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XI.
(1) **Therefore.**—There is no break here in the original. “The Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God.”
**And keep his charge.**—Literally, *keep his keeping, i.e., *all that is to be kept in obedience to Him.
**Alway.**—Literally, *all the days. *(Comp. “I am with you *all the days*” in Matthew 28:20) Israel must not omit one da...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-43. Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan--**(See on Jos 20:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, neither have seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,</strong><br><br>Moses addresses the generation that witnessed firsthand God's mighty acts in Egypt and the wilderness. The Hebrew verb <em>yada</em> (יָדַע, 'know') implies experiential knowledge, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And know ye.**—Or, *and ye know.*
**Not with your children which have not known.**—It must be remembered that all those who were less than twenty years of age at the date of the Exodus would still be living, and the events of their youth must have left a strong impression on their memories. Every man of forty-five years of age would feel the force of this address.
**The chastisement.**—Wheth...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-43. Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan--**(See on Jos 20:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses continues detailing the signs (<em>otot</em>, אֹתוֹת) and deeds (<em>ma'asim</em>, מַעֲשִׂים) God performed in Egypt. These were not natural phenomena but supernatural demonstrations of Yahweh's supremacy over Pharaoh and Egypt's gods. The mention of 'all Egypt' emphasizes the comprehensive nature of divine judgment—no part of Egypt escaped God's notice or power. This recitation serves both ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41-43. Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan--**(See on Jos 20:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day;
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KJV Study Commentary
The destruction of Pharaoh's army at the Red Sea (<em>Yam Suph</em>, יַם־סוּף) represents the definitive defeat of Israel's oppressors. The phrase 'made the water of the Red sea to overflow them' uses vivid Hebrew imagery of waters covering and destroying. This wasn't drowning by misadventure but divine execution—Yahweh wielded the sea as His weapon. The concluding 'the LORD hath destroyed them un...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--**This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses recounts God's providential care during the wilderness wandering—a period of divine discipline yet also divine provision. The phrase 'what he did unto you in the wilderness' encompasses both judgment (Numbers 14-25) and grace (manna, water, cloud, fire, preserved clothing). The wilderness served as Israel's crucible, where God tested, purified, and prepared them for Canaan. The phrase 'until...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--**This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: substance: or, living substance which followed them was: Heb. was at their feet
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KJV Study Commentary
The judgment on Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 16) demonstrated God's holiness and the seriousness of rebellion against His appointed leadership. The earth 'opened her mouth and swallowed them up' uses vivid Hebrew imagery—the ground <em>patach peh</em> (פָּתַח פֶּה, 'opened mouth'), as if the earth itself executed divine judgment. This spectacular destruction served as warning against presumption and...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **What he did unto Dathan and Abiram. . . .—**See Numbers 16. It is impossible to separate the rebellion of *Korah *from that of *Dathan and Abiram, *and seeing that the whole point of Korah’s rebellion was *the priesthood, *it is difficult to see how the writer of Deuteronomy could be ignorant of any priesthood save that of the whole tribe of Levi. The object of Koran’s rebellion was to aboli...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--**This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did.
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KJV Study Commentary
The emphatic 'your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD' returns to the eyewitness theme. The Hebrew <em>gadol ma'aseh</em> (גָּדוֹל מַעֲשֵׂה, 'great acts/works') emphasizes magnitude and significance. Unlike their children, this generation possesses firsthand knowledge. This creates covenant accountability—they cannot plead ignorance. Their obedience or disobedience will be informed resp...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **But your eyes have seen.**—Literally, *For your eyes are the witnesses *(literally; *the seers*)* of all the great working of Jehovah which He hath wrought.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--**This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Chapter Outline
The great work God wrought for Israel.(1-7)
Promises and threatenings.(8-17)
Careful study of God's word requisite.(18-25)
The blessings and the curse set forth.(26-32)
**Verses 1-7**
Observe the connexion of these two; Thou shalt love the Lord, and keep his charge. Love will work in obedience, and that only is acceptable obedience which flows f...
