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Deuteronomy 6:17

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 6:17 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
Deuteronomy 6:17 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 6

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you;
15for Jehovah thy God in the midst of thee is a jealous God; lest the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled against thee, and he destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
16Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
17Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
18And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Jehovah; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers,
19to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.
20When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Jehovah our God hath commanded you?
← Deuteronomy 6:16Deuteronomy 6:18 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, etc.] Not only the ten commands, but all others: and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee; those of a judicial and ceremonial kind.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The Israelites were at the point of quitting a normal, life for a fixed and settled abode in the midst of other nations; they were exchanging a condition of comparative poverty for great and goodly cities, houses and vineyards. There was therefore before them a double danger; (1) a God-forgetting worldliness, and (2) a false tolerance of the idolatries practiced by those about to become their neighbors. The former error Moses strives to guard against in the verses before us; the latter in Deuteronomy 7:1-11. Deuteronomy 6:13 The command “to swear by His Name” is not inconsistent with the Lord’s injunction Matthew 5:34, “Swear not at all.” Moses refers to legal swearing, our Lord to swearing…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Ye diligently keep - Negligence will ruin us: but we cannot be saved without diligence. Deuteronomy 6:25”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Deu 6:1, Deu 6:2, Deu 11:13, Deu 11:22; Exo 15:26; Psa 119:4; Co1 15:58; Tit 3:8; Heb 6:11; Pe2 1:5-10, Pe2 3:14 Deuteronomy 6:18”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“They were rather to observe all His commandments diligently, and do what was right and good in His eyes. The infinitive וגו להדף contains the further development of וגו ייטב למען: "so that He (Jehovah) thrust out all thine enemies before thee, as He hath spoken" (viz., Exo 23:27., Deu 34:11). Deuteronomy 6:20”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 6 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification