Deuteronomy 11:13-23

13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day: to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul

14 that I will give you the rain of your land in its due season, the early rain and the latter rain, and thou shalt gather in thy grain and thy wine and thine oil.

15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy beasts, and thou shalt eat and be full.

16 Keep yourselves, therefore, that your heart not be deceived and ye turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;

17 and then the LORD’s wrath be kindled against you and he shut up the heavens, that there be no rain and that the land yield not her fruit, and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD gives you.

18 Therefore, ye shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul and bind them for a sign upon your hand that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

19 And ye shall teach them to your children that ye may think of them sitting in thy house and walking by the way, lying down in bed, and rising up.

20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house and upon thy gates

21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens upon the earth.

22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, loving the LORD your God and walking in all his ways, to cleave unto him,

23 then the LORD will drive out all these Gentiles from before you, and ye shall possess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.

Deuteronomy 11:13-23 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.