Devarim 11:8

8 Therefore shall ye be shomer over all the mitzvot which I command you today, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess ha’aretz, whither ye go to possess it;

Devarim 11:8 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 11:8

Therefore shall you keep all the commandments which I command
you this day
For the reasons before suggested, as well as for what follow:

that ye may be strong;
healthful in body, and courageous in mind, for sin tends to weaken both; whereas observance of the commands of God contributes to the health and strength of the body, and the rigour of the mind; both which were necessary to the present expedition they were going upon:

and go in and possess the land whither ye go to possess it;
the land of Canaan, they were marching towards in order to possess it; and nothing would more inspire them with courage, and cause them to enter it manfully without fear of their enemies, than obedience to the commands of God; whose presence being promised them on that account, they might expect it, and so had nothing to fear from the inhabitants of the land.

Devarim 11:8 In-Context

6 And what He did unto Datan and Aviram, the bnei Eliav ben Reuven; how ha’aretz opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their oholim, and every living thing in their possession, in the midst of kol Yisroel;
7 But your eyes have seen kol ma’aseh Hashem which He did.
8 Therefore shall ye be shomer over all the mitzvot which I command you today, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess ha’aretz, whither ye go to possess it;
9 And in order that ye may prolong your yamim on ha’adamah, which Hashem swore unto Avoteichem to give unto them and to their zera, Eretz Zavat Cholov U’devash (land that floweth with milk and honey).
10 For ha’aretz, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as Eretz Mitzrayim, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy zera, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a gan (garden) of herbs:
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.