Deuteronomy 11:17-27

17 "Or 1the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will 2shut up the heavens 3so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and 4you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.
18 "5You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead *.
19 "6You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.
20 "7You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
21 so that 8your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as 9long as the heavens remain above the earth.
22 "For if you are 10careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, 11to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and 12hold fast to Him,
23 then the LORD will 13drive out all these nations from before * you, and you will 14dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.
24 "15Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; 16your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea.
25 "17No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.
26 "18See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
27 the 19blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today;

Deuteronomy 11:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 11

In this chapter, the exhortation to love the Lord, and keep his commands, is repeated and urged again and again from various considerations; as not only from the chastisement of Pharaoh and the wicked Egyptians, but of such Israelites who offended the Lord, and transgressed his law, De 12:1-7, from the goodness and excellency of the land they were going to inherit, De 11:8-11, from the blessing of rain that would come upon it, and be productive of all good things for man and beast, in case of obedience, and a restraint of it in case of disobedience, De 11:12-17, from the continuance of them and their offspring in the land, should they be careful to observe the commands themselves, and teach them their children, De 11:18-21, and from the extensiveness of their conquests and dominions, De 11:22-25 and from the different issue and effects of their conduct and behaviour, a blessing upon them if obedient, but a curse if disobedient, De 11:26-28 and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal; the situation of which places is described when they should come into the land of Canaan, of which they are assured, De 11:29-32.

Cross References 19

  • 1. Deuteronomy 6:15; Deuteronomy 9:19
  • 2. 1 Kings 8:35; 2 Chronicles 6:26; 2 Chronicles 7:13
  • 3. Deuteronomy 28:24
  • 4. Deuteronomy 4:26
  • 5. Exodus 13:9, 16; Deuteronomy 6:8
  • 6. Deuteronomy 4:9, 10; Deuteronomy 6:7; Proverbs 22:6
  • 7. Deuteronomy 6:9
  • 8. Proverbs 3:2; Proverbs 4:10; Proverbs 9:11
  • 9. Psalms 72:5
  • 10. Deuteronomy 6:17
  • 11. Deuteronomy 11:1
  • 12. Deuteronomy 10:20
  • 13. Deuteronomy 4:38
  • 14. Deuteronomy 9:1
  • 15. Joshua 1:3; Joshua 14:9
  • 16. Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 1:7, 8
  • 17. Exodus 23:27; Deuteronomy 7:24
  • 18. Deuteronomy 30:1, 19
  • 19. Deuteronomy 28:1-14

Footnotes 5

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