Read full commentary →Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
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KJV Study Commentary
The command 'Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments' connects obedience directly to covenant history. The Hebrew <em>shamar</em> (שָׁמַר, 'keep/guard') implies careful, diligent, protective observance. The purpose clause 'that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land' links obedience to conquest success. This isn't magical thinking but covenant theology: God's blessing on obedient Is...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **The commandments.**—Literally, *the commandment. *It is *one course *of action rather than many details which is enjoined.
**Go in and possess**—*i.e., *complete the conquest in detail, so as to enjoy the whole profit of the land.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--**This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
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KJV Study Commentary
The land Israel will 'go over Jordan to possess' requires active conquest—'possess' (<em>yarash</em>, יָרַשׁ) means to dispossess current inhabitants and take ownership. This wasn't vacant territory but land requiring military action under divine warrant. God had promised the land to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21), but fulfillment required Israel's obedient participation. Divine sovereignty and human ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **To give unto them.**—See Note on Deuteronomy 11:21, further on.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--**This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses describes Canaan in contrast to Egypt: 'not as the land of Egypt' introduces a fundamental agricultural difference. Egypt relied on Nile irrigation—'wateredst it with thy foot' refers to foot-powered water wheels (<em>saqiya</em>) or treadmill irrigation systems. The Hebrew <em>regel</em> (רֶגֶל, 'foot') indicates human effort and control. Egypt's fertility depended on human engineering and ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Not as the land of Egypt.**—“But much better. And Egypt was praised above all lands, as it is said (Genesis 13:10), ‘As the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.’ And the land of Goshen, where Israel dwelt, is called ‘the best of the land of Egypt’ (Genesis 47:6). And even this was not so good as the land of Israel” (Rashi).
**Wateredst it with thy foot.**—An allusion either to the ne...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
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KJV Study Commentary
Canaan is 'a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven.' Unlike Egypt's flat, irrigable Nile delta, Canaan's diverse topography made large-scale artificial irrigation impossible. The hill country especially required rain. The phrase 'drinketh water of the rain of heaven' personifies the land as receiving sustenance directly from God, emphasizing divine provision. The Hebr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Drinketh water of the rain of heaven.**—Or, as it is prettily expressed by the Jewish commentator, “While thou sleepest on thy bed, the Holy One (blessed be He! ) waters it high and low.” (Comp. the parable in St. Mark 4:26-27.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 5 De 5:1-29. A Commemoration of the Covenant in Horeb.
**1. Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments--**Whether this rehearsal of the law was made in a solemn assembly, or as some think at a general meeting of the elders as representatives of the people, is of little moment; it was addressed either directly or indirectly to the Hebrew people as principles of their peculiar constitution ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. careth: Heb. seeketh
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KJV Study Commentary
The land is described as one 'which the LORD thy God careth for' using the Hebrew <em>darash</em> (דָּרַשׁ), meaning to seek, inquire after, or care for diligently. This isn't passive observation but active providence. The phrase 'the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it' indicates continuous divine attention from 'the beginning of the year even unto the end.' This anthropomorphic language ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **A land which the Lord thy God careth for.**—Literally, *seeketh, *as in the margin of our Bibles. Comp. Ezekiel 20:6 : “A land that I had *espied *for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.” “To *search out *a resting-place for them” (Numbers 10:33). It is difficult not to think of the *better *land in this description, and of our Saviour’s promise, “I go to pre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse begins the conditional clause: 'if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments.' The Hebrew <em>shama shama</em> (שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ, doubling for emphasis) means 'hear intently, obey carefully.' Covenant blessing depends on responsive obedience. The dual commands—'love the LORD your God' and 'serve him with all your heart and with all your soul'—echo the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **It shall come to pass.**—At this point begins the formal sanction of this charge by a declaration of rewards and punishments. Such sanctions are a characteristic feature of the Law. (Comp. Exodus 23:20—end, at the close of the first code; Leviticus 26, and Deuteronomy 28; and, in the New Testament, the well-known close of the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew 7, and of the parallel sermon ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us--**The meaning is, "not with our fathers" only, "but with us" also, assuming it to be "a covenant" of grace. It may mean "not with our fathers" at all, if the reference is to the peculiar establishment of the covenant of Sinai; a law was not given to them as to us, nor was the covenant ratified in the same public manner and by the ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
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KJV Study Commentary
The promise 'I will give you the rain of your land in his due season' establishes the rain-obedience connection. God specifies 'the first rain and the latter rain'—the Hebrew <em>yoreh</em> (יוֹרֶה, autumn rain) softens ground for plowing and planting, while <em>malkosh</em> (מַלְקוֹשׁ, spring rain) swells grain before harvest. Both are essential for successful crops. The result: 'thou mayest gath...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **The first rain (after sowing), the latter rain** (just before harvest). In the ninth month and the first month respectively. (See Ezra 10:9; Ezra 10:13, and Joel 2:23.)
