Deuteronomy 5:12

Summary

Deuteronomy 5:12 commands the observance of the shabbat ("sabbath", H7676) day, specifying that this observance must include treating it as holy. The verse closes by grounding this command in a prior act of command by Yehovah, the addressee's God.

Key words

• sha.Mor ("keep", H8104G) — infinitive absolute of the qal stem, placed before any finite verb; this construction intensifies or emphasizes the command, functioning almost as an imperative in force.
• yom ("day of", H3117G) — construct-state noun, meaning it must be joined to what follows (ha-shabbat) to form the phrase "day of the sabbath."
• ka.de.Sh...o ("to set apart as holy...it", H6942G + H9033) — piel infinitive with a 3rd-person masculine singular pronominal suffix ("it," referring back to the day). The piel stem carries an intensive or causative nuance, "to make holy" rather than a simple state of being holy.
• tzi.ve.Kha ("he commanded you", H6680) — piel perfect verb with a 2nd-person masculine singular suffix, indicating a completed past action directed at "you" (singular addressee).
• Yah.weh / Yehovah ("Yehovah", H3068G) — the tetragrammaton, functioning here as the subject of the verb tzi.ve.Kha, identified further by the following construct phrase 'e.lo.Hei.kha ("your God").

What the text says

The sentence opens with the infinitive absolute sha.Mor, a grammatical form that in Biblical Hebrew reinforces the verbal idea it stands for — here "keep/guard" — giving the command added emphasis compared to a plain imperative. This infinitive governs the direct object marked by 'et (H0853, untranslated) followed by the construct phrase yom ha-shabbat, "the day of the sabbath." The next clause, le-qaddesh-o, uses a piel infinitive with the preposition le- ("to/for") plus a pronominal suffix referring back to "the day"; the piel stem here indicates the act of actively setting something apart as holy, not merely acknowledging an existing holy status. The final clause, introduced by ka'asher ("as/just as," H0834D), attaches a comparison: the manner of observance is to match what Yehovah, called 'elohekha ("your God," construct plural form used with singular meaning) previously commanded, marked by the piel perfect tzi.ve.kha, "he commanded you."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the tetragrammaton as κύριος ("Lord") and 'elohekha as ὁ θεός σου ("your God"), using generic titles rather than a transliterated divine name. The Vulgate follows a similar pattern with Dominus Deus tuus ("Lord God your"). The Hebrew, by contrast, presents the personal name Yehovah directly alongside the title "your God," a distinction not preserved when both are rendered as generic divine titles in the Greek and Latin versions.