Deuteronomy 11: A land that drinks the rain: blessing and curse
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
Moses tells Israel to love Yahweh and keep his commandments, because they themselves saw what he did to Egypt, in the wilderness, and to Dathan and Abiram. The land they are going into is not like Egypt: it drinks rain from the sky, and Yahweh will send the rain if they obey and shut up the sky if they turn to other gods. He tells them to keep these words on their hearts and teach them to their children, and sets before them a blessing and a curse, to be set on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.
Who is speaking?
Moses speaks to Israel in the whole chapter. In verses 13 to 15 his words move into Yahweh's voice ("I will give the rain"). It is still Moses' speech, so no verse is in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Therefore you shall love Yahweh your God, and keep his instructions, his statutes, his ordinances, and his commandments, always.
In plain English: So love Yahweh your God, and keep his charge (this Bible: his instructions), his statutes, his rules (this Bible: ordinances), and his commandments, always.
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2Know this day—for I don’t speak with your children who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of Yahweh your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm,
In plain English: Know today, for it is not your children I am speaking to, who have not known and have not seen it, the discipline (this Bible: chastisement) of Yahweh your God: his greatness, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm,
The Hebrew word: "Chastisement" is musar, which the dictionary gives as "chastisement", and also "warning or instruction". This Bible most often says "instruction" for it, in 23 of the 50 verses that use the word. Here it is what Yahweh did to train or correct Israel, listed in verses 2 to 6.
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3his signs, and his works, which he did in the middle of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and to all his land;
In plain English: his signs, and the works he did in the middle of Egypt, to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land,
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4and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued you, and how Yahweh has destroyed them to this day;
In plain English: what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and their chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea (literally: the Sea of Reeds) flow over them as they chased you, and how Yahweh destroyed them, to this day,
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5and what he did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place;
In plain English: what he did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place,
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6and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben—how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the middle of all Israel;
In plain English: and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them (literally: that was at their feet), in the middle of all Israel.
Good to know: to tells this story. There Korah leads the rebellion with Dathan and Abiram, and the earth swallows "all of Korah's men" (). Here Moses names only Dathan and Abiram.
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7but your eyes have seen all of Yahweh’s great work which he did.
In plain English: For your own eyes have seen all the great work that Yahweh did.
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8Therefore you shall keep the entire commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land that you go over to possess;
In plain English: So keep the whole commandment that I command you today, so that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land you are crossing over to possess,
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9and that you may prolong your days in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.
In plain English: and so that you may live long in the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.
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10For the land, where you go in to possess isn’t like the land of Egypt that you came out of, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs;
In plain English: For the land you are going in to possess is not like the land of Egypt that you came out of, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, like a vegetable garden.
Good to know: The text does not explain how seed was "watered with your foot" in Egypt. It sets Egypt against the land of hills and valleys that drinks rain from the sky in .
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11but the land that you go over to possess is a land of hills and valleys which drinks water from the rain of the sky,
In plain English: But the land you are crossing over to possess is a land of hills (literally: mountains) and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of the sky,
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12a land which Yahweh your God cares for. Yahweh your God’s eyes are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.
In plain English: a land that Yahweh your God cares for (literally: seeks). The eyes of Yahweh your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
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13It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to my commandments which I command you today, to love Yahweh your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
In plain English: It will be, if you listen carefully (the Hebrew repeats the verb) to my commandments that I command you today, to love Yahweh your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Good to know: In verses 14 and 15 Moses speaks in Yahweh's voice: "I will give the rain", "I will give grass". "My commandments which I command you today" in this verse can be read as Moses' words or as Yahweh's. It is still Moses' speech, so it is not in gold, as in .
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14that I will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.
In plain English: that I will give the rain for your land at its time, the early rain and the late rain (autumn rain and spring rain), so that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.
The Hebrew words: "The early rain" is yoreh, which the dictionary gives as "a sprinkling (or autumnal showers)", and "the latter rain" is malqosh, "the spring rain". Yoreh is in only 2 verses: here and .
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15I will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.
In plain English: I will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you will eat and be full.
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16Be careful, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn away to serve other gods and worship them;
In plain English: Be careful, or your heart will be deceived, and you will turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them.
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17and Yahweh’s anger be kindled against you, and he shut up the sky so that there is no rain, and the land doesn’t yield its fruit; and you perish quickly from off the good land which Yahweh gives you.
In plain English: Then Yahweh's anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky so that there is no rain, and the ground will not give its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land that Yahweh is giving you.
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18Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
In plain English: So put these words of mine on your heart and on your soul. Tie them as a sign on your hand, and they are to be as frontlets (bands) between your eyes.
Good to know: Verses 18 to 20 repeat to .
Church tradition: In Jewish prayer, verses 13 to 21 are said together with to 9 as part of the Shema.
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19You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
In plain English: Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
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20You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates;
In plain English: Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
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21that your days and your children’s days may be multiplied in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
In plain English: so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the sky is above the earth (literally: as the days of the heavens above the earth).
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22For if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you—to do them, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him—
In plain English: For if you are careful to keep all this commandment that I command you, to do it, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to hold fast (this Bible: cling) to him,
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23then Yahweh will drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.
In plain English: then Yahweh will drive out all these nations in front of you, and you will drive out nations greater and stronger than you.
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24Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even to the western sea shall be your border.
In plain English: Every place where the sole of your foot steps will be yours. Your border will run from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, to the western sea (literally: the sea behind).
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25No man will be able to stand before you. Yahweh your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you tread on, as he has spoken to you.
In plain English: No one will be able to stand against you. Yahweh your God will put the fear and the dread of you on all the land you step on, as he has told you.
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26Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
In plain English: Look, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse:
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27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I command you today;
In plain English: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I command you today,
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28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, but turn away out of the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
In plain English: and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, but turn aside from the way I command you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.
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29It shall happen, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land that you go to possess, that you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal.
In plain English: When Yahweh your God brings you into the land you are going in to possess, you are to set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
Good to know: and name the tribes who are to stand on each mountain, and tells how Israel did it.
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30Aren’t they beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah near Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?
In plain English: Are they not across the Jordan, beyond the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks (or: great trees) of Moreh?
Good to know: also names "the oak of Moreh", at Shechem, where Abram came. The text does not say whether it is the same place.
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31For you are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and you shall possess it and dwell in it.
In plain English: For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in and possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, and you will possess it and live in it.
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32You shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you today.
In plain English: Be careful to do all the statutes and the rules (this Bible: ordinances) that I am setting before you today.
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