**That thou mayest gather in.**—Literally, *and thou shalt gather in. *Rashi reminds us that this may mean “thou, and not thine enemies.” *“*They that have gathered it shall eat it” (Isaiah 62:8-9).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount--**not in a visible and corporeal form, of which there was no trace (De 4:12, 15), but freely, familiarly, and in such a manner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. send: Heb. give
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KJV Study Commentary
God promises 'I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle' ensuring not just human food but livestock fodder. The comprehensive provision—'thou shalt eat and be full'—indicates abundance, not mere subsistence. The Hebrew <em>saba</em> (שָׂבַע, 'satisfied, sated') implies complete satisfaction. This reflects God's generous provision for obedient people. However, the warning of verses 16-17 immed...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **That thou mayest eat and to full.**—The same writer observes that *“*this is a further blessing, which belongs to the food itself in man’s inward parts.” It is possible to eat and not be satisfied.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. I stood between the Lord and you at that time--**as the messenger and interpreter of thy heavenly King, bringing near two objects formerly removed from each other at a vast distance, namely, God and the people (Ga 3:19). In this character Moses was a type of Christ, who is the only mediator between God and men (1Ti 2:5), the Mediator of a better covenant (He 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
**to show you...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
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KJV Study Commentary
The warning 'Take heed to yourselves' uses the emphatic Hebrew <em>hishamer</em> (הִשָּׁמֶר, 'watch yourselves, be on guard'). The danger: 'lest your heart be deceived.' The Hebrew <em>pathah</em> (פָּתָה) means seduced, enticed, or deceived—prosperity tempts toward apostasy. The sequence is diagnostic: heart deceived → turning aside → serving other gods → worshipping them. Idolatry begins interna...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Take heed to yourselves**—i.e., when you are satisfied. (Comp. Deuteronomy 8:10-11.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The consequence of apostasy: 'the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you' uses the Hebrew <em>charah aph</em> (חָרָה אַף, literally 'burn nose/anger'), vivid imagery for divine fury. The judgment is environmental: 'he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain.' The Hebrew <em>atsar</em> (עָצַר, 'restrain, close') indicates deliberate divine action withholding blessing. The result: agricultural catast...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-17**
Moses sets before them, for the future, life and death, the blessing and the curse, according as they did or did not keep God's commandment. Sin tends to shorten the days of all men, and to shorten the days of a people's prosperity. God will bless them with an abundance of all good things, if they would love him and serve him. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is; ...
