Deuteronomy 6:13

Summary

The verse commands three actions directed toward Yehovah: fearing him, serving him, and swearing oaths by his name. Each action is expressed with a distinct verb form, and in each case the object (Yehovah, or "him," or "his name") is placed before the verb in the Hebrew word order.

Key words

• 'et-Yehovah (H0853 + H3068G) — the direct object marker attached to the divine name; it flags Yehovah as the object being feared, placed at the very start of the clause before the verb.
• 'Elohei-kha (H0430G + H9021) — "God," masculine plural construct noun with second-person masculine singular suffix, meaning "your God"; grammatically plural in form but functioning as a title in construct with the suffix.
• tira' (H3372H) — qal imperfect, "you will fear," describing an ongoing or future disposition rather than a single event.
• ta'avod (H5647G) — qal imperfect, "you will serve," parallel in form to tira', continuing the same future/habitual sense.
• tishave'a (H7650) — niphal imperfect, "you will swear oaths"; the niphal stem gives the verb a reflexive or passive coloring, distinct from the active qal forms of the two preceding verbs.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built from three parallel clauses, each consisting of an object placed first, followed by an imperfect verb. In the first clause, 'et-Yehovah 'Elohei-kha ("Yehovah your God") precedes tira' ("you will fear"). In the second, 'oto ("him," H0853+H9033) precedes ta'avod ("you will serve"). In the third, vi-shmo ("in/by his name," H9003+H8034+H9023) precedes tishave'a ("you will swear oaths"). This repeated object-before-verb pattern gives each clause a similar rhythmic structure, foregrounding what is feared, served, and sworn by, rather than the action itself.

The first two verbs (tira', ta'avod) are qal imperfect, indicating direct, active action by the subject. The third verb (tishave'a) is niphal, a stem that in Biblical Hebrew often marks reflexive or passive nuance — here rendered simply as "you will swear," the specific niphal shading not being reproducible in English or in the other glosses provided.

Differences between versions

The LXX includes an additional clause, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν κολληθήσῃ ("and you shall cling to him"), which has no corresponding element in the Hebrew word list given. The Vulgate adds the word soli ("only") to the second clause — "illi soli servies," ("you will serve him only") — a qualifier not present in the Hebrew ta'avod. The Vulgate text also carries a preceding sentence about not forgetting the LORD who brought Israel from Egypt, which does not correspond to any word in the Hebrew data supplied for this verse.