Moses uniquely pairs the command to "love the LORD your God" with keeping "his commandments" in verse 1, creating Deuteronomy's distinctive fusion of emotional devotion and legal obedience.
Deuteronomy 11
Love and Obey the Lord
1Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep his instructions, his statutes, his ordinances, and his commandments, always.
2Know this day—for I don’t speak with your children who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm,
3his signs, and his works, which he did in the middle of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and to all his land;
4and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued you, and how the LORD has destroyed them to this day;
5and what he did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place;
6and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben—how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the middle of all Israel;
7but your eyes have seen all of the LORD’s great work which he did.
8Therefore you shall keep the entire commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land that you go over to possess;
9and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10For the land, where you go in to possess isn’t like the land of Egypt that you came out of, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs;
11but the land that you go over to possess is a land of hills and valleys which drinks water from the rain of the sky,
12a land which the LORD your God cares for. The LORD your God’s eyes are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.
13It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to my commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14that I will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.
15I will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.
16Be careful, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn away to serve other gods and worship them;
17and the LORD’s anger be kindled against you, and he shut up the sky so that there is no rain, and the land doesn’t yield its fruit; and you perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD gives you.
Fix These Words in Your Hearts
18Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
19You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
20You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates;
21that your days and your children’s days may be multiplied in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
22For if you 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 cling to him—
23then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.
24Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even to the western sea shall be your border.
25No man will be able to stand before you. The LORD your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you tread on, as he has spoken to you.
Blessing and Curse
26Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today;
28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn away out of the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
29It shall happen, when the LORD your God brings you into the land that you go to possess, that you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal.
30Aren’t they beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah near Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?
31For you are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you shall possess it and dwell in it.
32You shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you today.
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Theme
Moses calls Israel to love and obey the LORD based on His mighty acts they have witnessed, from the Exodus to the wilderness wanderings. He contrasts the Promised Land's dependence on God's rain with Egypt's irrigation system, emphasizing that obedience will bring blessing while disobedience brings curse. The chapter concludes with instructions to internalize God's words through constant teaching and visible reminders, making them central to family life and daily practice.
Context
This chapter continues Moses' second discourse begun in chapter 5, building on the foundational commandments with practical applications before presenting the choice between blessing and curse.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-7 Remember God's Mighty Acts Moses appeals to Israel's firsthand experience of God's power in Egypt and the wilderness as motivation for obedience.
- 8-12 The Promise of the Land Obedience will enable Israel to possess and enjoy the Promised Land, which depends on God's provision rather than human effort.
- 13-17 Blessing and Curse God promises rain and prosperity for obedience but warns of drought and exile for turning to other gods.
- 18-21 Internalizing God's Word Israel must embed God's commandments in their hearts, homes, and daily routines through constant teaching and visible reminders.
Love and Obey the Lord
11:1–11:17 law instruction solemn
Moses commands Israel to love and obey God, recalling His mighty works in Egypt and the wilderness. He promises blessing and prosperity in the promised land for those who keep God's commandments.
person_contrast
Moses uniquely pairs the command to "love the LORD your God" with keeping "his commandments" in verse 1, creating Deuteronomy's distinctive fusion of emotional devotion and legal obedience.
Fix These Words in Your Hearts
11:18–11:25 law instruction solemn
Moses instructs Israel to internalize God's words, teach them to their children, and display them prominently. Obedience will result in victory over nations and possession of the promised land.
person_contrast
Moses transforms from lawgiver to family educator here, using intimate domestic imagery ("when you sit...walk...lie down") that appears in only two other Torah passages about commandment transmission.
Blessing and Curse
11:26–11:32 law instruction solemn
Moses presents Israel with a choice between blessing for obedience and curse for disobedience. The blessing and curse will be proclaimed from Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal respectively.
person_contrast
Moses uniquely frames Israel's covenant choice using the Hebrew word "behold" (הנה), creating dramatic immediacy found in only two other Deuteronomic passages about life-or-death decisions.
Insights
Moses transforms from lawgiver to family educator here, using intimate domestic imagery ("when you sit...walk...lie down") that appears in only two other Torah passages about commandment transmission.
