Deuteronomy 28:10

Summary

The verse states that all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of Yehovah (H3068) is called upon the addressee, and as a result they will fear him. It is the concluding statement of a blessing sequence, describing an effect that will be visible to outsiders.

Key words

• ra'U ("they will see", H7200G) — qal sequential perfect; continues a chain of future-oriented verbs describing consequences that will unfold.
• shem ("name of", H8034) — masculine singular construct, linking directly to Yehovah, forming the phrase "the name of Yehovah."
• niqRa' ("it is called", H7121H) — niphal (passive) perfect; the subject shem ("name") is the one being "called," not the addressee — the grammatical subject of this clause is the name itself, not "you."
• 'aLeikha ("upon you", H5921A + H9031) — preposition 'al ("upon") with 2nd person masculine singular suffix; indicates the name resting "upon" the addressee, not identity or agency.
• yare'U ("they will be afraid", H3372G) — qal sequential perfect; parallel in form to ra'U, marking the second consequence in the sequence.

What the text says

The sentence is built from two parallel sequential-perfect verbs, ra'U ("they will see") and yare'U ("they will be afraid"), both governing "all the peoples of the earth" (kol 'amei ha'aretz, H3605 + H5971A) as subject. Between them sits a subordinate clause introduced by ki ("that/if", H3588A), which supplies the content of what the peoples will see: that shem Yehovah ("the name of Yehovah") niqRa' ("is called") 'aleikha ("upon you"). Because niqra' is niphal (passive), the grammatical subject of that inner clause is "the name," which is passively "called" — the text places the name, not the addressee, as the acting/attributed element, with the preposition 'al ("upon") marking the addressee as the location where this calling rests. The final verb, yare'U mimmekha ("they will fear from you", H4480A + H9031), uses the preposition min ("from") rather than a direct object, framing the fear as originating "from" the addressee rather than being directed "at" him in a transitive sense.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew passive construction shem Yehovah niqra' 'aleikha ("the name of Yehovah is called upon you") is rendered by the LXX as τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου ἐπικέκληταί σοι ("the name of the Lord is called to/for you"), using dative σοι rather than a preposition matching "upon." The Vulgate's nomen Domini invocatum sit super te ("the name of the Lord is invoked upon you") preserves the "upon" sense more closely with super te. The BSB's "you are called by the name of the LORD" shifts the grammatical subject from "the name" (passive, as in the Hebrew) to "you," presenting the addressee as the one named rather than the name as the one placed upon him.