Deuteronomy 31:12

12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 31:12 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
English Standard Version (ESV)
12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
New Living Translation (NLT)
12 Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions.
The Message Bible (MSG)
12 Gather the people together - men, women, children, and the foreigners living among you - so they can listen well, so they may learn to live in holy awe before God, your God, and diligently keep everything in this Revelation.
American Standard Version (ASV)
12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
12 Assemble the men, women, and children, as well as the foreigners who live in your cities. Have them listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and faithfully obey every word of these teachings.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
12 Gather the people-men, women, children, and foreigners living within your gates-so that they may listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
12 "Gather the people together. Gather the men, women and children. Also bring together the outsiders who are living in your towns. Then they can listen and learn to have respect for the LORD your God. And they'll be careful to obey all of the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 31:12 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 31:12

Gather the people together, men, and women, and children
At the three grand festivals in other years, only males were obliged to appear; women might if they would, but they were not bound to it; but at this time all of every age and sex were to be summoned and assembled together; and it is said F26, when the king read in the book of the law, all the people were obliged to come and bring their families, as it is said ( Deuteronomy 31:12 ) ; "gather the people" and as it could not be done when it happened on the sabbath day, the reading of the section was put off to the day following:

and thy stranger that [is] within thy gates;
not only the proselyte of righteousness, but the proselyte of the gate that renounced idolatry, for his further conviction and thorough conversion to the religion of the true God; or, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, that they might see the honour and glory of the law. The end is more fully expressed as follows,

that they may hear;
all the laws which God had given:

and that they may learn;
and attain unto the true knowledge and right understanding of them:

and fear the Lord your God;
serve and worship him internally and externally, according to these laws:

and observe to do all the words of this law;
so take notice of them as to put them in practice; and reading them in such a solemn and reverent manner made them the more servable, and raised the greater attention to them, to the importance of them; otherwise they were read in their families, and on sabbath days in their synagogues; see ( Deuteronomy 6:7 ) ( Acts 13:15 ) ( 15:21 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Bartenora in Misn. Megillah, c. 1. sect. 3.

Deuteronomy 31:12 In-Context

10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles,
11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing.
12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.
13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14 The LORD said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Deuteronomy 4:10
  • 2. Haggai 1:12; Malachi 1:6; Malachi 3:5,16
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