Deuteronomy 17:10

Summary

Deuteronomy 17:10 instructs that the Israelite must act according to the ruling declared to him at the place Yehovah chooses, and must carefully carry out everything he is taught there. The verse links two sequential actions — doing and keeping/guarding — both governed by what is pronounced at that chosen location.

Key words

• 'a.Si.ta ("you will do", H6213A) — qal sequential perfect; continues the narrative chain begun by the preceding verses, expressing a binding future obligation.
• pi ("mouth of", H6310I) — construct noun; the idiom "al pi" ("upon the mouth of") means "according to," showing the ruling is transmitted orally.
• ya.Gi.du ("they will tell", H5046) — hiphil imperfect; causative form, "to cause to be told/declared," referring to those who pronounce the verdict.
• yiv.Char ("he will choose", H0977) — qal imperfect, referring to Yehovah's selection of the place; imperfect aspect marks an ongoing or future divine action.
• yo.Ru. ("they will instruct", H3384B) — hiphil imperfect, from the root behind torah; denotes the act of teaching or directing, distinct from yaggidu ("they will tell") used earlier.

What the text says

The verse is built on two sequential perfects, 'a.Si.ta ("you will do", H6213A) and sha.mar.Ta ("you will take care", H8104J), each introduced by the narrative vav (H9001). This grammatical chaining ties the verse to a preceding legal sequence: first "you will do," then "you will keep/take care to do." Between these two main verbs sit two relative clauses, each introduced by 'a.Sher ("which", H0834A): one describing "the word" (da.Var, H1697J) that "they will tell" (ya.Gi.du, H5046, hiphil imperfect) the addressee, and one describing "the place" (ma.Kom, H4725) "which he will choose" (yiv.Char, H0977, qal imperfect) — the subject being Yehovah (H3068G).

The phrase 'al pi ha.davar ("according to the mouth of the word") uses the construct noun pi ("mouth of", H6310I) idiomatically to mean "according to" — literally invoking the image of oral pronouncement rather than a written text. The second clause closes with yo.Ru.kha ("they will instruct you", H3384B, hiphil imperfect), built on the same root as torah, marking a distinct verb from yaggidu ("they will tell") earlier — the first describes reporting a ruling, the second describes ongoing instruction or direction.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders da.Var ("word", H1697J) as πρᾶγμα ("matter/thing") rather than "word," and adds ὁ θεός σου ("your God") after κύριος, where the Hebrew has only Yehovah (H3068G) without a possessive addition. The LXX also translates yo.Ru. ("they will instruct", H3384B) as νομοθέτῃ ("legislates/gives law"), a more specific legal term than the Hebrew's broader "instruct/teach." The Vulgate renders the clause as "qui praesunt loco" ("those who preside over the place"), making explicit an agent (judges/officials) that the Hebrew leaves implicit through the plural verb forms yaggidu and yoru alone.