Deuteronomy 26:16

The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and with all your soul.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses Israel at the threshold of the Promised Land, placing this command immediately after their confession in verse 15 and before their reciprocal vow in verse 17. The directive is anchored in the present moment of covenant renewal.

The words — מְצַוְּ/ךָ (me.tza.ve./Kha) = [is] commanding/ you [H6680] and הַ/חֻקִּ֥ים (ha./chu.Kim) = the/ statutes [H2706] form the grammatical core of the verse. These terms establish a present, authoritative divine imperative regarding fixed legal decrees.

The thread — The demand to carefully observe divine statutes recurs in Deuteronomy 12:1 and is echoed in the New Testament in John 14:15 and 1 John 5:2. These passages consistently link love for God with the practical maintenance of His commands.

Why it lands — The text requires immediate, undivided obedience to the statutes and ordinances just presented. It demands that the reader align their entire being with the divine directive without delay or partial commitment.

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

הַיּ֣וֹםhai./Yomthe/ day הַזֶּ֗הha./Zeh<the>/ this יְהוָ֨הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your מְצַוְּךָ֧me.tza.ve./Kha[is] commanding/ you לַעֲשׂ֛וֹתla./'a.Sotto/ observe אֶת־'et-<obj.>הַחֻקִּ֥יםha./chu.Kimthe/ statutes הָאֵ֖לֶּהha./'E.leh<the>/ these וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֑יםha./mish.pa.Timthe/ judgments וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֤ve./sha.mar.Taand/ you will take care וְעָשִׂ֙יתָ֙ve./'a.Si.taand/ you will observe אוֹתָ֔ם'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them בְּכָל־be./kholwith/ all לְבָבְךָ֖le.va.ve./Khaheart/ your וּבְכָל־u./ve./Khol-and/ with/ all נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃naf.She./khabeing/ your

King James Version

This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

Cross-references

John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 4:1 Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 6:1 These are the commandments and statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and possess,
Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:17 You are to diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God and the testimonies and statutes He has given you.
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 11:1 You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.