Deuteronomy 11:18-28

18 “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.
19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.
22 “Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the LORD your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.
23 Then the LORD will drive out all the nations ahead of you, though they are much greater and stronger than you, and you will take over their land.
24 Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
25 No one will be able to stand against you, for the LORD your God will cause the people to fear and dread you, as he promised, wherever you go in the whole land.
26 “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!
27 You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today.
28 But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

Deuteronomy 11:18-28 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.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Hebrew to the western sea.
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