Deuteronomy 28:1

“Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the assembled nation of Israel at the plains of Moab, delivering the final covenant terms before their entry into the land.

The words — The verse is built on two Hebrew verbs: שָׁמַע (shāmaʿ, "to listen") and שָׁמַר (shāmar, "to take care, guard"). The first is receptive attention; the second is active, sustained keeping.

The thread — The same conditional structure—obedience leading to elevation—appears in Exodus 23:22, Leviticus 26:3, and Isaiah 1:19.

Why it lands — The condition is not partial compliance but the full weight of "all His commandments," and the reward is not material comfort but a positional elevation above every other nation.

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

וְהָיָ֗הve./ha.Yahand/ it will be אִם־'im-<if>שָׁמ֤וֹעַsha.Mo.a'certainly [if] <to listen>תִּשְׁמַע֙tish.Ma'you will listen בְּקוֹל֙be./kOlto/ [the] voice of יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your לִשְׁמֹ֤רli/sh.Morto/ take care לַעֲשׂוֹת֙la./'a.sOtto/ observe אֶת־'et-<obj.>כָּל־kol-all מִצְוֹתָ֔יוmitz.vo.Ta/vcommandments/ his אֲשֶׁ֛ר'a.Sherwhich אָנֹכִ֥י'a.no.KhiI מְצַוְּךָ֖me.tza.ve./Kha[am] commanding/ you הַיּ֑וֹםhai./Yomthis/ day וּנְתָ֨נְךָ֜u./ne.Ta.ne./khaand/ he will set/ you יְהוָ֤הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your עֶלְי֔וֹןel.Yonmost high עַ֖ל'alabove כָּל־kol-all גּוֹיֵ֥יgo.Yei[the] nations of הָאָֽרֶץ׃ha./'A.retzthe/ earth

King James Version

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

Cross-references

Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.
Exodus 23:22 But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.
Leviticus 26:3 If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments,
Luke 11:28 But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
John 15:14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.
Exodus 15:26 saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
Psalms 91:14 “Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him.
Deuteronomy 7:12 If you listen to these ordinances and keep them carefully, then the LORD your God will keep His covenant and the loving devotion that He swore to your fathers.
Deuteronomy 15:5 if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 11:13 So if you carefully obey the commandments I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,