Bible Strands

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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses Israel at the threshold of Canaan, framing obedience as the decisive choice between life and death. He speaks to a generation poised to possess the land yet dependent on covenant fidelity.

The words — The Hebrew תִּשְׁמַע (tish.ma) means "you will listen," and מִצְוֹת (mitzvot) translates to "commandments." These terms anchor the call to attentive obedience rather than passive compliance.

The thread — This directive runs into Matthew 22:37, where Jesus identifies love for God as the primary commandment. It also appears in 1 John 5:2 as the evidence of loving God’s children and connects to Deuteronomy 30:6, which promises internal transformation to enable such love.

Why it lands — The text commands immediate love, alignment with God’s ways, and strict adherence to His statutes as the condition for life and blessing. It requires a reader to choose faithful obedience now to secure future prosperity in the promised land.

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

אִם־'im-ifאֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.Sherwhichתִּשְׁמַעtish.Ma'you will listenאָנֹכִ֣י'a.no.KhiIאֶל'el-toמְצַוְּךָ֮me.tza.ve./Kha[am] commanding/ youמִצְוֹתmitz.vot-[the] commandments ofהַיּוֹם֒hai./yOmthis/ dayיְהוָהYah.wehYahwehלְאַהֲבָ֞הle./'a.ha.Vahto/ loveאֱלֹהֶיךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ yourאֶת־'et-<obj.>יְהוָ֤הYah.wehYahwehאֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ yourלָלֶ֣כֶתla./Le.khetto/ walkבִּדְרָכָ֔יוbi/d.ra.Kha/vin/ ways/ hisוְלִשְׁמֹ֛רve./li/sh.Morand/ to/ keepמִצְוֹתָ֥יוmitz.vo.Ta/vcommandments/ hisוְחֻקֹּתָ֖יוve./chu.ko.Ta/vand/ statutes/ hisוּמִשְׁפָּטָ֑יוu./mish.pa.Ta/vand/ judgments/ hisוְחָיִ֣יתָve./cha.Yi.taand/ you will liveוְרָבִ֔יתָve./ra.Vi.taand/ you will increaseוּבֵֽרַכְךָ֙u./ve.rakh./Khaand/ he will bless/ youיְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehאֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ yourבָּאָ֕רֶץba./'A.retzin the/ landאֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-whereאַתָּ֥ה'a.Tahyouבָא־va'-[are] about to goשָׁ֖מָּהSha.ma/hthere/ towardsלְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃le./rish.Ta/hto/ take possession of/ it

King James Version

In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Cross-references