Read full commentary →Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
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KJV Study Commentary
The remedy: 'lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul.' The Hebrew <em>sum</em> (שׂוּם, 'place, set, establish') indicates intentional, permanent placement. God's words must be internalized, not merely heard. The command continues: 'bind them for a sign upon your hand' and 'frontlets between your eyes.' This produced the Jewish practice of <em>tefillin</em> (phylacteries)—leather boxes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Therefore shall ye lay up these my words.**—The same injunctions are found above (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). The Jewish commentator remarks, somewhat sadly, here, that they would remember them in their captivity, if not before. The “therefore” at the commencement of the verse is a simple “and,” so that the passage can be read in connection with what precedes: “Ye will perish quickly from off the g...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command extends to generational transmission: 'teach them your children, speaking of them' whenever—'when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.' This describes total life integration—Scripture discussion permeates all contexts: home, travel, morning, evening. The Hebrew <em>diber</em> (דִּבֶּר, 'speak, talk') indicates convers...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
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KJV Study Commentary
The command continues: 'write them upon the door posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.' The <em>mezuzah</em> (מְזוּזָה, doorpost) practice emerged from this command—small parchments containing Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 affixed to doorframes. The purpose: constant visual reminder of God's word when entering or leaving home. The 'gates' (<em>sha'ar</em>, שַׁעַר) could mean city gates or priva...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
The purpose clause: 'that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.' Obedience brings longevity—both individual and national. The poetic phrase 'as the days of heaven upon the earth' (כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ) suggests permanence: as long as heaven endures over earth, so ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **In the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them.**—“It is not written here ‘to give *you,’ *but ‘to give *them.’ Hence we find the resurrection of the dead taught in the Law.” *If this were the remark of a Christian commentator, it would be thought fanciful; but it is only the comment of a Jew. And *the Jewish belief in the literal fulfilment of these promises to Abraham and...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses reiterates the conditional: 'if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments' links blessing to comprehensive obedience. The triad of responsibilities: 'love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him' summarizes covenant faithfulness. 'Love' (<em>ahav</em>, אָהַב) denotes loyal affection; 'walk' (<em>halak</em>, הָלַךְ) indicates lifestyle and conduct; 'cleave' (<em>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **To walk in all his ways.**—“He is compassionate, and thou shalt be compassionate. He showeth mercies, and thou shalt show mercies.” Again Rashi’s comment is worthy of the New Testament. What follows shows the need of a mediator.
**To cleave unto him.**—Is it possible to speak so? Is He not “a consuming fire “? (and how can we cleave unto Him?) “But cleave unto wise men and their disciples (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
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KJV Study Commentary
The promise: 'Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you.' Victory over Canaan depends on covenant obedience, not military strength. The phrase 'nations greater and mightier than yourselves' acknowledges enemy superiority in human terms. Yet covenantal obedience guarantees divine intervention: God will 'drive out' (<em>yarash</em>, יָרַשׁ, dispossess) Israel's enemies. This ech...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
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KJV Study Commentary
The extent of conquest: 'Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours.' This promise links possession to actual occupation—Israel must physically enter and claim the land. The boundaries specified: 'from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea.' This describes maximum extent: southern wilderness (Negev), northern Lebanon...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Every place.**—Repeated in Joshua 1:3-4, where see Note.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
The promise: 'There shall no man be able to stand before you.' This assures military invincibility under covenant obedience. The mechanism: 'the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land.' God will fight psychologically before Israel fights physically—supernatural terror will paralyze enemies. The Hebrew <em>pachad</em> (פַּחַד, fear) and <em>mora</em> (מוֹרָא,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **The fear of you and the dread of you.**—Rashi says: “The fear of you on those that are near, and the dread upon those that are far off.” It is a very far-reaching prophecy, for it may be read, “upon all the *earth *that ye shall tread upon.” (See Esther 8:2-3, where it was fulfilled throughout the whole Persian Empire.}
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Psa 119:30. 3. Let our t...
Read full commentary →Blessings and Curses
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
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KJV Study Commentary
The stark choice: 'Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.' Moses presents binary options with no middle ground. The Hebrew <em>berakah</em> (בְּרָכָה, blessing) and <em>qelalah</em> (קְלָלָה, curse) represent opposite covenant outcomes. This anticipates Deuteronomy 28's extended blessings and curses. The word 'behold' (<em>re'eh</em>, רְאֵה, 'see!') demands attention to momentou...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Behold.**—Another of the Jewish divisions of Deuteronomy begins here.
