Bible Strands

Deuteronomy 11:1

You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, concluding his covenant renewal discourse before they cross the Jordan. He grounds their future obedience in the historical acts of God that their generation witnessed directly.

The words — The Hebrew verb אָהַבְתָּ ('ahavta) means "you will love," paired with שָמַרְתָּ (shamarta), "you will keep," forming a continuous imperative structure. These verbs link covenant loyalty to the active preservation of divine instruction.

The thread — This command echoes the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:5 and aligns with Moses' summary in Deuteronomy 10:12 that God requires walking in His ways. The New Testament later reflects this obedience framework in Luke 1:74's description of serving without fear.

Why it lands — The verse demands that covenant allegiance be expressed through consistent observance of God's specific directives. It requires the reader to translate declared devotion into daily adherence to the revealed standards.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ve./'A.hav.taand/ you will loveאֵ֖ת'et<obj.>יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ yourוְשָׁמַרְתָּ֣ve./sha.mar.Taand/ you will keepמִשְׁמַרְתּ֗וֹmish.mar.T/ocommand/ hisוְחֻקֹּתָ֧יוve./chu.ko.Ta/vand/ statutes/ hisוּמִשְׁפָּטָ֛יוu./mish.pa.Ta/vand/ judgments/ hisוּמִצְוֹתָ֖יוu./mitz.vo.Ta/vand/ commandments/ hisכָּל־kol-allהַיָּמִֽים׃hai./ya.Mimthe/ days

King James Version

Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.

Cross-references