Moses uniquely frames Israel's covenant choice using the Hebrew word "behold" (הנה), creating dramatic immediacy found in only two other Deuteronomic passages about life-or-death decisions.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Deuteronomy 11:1 5 references
Lexicals 5
1 Kings 2:3 Lexical
and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinanc…
Deuteronomy 30:16 Lexical
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and h…
Genesis 26:5 Lexical
because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
2 Chronicles 8:14 Lexical
He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Lev…
2 Kings 17:34 Lexical
To this day they do what they did before. They don’t fear the LORD, and they do not follow the statutes, or the ordinanc…
Deuteronomy 11:2 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 6:32 Lexical
“Moreover, concerning the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for your great n…
Deuteronomy 26:8 Lexical
The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs, and with w…
Deuteronomy 5:15 Lexical
You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mig…
Deuteronomy 4:34 Lexical
Or has God tried to go and take a nation for himself from among another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war,…
Ezekiel 20:33 Lexical
As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will b…
Deuteronomy 11:3 1 reference
Deuteronomy 11:4 5 references
Lexicals 5
Exodus 14:9 Lexical
The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army overtook them encamping b…
Joshua 24:6 Lexical
I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and you came to the sea. The Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and with…
Exodus 14:23 Lexical
The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the middle of the sea: all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his…
Exodus 15:4 Lexical
He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
Psalms 136:15 Lexical
but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his loving kindness endures forever;
Deuteronomy 11:6 5 references
Lexicals 5
Numbers 16:1 Lexical
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the…
Numbers 16:12 Lexical
Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t come up!
Numbers 26:9 Lexical
The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who…
Psalms 106:17 Lexical
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
Numbers 16:27 Lexical
So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at th…
Deuteronomy 11:8 2 references
Lexicals 2
Deuteronomy 11:9 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 26:15 Lexical
Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us,…
Deuteronomy 31:20 Lexical
For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have ea…
Jeremiah 11:5 Lexical
that I may establish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is…
Jeremiah 32:22 Lexical
and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Exodus 13:5 Lexical
It shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite,…
Deuteronomy 11:10 1 reference
Deuteronomy 11:13 1 reference
Deuteronomy 11:14 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 18:4 Lexical
You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of you…
Nehemiah 5:11 Lexical
Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundre…
Nehemiah 13:12 Lexical
Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the treasuries.
2 Chronicles 31:5 Lexical
As soon as the commandment went out, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil,…
Joel 1:10 Lexical
The field is laid waste. The land mourns, for the grain is destroyed, The new wine has dried up, and the oil languishes.
Deuteronomy 11:15 3 references
Lexicals 3
Exodus 9:25 Lexical
The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; and the hail struck eve…
Exodus 9:22 Lexical
The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man,…
Jeremiah 12:4 Lexical
How long will the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? Because of the wickedness of those who dwell th…
Deuteronomy 11:16 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 30:17 Lexical
But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away and worship other gods, and serve them,
Deuteronomy 4:19 Lexical
and lest you lift up your eyes to the sky, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the army of the…
Judges 2:19 Lexical
But when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to se…
Jeremiah 13:10 Lexical
This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and have gone after other go…
2 Chronicles 7:19 Lexical
But if you turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other god…
Deuteronomy 11:17 5 references
Lexicals 5
Joshua 23:16 Lexical
when you disobey the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yo…
2 Chronicles 7:13 Lexical
“If I shut up the sky so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence a…
1 Kings 8:35 Lexical
“When the sky is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and c…
2 Chronicles 6:26 Lexical
“When the sky is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and c…
Deuteronomy 6:15 Lexical
for the LORD your God among you is a jealous God, lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he des…
Deuteronomy 11:18 2 references
Deuteronomy 11:20 1 reference
Deuteronomy 11:21 2 references
Lexicals 2
Deuteronomy 11:22 1 reference
Deuteronomy 11:24 5 references
Lexicals 5
Joshua 1:4 Lexical
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to…
Deuteronomy 1:7 Lexical
Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there: in the Arabah,…
Joshua 1:3 Lexical
I have given you every place that the sole of your foot will tread on, as I told Moses.
Exodus 23:31 Lexical
I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I…
1 Chronicles 5:9 Lexical
and he lived eastward even to the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their livestock were mult…
Deuteronomy 11:28 2 references
Lexicals 2
Deuteronomy 11:29 2 references
Deuteronomy 11:30 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 1:1 Lexical
These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suf, bet…
Joshua 9:1 Lexical
When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the grea…
Genesis 12:6 Lexical
Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land.
Joshua 12:1 Lexical
Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel struck, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan towa…
Joshua 23:4 Lexical
Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with al…
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
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Lemma
Morphology
Semantic Range
Theological Significance
Translation Notes
Key Passages
Historical Context
Places and events in this chapter
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Timeline
Exodus
c. 1446 BCIsrael's miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery under Moses' leadership, including the ten plagues and Red Sea crossing. This foundational event established Israel as God's chosen nation.
God's mighty works in Egypt demonstrate His power worthy of Israel's love.
Love and Obey the Lord