Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 6:10
And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses Israel on the plains of Moab, immediately before they cross the Jordan to occupy the territory God pledged to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He frames their incoming possession as a direct fulfillment of divine oath rather than human achievement.
The words — The Hebrew אֶל־ ('el-) translates literally to "into" and הָאָרֶץ (ha.'A.retz) to "the land," structuring the verse around directed entry into a specific territory. These terms anchor the promise in physical occupation rather than abstract blessing.
The thread — The text states that God will provide great cities, full houses, dug wells, and unplanted vineyards that Israel did not produce. This pattern of unearned provision runs through Joshua 24:13, Psalms 105:44, and Nehemiah 9:25, which all record the same sequence of divine gift preceding human settlement.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to acknowledge that material blessing and territorial possession originate from covenant faithfulness, not personal labor. It demands a rejection of self-justification and a clear recognition of status as recipients of unmerited provision.
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
King James Version
And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
Cross-references
- Joshua 24:13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
- Psalms 105:44 He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
- Nehemiah 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.
- Genesis 26:3 Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.
- Psalms 78:55 He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
- Genesis 13:15 for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.
- Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Genesis 28:13 And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.