Deuteronomy 15:5

Summary

Deuteronomy 15:5 states a condition: the promise mentioned in the surrounding context depends on genuinely listening to the voice of Yehovah and carefully observing "all this commandment" that is being commanded on "this day." The verse is built entirely as a conditional clause, without an independent main clause of its own in the Hebrew as segmented here.

Key words

• rak ("only", H7535) — restrictive adverb that narrows the condition to a single requirement, giving the sense "only if" or "provided that."
• shamoa' ("certainly listen", H8085H) — infinitive absolute paired with the finite verb that follows; in Hebrew this doubling intensifies the verbal idea, marking emphatic or certain listening.
• tishma' ("you will listen", H8085H) — imperfect qal, second person masculine singular, expressing an ongoing or future action of listening tied to the emphatic infinitive before it.
• lishmor ("to take care", H8104J) and la'asot ("to observe", H6213A) — two paired infinitives (both with prefixed le-, H9005) expressing purpose or result: "in order to keep, in order to do."
• metzave ("[am] commanding", H6680) — piel participle, construct form, describing an ongoing action performed by the speaker ("I") in the present, modifying "the commandment."

What the text says

The clause opens with rak ("only", H7535) followed by the conditional particle 'im ("if", H0518A), together forming a restrictive conditional: "only if." The verbal core is the construction shamoa' tishma' — an infinitive absolute (H8085H) followed by the finite imperfect verb of the same root (H8085H). This doubling is a common Biblical Hebrew pattern that intensifies or makes emphatic the verbal action; here it underlines the certainty or thoroughness of the listening required, applied to "the voice of Yehovah your God" (be-qol Yehovah 'Eloheikha).

The purpose of this listening is expressed through two infinitives joined by le-: lishmor ("to keep", H8104J) and la'asot ("to do", H6213A), both governing the object marked by 'et (H0853): "all this commandment" (kol ha-mitzvah ha-zot). The demonstrative ha-zot ("this", H2063) specifies a singular collective "commandment," even though the underlying content is described as comprehensive ("all"). The relative clause 'asher 'anokhi metzavekha ha-yom ("which I am commanding you this day") uses the piel participle metzave (H6680), portraying the commanding as a continuous or characteristic action of the speaker in the present moment marked by ha-yom ("this day", H3117G).

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the conditional with ἐὰν δὲ ("but if"), adding a coordinating δὲ not reflected in the Hebrew's rak 'im. It also uses ἀκοῇ εἰσακούσητε, a Greek doubling that mirrors the Hebrew infinitive-absolute-plus-finite-verb construction (shamoa' tishma'). The Vulgate's Si tamen audieris ("if however you shall have heard") likewise reflects the conditional but does not double the verb as the Hebrew and LXX do. The Vulgate additionally appends benedicet tibi, ut pollicitus est ("he will bless you, as he promised"), material not present in the Hebrew text as segmented here, extending the clause into a result not found in the other versions given.