1Moses continueth his exhortation to obedience, 2from the people's personal experience of God's great works, and their future expectations in the land of promise. 10The character of the land; 13which God will render fruitful or barren according as they behave. 18A careful study in these words is required of them, and instruction of their children therein. 22Victory and an extensive territory will reward their obedience. 26The blessing and curse set before them.
1THEREFORE thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and 1keep his charge, and his 2statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, 3alway.
1 Hebr. thou shalt guard his guarding, or keep his keeping. His maintaining or keeping; that is, which He hath charged thee to keep or to maintain. See Gen. 26 on verse 5.
2 See Deut. 5 on verse 31.
3 Heb. all the days, namely, of thy life, as often. See Deut. 12:1, 19; 16:3; 17:19. etc.
2And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the 4chastisement of the LORD your God, his 5greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
4 Or, instruction, that is, all what God has done at that time unto His people for instruction, which is related in the sequel.
5 That is, His majesty and great Divine power, appearing in His works, as the following words declare. See Deut. 3:24; 9:26.
3And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
4And 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;
5And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
6And what he did untoa Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their 6households, and their tents, and all the 7substance 8that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
a Num. 16:31; 27:3; Psalm 106:17.
6 Hebr. houses.
7 See Gen. 7 on verse 4.
8 Hebr. that was at their feet, that is, in their service, power or possession; or, that concerned or attended them. Compare Exod. 11:8.
7But 9your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did.
9 Moses intimates that it was a special mercy of God that all these wonders were done in their lifetime and before their eyes. Compare Deut. 5:3.
8Therefore shall ye keep 10all 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;
10 Hebr. all or every commandment which I, etc. Also verse 22.
9And 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 11floweth with milk and honey.
11 See Exod. 3:8.
10¶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 12with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
12 Or, with thy going, that is, with thy service and labor, being constrained to bring or lead water with difficulty to moisten it. Other, according to thine own pleasure, or, as it seemed good unto thee.
11But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water 13of the rain of heaven:
13 Without men’s labour and pains.
12A land which the LORD thy God 14careth 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.
14 Hebr. seeketh, seeketh after or, enquireth after. It is spoken of God after the manner of men. For, men do usually seek and inquire after to which they bear a special affection. Compare Job 3:4; Isa. 62:12.
13¶And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken 15diligently 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,
15 Hebr. hearkening shall hearken.
1416That I will give you the rain of your 17land in his due season, 18the first rain and 19the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
16 Here Moses introduces God Himself as thus speaking.
17 That is, which your land shall require.
18 Which God gave after the ground was tilled and sowed to make seed to spring up out of the earth.
19 Which fell a little before harvest to make the fruit heavy and to ripen them. See Jer. 5:24; Hosea 6:3; Joel 2:23; James 5:7.
15And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
16Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside,b and serve other gods, and worship them;
b Deut. 8:19.
17And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he 20shut 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.
20 A manner of speech whereby is expressed by a similitude the ruling and governing of the Divine Providence in the air, serving for the prevention and withholding of the rain. See 1 Kings 8:35; 2 Chron. 6:26; 7:13.
18¶Therefore shall ye layc up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and 21bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontletsd between your eyes.
c Deut. 6:6, 8.
21 See Exod. 13:9; Deut. 6 on verse 8.
d headbands
19And ye shall teache 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.
e Deut. 4:9; 6:7.
20And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
21That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, 22as the days of heaven upon the earth.
22 That is, as long as the world stands, God will continue with His people by His blessing. Compare Psalm 89:36, 37; Mat. 28:20. Other, thy and thy children’s days shall be many, as the days of heaven are many.
22¶For if ye shall 23diligently 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;
23 Hebr. keeping keep.
23Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess 24greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
24 That is, the lands of greater and mightier nations, as Deut. 9:1.
24Every place 25whereonf the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: 26from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the 27uttermost sea shall your coast be.
25 Compare Deut. 2:5; Joshua 1:3; 14:9.
f Joshua 1:3; 14:9.
26 Compare Gen. 10 on verse 19; Gen. 15 on verse 18; Exod. 23:31; Numbers 34; Deut. 1:7; Joshua 1:4.
27 That is, which is situated in the west. The east, or the sun’s rising, is called the foremost part, and the west, or the sun’s setting, the uttermost part. Compare Deut. 34:2; Joshua 1:4; 13:5; Joel 2:20.
25There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay 28the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, asg he hath said unto you.
28 As Deut. 2:25.
g Exod. 23:27.
26¶Behold, I 29set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
29 Hebr. I give, or, set before your face. Also verse 32: Deut. 30:1.
27A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28And 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.
29And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, thath thou 30shalt 31put the 32blessing upon mount Gerizim, and thei33curse upon mount Ebal.
h Deut. 27:12; Joshua 8:33.
30 That is, thou shalt give charge that the blessing is pronounced. See the fulfillment hereof in Joshua 8:33, 34.
31 Or, utter, deliver out. Hebr. give. Compare Deut. 13:1; 1 Kings 13:5.
32 Which is recorded in Deuteronomy 28.
i Deut. 27:13.
33 Which is recorded in Deuteronomy 27 and 28.
3034Are 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 champaignj over against Gilgal, beside the plains of 35Moreh?
34 Namely, the places, mentioned at the end of the previous verse, are certainly situated there.
j plain, flat countryside
35 See Gen. 12:6.
31For 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.
32And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.