Deuteronomy 27:6-16

6 you shall build an altar to the LORD your God of uncut^[a] stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God,

7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and ¹shall eat there, and you ²shall rejoice before the LORD your God.

8 And ³you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly."

Curses from Mount Ebal

9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, "Keep silence and hear, O Israel: ⁴this day you have become the people of the LORD your God.

10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today."

11 That day Moses charged the people, saying,

12 "When you have crossed over the Jordan, ⁵these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

14 And ⁶the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:

15 ⁷"'Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.'⁸And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.'

16 ⁹"'Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

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Deuteronomy 27:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 27

In this chapter the people of Israel are ordered to write the law on plastered stones, and set them on Mount Ebal, De 27:1-4; where they are bid to erect an altar, and offer sacrifices on it, De 27:5-8; and are charged by Moses and the priests to obey the Lord, and keep his commandments, De 27:9,10; and a direction is given to each tribes which should stand and bless, and which curse, and where, De 27:11-13; and the curses which the Levites should pronounce with a loud voice, and the people should say Amen to, are recited, De 27:14-25; and the whole is concluded with a curse on all who in general do not perform the whole law, De 27:26.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 9

1. See Deuteronomy 12:7
2. See Deuteronomy 12:7
3. [Habakkuk 2:2]
4. Deuteronomy 26:18
5. Deuteronomy 11:29; Joshua 8:33; [Judges 9:7]
6. [Deuteronomy 33:10; Daniel 9:11]
7. See Exodus 20:4; Exodus 34:17
8. [Numbers 5:22; Nehemiah 5:13; Psalms 106:48; Jeremiah 11:5; Jeremiah 28:6; 1 Corinthians 14:16]
9. Exodus 20:12; Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 19:3; See Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Footnotes 1

[a]. Hebrew whole

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.