Deuteronomy 11:29

29 Soothly when thy Lord God hath brought thee into the land, to which to inhabit thou goest, thou shalt set (the) blessing upon the hill Gerizim, (and the) cursing upon the hill Ebal, (And when the Lord thy God hath brought thee into the land, to which thou goest to inhabit, thou shalt proclaim the blessing from Mount Gerizim, and the curse from Mount Ebal,)

Deuteronomy 11:29 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 11:29

And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath bought
thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it
Which is often observed, as being near at hand; and when and where many things were to be done, which could not be done in the place and circumstances they now were, particularly what follows:

that thou shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse upon
Mount Ebal;
that is, pronounce the one on one mountain, and the other on the other mountain, or at least towards them, or over against them. The Targum of Jonathan is

``ye shall set six tribes on Mount Gerizim, and six tribes on Mount Ebal; (( Deuteronomy 27:12 Deuteronomy 27:13 ) ) blessing they shall turn their faces against Mount Gerizim, and cursing they shall turn their faces against Mount Ebal;''

with which agrees the account given in the Misnah;

``six tribes went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and six to the top of Mount Ebal; and the priests and the Levites, and the ark, stood below in the middle; the priests surrounded the ark, and the Levites the priests, and all Israel were on this and on that side of the ark, as in ( Joshua 8:33 ) then they turned their faces against Gerizim, they opened with the blessing, blessed is he that maketh not any graven or molten image, and both answered "Amen"; then they turned their faces against Mount Ebal, and opened with the curse, ( Deuteronomy 27:15 ) and both answered Amen ^F19;''

see the performance of this command in ( Joshua 8:33 Joshua 8:34 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Sotah, c. 7. sect. 5.

Deuteronomy 11:29 In-Context

27 blessing, if ye obey to the behests of your Lord God, which I command to you today; (a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command to you today;)

28 cursing, if ye hear not the behests of your Lord God, but go away from the way which I show now to you, and go after alien gods, which ye know not. (and a curse, if ye hear not the commandments of the Lord your God, and ye go away from the way which I now show to you, and follow foreign, or other, gods, which ye do not know.)

29 Soothly when thy Lord God hath brought thee into the land, to which to inhabit thou goest, thou shalt set (the) blessing upon the hill Gerizim, (and the) cursing upon the hill Ebal, (And when the Lord thy God hath brought thee into the land, to which thou goest to inhabit, thou shalt proclaim the blessing from Mount Gerizim, and the curse from Mount Ebal,)

30 which hills be beyond (the) Jordan, after the way that goeth to the going down of the sun, in the land of Canaanites, that dwell in the field places against Gilgal, which is beside the valley going and entering far. (which mountains be on the western side of the Jordan River, on the way that leadeth to the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites, who live on the plains near Gilgal, which is close to the sacred trees of Moreh.)

31 For ye shall pass (the) Jordan, that ye wield the land which your Lord God shall give to you, and that ye have and wield that land. (For ye shall cross over the Jordan River to possess the land which the Lord your God shall give to you, and ye shall take that land and have it.)