Deuteronomy 13:4

4 For ye must walke after the Lorde youre God ad feare him and kepe his comaudmentes and herken vnto his voyce and serue him and cleaue vnto him.

Deuteronomy 13:4 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 13:4

Ye shall walk after the Lord your God
As he has directed, according to the laws and rules which he has given, both with respect to their moral and civil conduct, and their religious worship of him; and so the Targum of Jonathan,

``ye shall walk after the worship of the Lord your God:''

and fear him, and keep his commandments;
fear to offend him, and so keep his commandments; or keep his commandments from or through fear; not a servile but a filial one, a reverential affection for him; this is the whole duty of man, ( Ecclesiastes 12:13 ) ,

and obey his voice;
in his word, or by his prophets and ministers: it may very well be understood of the voice of Christ, the Angel that went before them, whose voice they were continually to hearken to and obey, ( Exodus 23:21 Exodus 23:22 )

and you shall serve him, and cleave unto him;
it may respect all religious worship, both private and public; the Targum of Jonathan restrains it to prayer, but it not only includes that, but all other acts of piety and devotion, and which are to be constantly performed and not departed from; for so to do is to cleave to the Lord as a man to his wife, or a woman to her husband, in which conjugal relation God and his people Israel were, he was an husband unto them, and to do otherwise is to go a whoring from him after other gods.

Deuteronomy 13:4 In-Context

2 and that sygne or wonder which he hath sayed come to passe, and then saye: lat vs goo after straunge Goddes which thou hast not knowen, and let vs serue them:

3 herken not vnto the wordes of that prophete or dreamer of dreames. For the Lorde thy God tepteth you, to wete whether ye loue the Lord youre God with all youre hertes ad with al youre soules.

4 For ye must walke after the Lorde youre God ad feare him and kepe his comaudmentes and herken vnto his voyce and serue him and cleaue vnto him.

5 And that prophete or dreamer of dreames shall dye for it, because he hath spoke to turne you awaye fro the Lorde youre God which broughte you out of the londe of Egipte ad delyuered you out of the housse of bondage, to thrust the out of the waye whiche the Lorde thy God commaunded the to walke in: and so thou shalt put euell awaye from the.

6 Yf thy brother the sonne of thy mother or thyne awne sonne or thy doughter or the wife that lieth in thy bosome or thy frende which is as thyne awne soule vnto the, entyce the secretly sayenge: let vs goo and serue straunge goddes which thou hast not knowe nor yet thy fathers,