Devarim 27:3

3 And thou shalt write upon them kol divrei hatorah hazot, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto Ha’Aretz which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee, Eretz zavat cholov udevash; as Hashem Elohei Avoteicha hath promised thee.

Devarim 27:3 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 27:3

And thou shall write upon them all the words of this law
Not the whole book of Deuteronomy, as some think, at least not the historical part of it, only what concerns the laws of God; and it may be only a summary or abstract of them, and perhaps only the ten commandments. Josephus ^F17 is of opinion that the blessings and the curses after recited were what were written on them:

when thou art passed over;
that is, the river Jordan:

that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee, a land flowing with milk and honey;
this account of the land of Canaan is so frequently observed, to imprint upon their minds a sense of the great goodness of God in giving them such a fruitful country, and to point out to them the obligation they lay under to observe the laws of God ordered to be written on plastered stones, as soon as they came into it:

as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee;
( Exodus 3:8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Antiqu. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 44.

Devarim 27:3 In-Context

1 7 And Moshe with the zekenim of Yisroel commanded the people, saying, Be shomer over all the mitzvot which I command you today.

2 And it shall be on the yom when ye shall pass over Yarden unto Ha’Aretz which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up avanim gedolot, and plaster them with plaster;

3 And thou shalt write upon them kol divrei hatorah hazot, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto Ha’Aretz which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee, Eretz zavat cholov udevash; as Hashem Elohei Avoteicha hath promised thee.

4 Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Yarden, that ye shall set up these avanim, which I command you today, in Mt Eival, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster.

5 And there shalt thou build a mizbe’ach unto Hashem Eloheicha, a mizbe’ach of avanim; thou shalt not use any barzel (iron [tool]) upon them.