Deuteronomy 11:9-19

9 to which ye shall enter, and ye live therein much time; which land, flowing with milk and honey, the Lord promised under an oath to your fathers and their seed. (to which ye shall enter; and so that ye can live a long time in the land, which the Lord promised by an oath to your fathers and their descendants, yea, a land flowing with milk and honey.)

10 For the land, to which thou shalt enter to wield, is not as the land of Egypt, out of which thou wentest, where when the seed is sown in the manner of gardens, moist waters be led thereto (where when the seed is sown, water must be brought to it, like in a garden);

11 but the land that Israel shall wield is hills, and fields, and it abideth rains from heaven, (but the land which Israel shall possess is a land of mountains, and valleys, and it receiveth rain from the heavens,)

12 which land thy Lord God beholdeth, and his eyes be therein (and his eyes be upon it), from the beginning of the year unto the end thereof.

13 Therefore if ye shall obey to my behests which I command today to you, that ye love your Lord God, and serve him in all your heart, and in all your soul; (And so if ye will obey my commandments which I command to you today, that ye love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul;)

14 he shall give to your land rain timely and late, that ye gather wheat, and wine, and oil, (he shall give rain on your land, timely and late, so that ye can gather corn, and wine, and oil,)

15 (and) hay of the fields to feed beasts, that ye both eat and be full-filled. (and hay from the fields to feed your beasts, so that ye shall eat and be filled full.)

16 Be ye ware, lest peradventure your heart be deceived, and ye go away from the Lord, and serve alien gods, and worship them; (Be ye careful, lest your heart be deceived, and ye go away from the Lord, and serve foreign, or other, gods, and worship them;)

17 and the Lord therefore be wroth, and close heaven, and rain come not down, neither the earth give his fruit, and ye perish swiftly from the full good land that the Lord shall give to you. (and so the Lord be angry, and close up the heavens, and the rain come not down, nor the earth give its fruit, and ye swiftly perish from the very good land which the Lord shall give you.)

18 Put ye these my words in your hearts and in your souls, and hang ye them up for a token, or a sign, in your hands, and set ye them betwixt your eyes. (Put ye these my words in your hearts and in your souls, and bind ye them for a sign upon your hands, and set ye them before your eyes forevermore.)

19 Teach ye your sons, (so) that they think upon those words, when thou sittest in thine house, and goest in the way (and goest on the way), and liest down, and risest up.

Deuteronomy 11:9-19 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.