Deuteronomy 8:1

Summary

The verse opens Deuteronomy 8 with a command to keep and perform "the whole commandment" given "today," stating that observance leads to life, increase, entry into the land, and possession of what Yehovah swore to the ancestors. The sentence chains a series of verb forms describing a sequence of consequences following obedience.

Key words

• kol-hamitzvah ("all the commandment", H3605+H4687) — construct phrase placing "commandment" as a definite singular collective, fronted before the verb that governs it, marking it as the topic of the sentence.
• metzavveka ("commanding you", H6680) — Piel participle, masculine singular, expressing an ongoing/intensive action ("the one who is commanding"), with -kha ("you", H9031) attached as the object.
• tishmerun ("you shall keep", H8104J) — Qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural, with the paragogic nun (H9013) adding emphasis to the command's force.
• lema'an tichyun ("so that you may live", H4616+H2421) — subordinating particle plus Qal jussive with paragogic nun, framing "living" as the purpose/result of keeping the commandment, not a simple future.
• nishba' ("he swore", H7650) — Niphal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular; the Niphal here functions as a reflexive/passive-toned oath-verb, describing a completed act by Yehovah.

What the text says

The clause begins with kol-hamitzvah ("all the commandment") placed before its governing verbs, a fronted construction that foregrounds the object as the sentence's main concern before the verbs tishmerun ("you shall keep") and la'asot ("to do/observe", H6213A, infinitive) specify what is to be done with it. The infinitive la'asot clarifies the action implied by tishmerun: keeping is defined in terms of actually performing the commandment, not merely guarding it as an idea.

Following this, the text moves through a chain of sequential perfects — revitem ("you will increase", H7235A), vatem ("you will go/enter", H0935G), and rishtem ("you will take possession", H3423H) — each linked by the narrative vav (H9001). This verb chain presents increase, entry, and possession as a linked sequence of events rather than isolated actions, each following from the one before. The purpose clause lema'an tichyun ("so that you may live") uses a jussive form with paragogic nun, marking "life" as the intended outcome of obedience rather than an automatic guarantee. The final clause identifies the land as the object of Yehovah's oath (nishba') to "your ancestors" (avoteikhem, H0001G plural construct with suffix), a completed action (perfect aspect) whose effects are pending in the sequence described.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders Yehovah (H3068) as "κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν" ("the Lord your God"), adding a possessive and divine title not present in the Hebrew, which has only the tetragrammaton. The LXX also uses a participle ("εἰσελθόντες," "having entered") where the Hebrew has the sequential perfect va'tem ("you will enter"), slightly altering the verbal chain's structure. The Vulgate translates tishmerun as "cave diligenter" ("watch diligently"), introducing a cautionary nuance not explicit in the Hebrew's imperfect verb with paragogic nun.