Deuteronomy 8:6

Summary

The verse instructs the addressee to keep the commandments of Yehovah (H3068), expressed through two purpose infinitives: walking in his ways and fearing him. It continues the narrative sequence of Deuteronomy 8 with a sequential perfect verb functioning as a command.

Key words

• Sha.mar.ta ("you will keep", H8104G) — qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular; continues the narrative chain begun by the preceding vav and functions here as an instruction/injunction rather than simple past narration.
• mitz.Vot ("commandments of", H4687) — feminine plural noun in construct state, linking to Yehovah as the one whose commandments are kept.
• Le.khet ("walking", H1980I) — qal infinitive introduced by the preposition la- (H9005), expressing purpose or manner: "in order to walk" or "by walking."
• d.ra.Kha ("ways", H1870G) — masculine plural noun in construct with the suffix -o ("his"), yielding "his ways," the object of the walking.
• yir.'Ah ("fearing", H3372H) — qal infinitive introduced by le- (H9005), parallel in structure to Le.khet, forming the second half of a two-part purpose clause.

What the text says

The clause opens with the narrative vav (H9001) attached to Sha.mar.ta (H8104G), a qal sequential perfect that in this construction carries instructional force — "and you shall keep." The object is marked by the untranslated particle 'et (H0853) followed by mitz.Vot (H4687), a feminine plural noun in construct with Yehovah (H3068) and 'elohei-kha ("your God", H0430G + H9021), producing the phrase "the commandments of Yehovah your God."

The remainder of the verse is built on two parallel infinitive constructions, each introduced by the preposition la-/le- (H9005): La-lekhet bi-derakhav ("by walking in his ways") and u-le-yir'ah 'oto ("and by fearing him"). Both infinitives (H1980I and H3372H) depend on the main verb Sha.mar.ta and specify the content or manner of "keeping" the commandments — the keeping is realized through walking in Yehovah's ways and through fearing him. The noun derakhav (H1870G) is in construct with the third-person suffix "his," while yir'ah takes its object through the particle 'oto (H0853 + H9033), "him." The syntax thus presents a single command unfolding into two coordinated infinitival purposes, joined by the conjunction u- (H9002).

Differences between versions

The LXX text provided reads Τυρίου ("of Tyre") where the Hebrew has Yehovah (H3068) rendered elsewhere in the Greek tradition as Κυρίου ("of the Lord"); this appears as a transcription variant within the supplied LXX text rather than a translational choice. The Vulgate renders the two infinitives as finite subjunctive verbs, "ambules" ("that you may walk") and "timeas" ("that you may fear"), where the Hebrew uses infinitive constructions with prepositions rather than finite verb forms.