Deuteronomy 26:17

Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses Israel on the plains of Moab, directly following God’s command to keep His statutes. The people respond to that command by verbally affirming their covenant commitment.

The words — The verse centers on הֶאֱמַרְתָּ (he'emar ta), meaning "you have declared," and יוֹם (yom), meaning "day." These terms mark the covenant response as a specific, public declaration tied to the present moment of assembly.

The thread — This mutual pledge mirrors Exodus 24:7, where Israel verbally commits to do all the Lord speaks, and stands in contrast to Exodus 20:19, where the people request Moses mediate to avoid direct divine speech. The reciprocal pattern continues in Deuteronomy 26:18, where God formally acknowledges Israel as His treasured possession.

Why it lands — It requires a reader to acknowledge that covenant loyalty demands explicit verbal commitment followed by consistent obedience to divine statutes. The text establishes that hearing God’s voice must translate into deliberate, ongoing adherence to His commandments.

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

אֶת־'et-<obj.>יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahweh הֶאֱמַ֖רְתָּhe.'e.Mar.tayou have declared הַיּ֑וֹםhai./Yomthis/ day לִהְיוֹת֩li/h.yOtto/ becomeלְךָ֨le./Khafor <the>/ youלֵֽאלֹהִ֜יםle./lo.Him<into>/ God וְלָלֶ֣כֶתve./la./Le.khetand/ to/ walk בִּדְרָכָ֗יוbi/d.ra.Kha/vin/ ways/ his וְלִשְׁמֹ֨רve./li/sh.Morand/ to/ keep חֻקָּ֧יוchu.Ka/vstatutes/ his וּמִצְוֹתָ֛יוu./mitz.vo.Ta/vand/ commandments/ his וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֖יוu./mish.pa.Ta/vand/ judgments/ his וְלִשְׁמֹ֥עַve./li/sh.Mo.a'and/ to/ listen בְּקֹלֽוֹ׃be./ko.L/oto/ voice/ his

King James Version

Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:

Cross-references

Exodus 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
Exodus 20:19 “Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
Deuteronomy 30:16 For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
Romans 6:13 Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
Deuteronomy 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
Deuteronomy 13:18 because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 15:5 if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today.
Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”