**A blessing and a curse.**—Literally, *blessing and cursing*—*the blessing if ye obey, and the curse if ye do not.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
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KJV Study Commentary
The blessing is conditioned: 'if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day.' The blessing isn't automatic or unconditional but flows from responsive obedience. The Hebrew construction <em>im tishme'u</em> (אִם־תִּשְׁמְעוּ, 'if you obey') makes this explicit. The phrase 'which I command you this day' emphasizes immediacy—they face real-time decision requiring prese...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
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KJV Study Commentary
The curse is the alternative: 'a curse, if ye will not obey...but turn aside out of the way...to go after other gods, which ye have not known.' The condition inverts verse 27: disobedience, specifically idolatry, triggers curse. The phrase 'turn aside out of the way' (<em>sur min-haderek</em>, סוּר מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ) means departing from God's path. The Hebrew <em>derek</em> (דֶּרֶךְ, 'way') represent...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses commands a covenantal ceremony: 'when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land...thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.' This refers to the ceremony of Deuteronomy 27:11-26 and Joshua 8:30-35. Gerizim and Ebal are adjacent mountains near Shechem with a valley between, creating natural amphitheater. Six tribes on each mountain would hear bles...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **The blessing . . . and the curse . . .**—The Targum of Onkelos says, “Those that bless,” and “those that curse.” (See Deuteronomy 27:12-13, and Note.[1])
[1] The other Targums say, “When they bless they shall turn their faces towards Mount Gerizim; and when they curse they shall turn their faces towards Mount Ebal.” This confirms the antiquity of the view taken in the Talmud.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses provides geographic details: the mountains are 'beyond Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh.' This description locates Gerizim and Ebal west of Jordan ('beyond' from trans-Jordanian perspective), in Canaanite territory, in lowlands near Gilgal, near the oaks/terebinths of Moreh...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Where the sun goeth down.**—A memorable passage, as attesting the true position of the speaker, east of Jordan, over against Jericho. The sun has been seen by travellers from that very spot going down exactly in the remarkable gap between Ebal and Gerizim.
**The plains of Moren.**—Rather, *the oaks or terebinths of Moreh. *(See Genesis 12:6.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-20. I am the Lord thy God--**The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.
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KJV Study Commentary
The imminence of conquest: 'For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.' The double use of 'possess' emphasizes certainty and ownership. The Hebrew <em>yarash</em> (יָרַשׁ, possess/dispossess) indicates both taking and inhabiting. God 'gives' the land, but Israel must actively 'possess' it—grace enables,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **For ye shall pass over Jordan.**—In the place of Sichern, by the oak of Moreh, “the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give *this *land.” It is the first recorded promise given to the patriarch that his seed should inherit that particular country. He had gone out from his own country, “not knowing whither he went” (Genesis 12:6-7).
Here ends the first portion of the expo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, ... house, his field--**An alteration is here made in the words (see Ex 20:17), but it is so slight ("wife" being put in the first clause and "house" in the second) that it would not have been worth while noticing it, except that the interchange proves, contrary to the opinion of some eminent critics, that these two objects are included in one ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.
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KJV Study Commentary
The chapter concludes with solemn charge: 'And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.' The verb 'observe' (<em>shamar</em>, שָׁמַר, guard/keep) demands careful attention and diligent execution. The comprehensive 'all' allows no selective obedience—the entire covenant must be kept. The phrase 'statutes and judgments' (חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים, <em>chuqq...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. he added no more--**(Ex 20:1). The pre-eminence of these ten commandments was shown in God's announcing them directly: other laws and institutions were communicated to the people through the instrumentality of Moses.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-32**
Moses sums up all the arguments for obedience in two words, the blessing and the curse. He charged the people to choose which they would have. Moses then appointed a public and solemn proclamation of the blessing and curse, to be made upon the two mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. We have broken the law, and are under its curse, without remedy from ourselves. In mercy, the gospel...
Read full commentary →