וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְשָׁמַרְתָּ מִשְׁמַרְתֹּו וְחֻקֹּתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וּמִצְוֹתָיו כָּל־הַיָּמִים   11:1

Deut. 11:1   “So you shall love the Lord, your God, and always be the guardian of His charge and His statutes and His ordinances and His commandments.”

וִידַעְתֶּם הַיֹּום כִּי לֹא אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדְעוּ וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא־רָאוּ אֶת־מוּסַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֶת־    11:2

גָּדְלֹו אֶת־יָדֹו הַחֲזָקָה וּזְרֹעֹו הַנְּטוּיָה

Deut. 11:2   “And you must acknowledge today, but not with your children (who have not known and who have not seen), the chastening of the Lord, your God, His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm,

The emphasis is on the “you.”  You, not your children!  You have been the witnesses; therefore, you must acknowledge what the Lord has done.  Implied here and elsewhere is that it is their responsibility to make these things known to their children.

וְאֶת־אֹתֹתָיו וְאֶת־מַעֲשָׂיו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּתֹוךְ מִצְרָיִם לְפַרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם וּלְכָל־אַרְצֹו   11:3

Deut. 11:3   and His signs and His wonders that he did in the midst of the Egyptians to Pharoah, king of Egypt, and to all his land,

וַאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְחֵיל מִצְרַיִם לְסוּסָיו וּלְרִכְבֹּו אֲשֶׁר הֵצִיף אֶת־מֵי יַם־סוּף עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם בְּרָדְפָם אַחֲרֵיכֶם   11:4

וַיְאַבְּדֵם יְהוָה עַד הַיֹּום הַזֶּה

Deut. 11:4   and what He did to the army of Egypt, to its horses, and to its chariots, how He made the water of the Reed Sea overflow over their faces in their pursuit after you, and the Lord destroyed them even the same day,

וַאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָכֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר עַד־בֹּאֲכֶם עַד־הַמָּקֹום הַזֶּה   11:5

Deut. 11:5   and what He did for you in the wilderness until your coming to this place,

וַאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְדָתָן וְלַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב בֶּן־רְאוּבֵן אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה הָאָרֶץ אֶת־פִּיהָ וַתִּבְלָעֵם וְאֶת־   11:6

בָּתֵּיהֶם וְאֶת־אָהֳלֵיהֶם וְאֵת כָּל־הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלֵיהֶם בְּקֶרֶב כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

Deut. 11:6   and what He did to Dathan and to Abiram, sons of Eliab son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and devoured them and their households and their tents and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel;

כִּי עֵינֵיכֶם הָרֹאֹת אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה יְהוָה הַגָּדֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה   11:7

Deut. 11:7   when your eyes were allowed to see all the great work of the Lord that He did.”

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־כָּל־הַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיֹּום לְמַעַן תֶּחֶזְקוּ וּבָאתֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר   11:8

אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ

Deut. 11:8   “So you will keep all the commandments about which I am commanding you today in order that you may be strong, and go in and occupy the land where you are to cross over to possess it,

וּלְמַעַן תַּאֲרִיכוּ יָמִים עַל־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם וּלְזַרְעָם אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב   11:9

וּדְבָשׁ

Deut. 11:9   and in order that you may be a long time on the ground that the Lord had sworn to your fathers to give to them and to their seed, a land gushing milk and honey.”

כִּי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא־שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ לֹא כְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִוא אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִשָּׁם אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע   11:10

אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ וְהִשְׁקִיתָ בְרַגְלְךָ כְּגַן הַיָּרָק

Deut. 11:10    “For the land where you will be going in to possess it is not like the land of Egypt from where you came out, where you would sow and water your seed on your feet like a garden of herbs,

וְהָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ אֶרֶץ הָרִים וּבְקָעֹת לִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה־מָּיִם   11:11

Deut. 11:11   but the land where you will be crossing over to possess it, a land of hills and valleys for the rain of heaven, shall drink the water;

אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ תָּמִיד עֵינֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית   11:12

שָׁנָה

Deut. 11:12   a land where the Lord, your God, will be frequenting; the eyes of the Lord, your God, will be on it always, from the beginning of a year and until the end of the year.”

הָיָה אִם־שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיֹּום לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם    11:13

וּלְעָבְדֹו בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶם

Deut. 11:13   “’And it shall be, if you diligently listen to My commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord, your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,

וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר־אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתֹּו יֹורֶה וּמַלְקֹושׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ   11:14

Deut. 11:14   that I will give the rain of your land in its time, the autumn rain and the spring rain, that you may gather your corn and your wine and your oil.’

וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ   11:15

Deut. 11:15   ‘And I will give grass in your field for your cattle, and you shall eat and be satisfied.’”

It is my belief that in vss. 11:13, 11:14, and 11:15  Moses is quoting the Lord, not speaking for himself.  He is referring to the future, and he will not be there to fulfill this promise if he were speaking for himself.

הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם פֶּן יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם וְסַרְתֶּם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם לָהֶם   11:16

Deut. 11:16   “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart will be deceived and you will turn away and serve other gods and bow down to them,

וְחָרָה אַף־יְהוָה בָּכֶם וְעָצַר אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה מָטָר וְהָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת־יְבוּלָהּ וַאֲבַדְתֶּם   11:17

מְהֵרָה מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה נֹתֵן לָכֶם

Deut. 11:17   and the ‘anger’ of the Lord will be kindled at you and He will restrain the heavens so there would be no rain and the earth would not yield its produce and you would perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving to you.”

וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת־דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה עַל־לְבַבְכֶם וְעַל־נַפְשְׁכֶם וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם אֹתָם לְאֹות עַל־יֶדְכֶם וְהָיוּ לְטֹוטָפֹת   11:18

בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם

Deut. 11:18   “So you must lay these words on your heart and on your soul and bind them for a sign on your hand and they will be for frontlets between your eyes.”            [Return to Song 8:6]

This verse, combining all the places we must lay these words -- heart, soul, hand, and eyes, strongly indicates that the meaning is not literal, but symbolic.  To partly repeat myself, what this means to me is that we must feel these words, keep them in our most intimate being, remember them while working, and see them in our mind’s eye continually.

וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ   11:19

Deut. 11:19   “And you must teach them to your children, talking with them in your sitting in your house, and in your walking on the road, in your lying down, and in your rising up.”

                                                                                                                        [Return to Deut. 29:14]

וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל־מְזוּזֹות בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ   11:20

Deut. 11:20   “And you must write on the door posts of your house and on your gates,

לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם   11:21

עַל־הָאָרֶץ

Deut. 11:21   that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied on the land that the Lord has sworn to your fathers to give to them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”

כִּי אִם־שָׁמֹר תִּשְׁמְרוּן אֶת־כָּל־הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשֹׂתָהּ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־   11:22

יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו וּלְדָבְקָה־בֹו

Deut. 11:22   “For if you diligently observe all this commandment that I am charging you to do it, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him,

וְהֹורִישׁ יְהוָה אֶת־כָּל־הַגֹּויִם הָאֵלֶּה מִלִּפְנֵיכֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם גֹּויִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים םִכֶּם   11:23

Deut. 11:23   then the Lord will drive all those nations out from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.”

כָּל־הַמָּקֹום אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרֹךְ כַּף־רַגְלְכֶם בֹּו לָכֶם יִהְיֶה מִן־הַמִּדְבָּר וְהַלְּבָנֹון מִן־הַנָּהָר נְהַר־פְּרָת וְעַד   11:24

הַיָּם הָאַחֲרֹון יִהְיֶה גְּבֻלְכֶם

Deut. 11:24   “Every place on which the sole of your foot will tread, for you it shall be.  Your territory shall be from the wilderness and the Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, and as far as the western sea.”

לֹא־יִתְיַצֵּב אִישׁ בִּפְנֵיכֶם פַּחְדְּכֶם וּמֹורַאֲכֶם יִתֵּן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרְכוּ־בָה   11:25

כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָכֶם

Deut. 11:25   “No man shall be able to stand in your presence.  The Lord, your God, shall lay the dread of you and the fear of you on the face of all the land on which you will tread, as He has spoken to you.”

All the second-person pronouns in this verse are plural.  Thus as far as I am concerned, this verse addresses each of us.  Hard to believe!  This must be a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled.

רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיֹּום בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה   11:26

Deut. 11:26   “See I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:

אֶת־הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיֹּום   11:27

Deut. 11:27   “It shall be the blessing if you will be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, your God, that I am commanding you today.”

וְהַקְּלָלָה אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְסַרְתֶּם מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם   11:28

הַיֹּום לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדַעְתֶּם

Deut. 11:28   “And it shall be the curse if you will not be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, your God, and turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today to go after other gods that you have not known.”

וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה בָא־שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ וְנָתַתָּה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָה   11:29

עַל־הַר גְּרִזִים וְאֶת־הַקְּלָלָה עַל־הַר עֵיבָל

Deut. 11:29   “And it shall be, when the Lord your God shall bring you in to the land where you will be going to possess it, that you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.”                                                                                                                         [Return to Judg. 9:7]

It is thought that the blessings and curses were read to the people from these mountains as they were crossing the Jordan.  I’m guessing instead that this instruction is meant to be symbolic, that as the people were to cross the Jordan, they were to remember the blessing and curse by looking at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, respectively.   Mount Ebal was probably a bare mountain -- the name Ebal can mean stone or bare,  Sound like it might remind one of a curse?

הֲלֹא־הֵמָּה בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן אַחֲרֵי דֶּרֶךְ מְבֹוא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּאֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּעֲרָבָה מוּל הַגִּלְגָּל   11:30

אֵצֶל אֵלֹונֵי מֹרֶה

Deut. 11:30   “Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, after the way of the setting of the sun in the land of the Canaanite who is dwelling in the Arabah, opposite the Gilgal, beside the terebinths of Moreh?”

כִּי אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם נֹתֵן לָכֶם וִירִשְׁתֶּם אֹתָהּ   11:31

וִישַׁבְתֶּם־בָּהּ

Deut. 11:31   “For you will be crossing over the Jordan to go in to occupy the land that the Lord, your God, is giving to you, and you shall possess it and you shall dwell in it.”

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם לַעֲשֹׂות אֵת כָּל־הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיֹּום   11:32

Deut. 11:32   “But you must observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances that I am setting before you today.”

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