Deuteronomy 4:1
New International Version
Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

New Living Translation
“And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

English Standard Version
“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Berean Standard Bible
Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

King James Bible
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

New King James Version
“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.

New American Standard Bible
“Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you will live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

NASB 1995
“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

NASB 1977
“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, in order that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Legacy Standard Bible
“So now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to do, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Amplified Bible
“Now, O Israel, listen and pay attention to the statutes and the judgments (God’s legal decisions) which I am teaching you to do, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Christian Standard Bible
“Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land Yahweh, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

American Standard Version
And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah, the God of your fathers, giveth you.

Contemporary English Version
Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them, you will live, and you will go in and take the land that the LORD is giving you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped,

English Revised Version
And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Israel, listen to the laws and rules I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you will live and be able to enter and take possession of the land that the LORD God of your ancestors is giving you.

Good News Translation
Then Moses said to the people, "Obey all the laws that I am teaching you, and you will live and occupy the land which the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

International Standard Version
"Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the ordinances that I'm teaching you to observe so you may live and go in to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is about to give you.

Majority Standard Bible
Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

NET Bible
Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

New Heart English Bible
Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, to the statutes and to the judgments, which I teach you, to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

World English Bible
Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances which I teach you, to do them, that you may live and go in and possess the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, gives you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and to the judgments which I am teaching you to do, so that you live, and have gone in, and possessed the land which YHWH God of your fathers is giving to you.

Young's Literal Translation
'And now, Israel, hearken unto the statutes, and unto the judgments which I am teaching you to do, so that ye live, and have gone in, and possessed the land which Jehovah God of your fathers is giving to you.

Smith's Literal Translation
And now Israel, hear to the laws and to the judgments which I am teaching you to do, so that ye shall live and go in and possess the land which Jehovah the God of your fathers gave to you.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And now, O Israel, hear the commandments and judgments which I teach thee: that doing them, thou mayst live, and entering in mayst possess the land which the Lord the God of your fathers will give you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“And now, O Israel, listen to the precepts and judgments which I am teaching to you, so that, by doing these, you may live, and you may enter and possess the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, will give to you.

New American Bible
Now therefore, Israel, hear the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

New Revised Standard Version
So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
NOW therefore hearken, O Israel, to the law and to the judgments which I teach you this day, to do them, that you may live and go in and possess the land which the LORD the God of your fathers gives you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
"Therefore Israel, hear the Law and judgments that I teach you to do today, that you shall live and you shall enter and you shall possess the land that LORD JEHOVAH, the God of your fathers, gives to you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now, Israel, hear the ordinances and judgments, all that I teach you this day to do: that ye may live, and be multiplied, and that ye may go in and inherit the land, which the Lord God of your fathers gives you.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
An Exhortation to Obedience
1Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.…

Cross References
James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ...

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. / But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ...

Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.

John 14:15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

1 John 2:3-6
By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. / If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. / But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: ...

Luke 11:28
But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Hebrews 2:1
We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Acts 5:29
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, / so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

Joshua 1:7-8
Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. / This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

Psalm 119:1-2
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD. / Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.

Proverbs 4:1-2
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. / For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

Ezekiel 20:11
And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.


Treasury of Scripture

Now therefore listen, O Israel, to the statutes and to the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers gives you.

unto the statutes.

Deuteronomy 4:8,45
And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? …

Deuteronomy 5:1
And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

Deuteronomy 6:1,2
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: …

that ye may

Leviticus 18:5
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:11,21
And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them…

Romans 10:5
For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

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Decisions Decrees Ear Hear Hearken Israel Judgments Live Ordinances Perform Possess Possession Statutes Teach Teaching Yourselves
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Decisions Decrees Ear Hear Hearken Israel Judgments Live Ordinances Perform Possess Possession Statutes Teach Teaching Yourselves
Deuteronomy 4
1. An exhortation to obedience
41. Moses appoints the three cities of refuge on that side of Jordan
44. Recapitulation














Now, O Israel
The address "O Israel" is a direct call to the nation as a collective entity, emphasizing the unity and identity of the people as God's chosen nation. The Hebrew word for Israel, "Yisra'el," means "God contends" or "one who struggles with God," reflecting the nation's history and relationship with God. This opening phrase sets the tone for a solemn and urgent message, reminding the Israelites of their covenantal relationship with God and their identity as His people.

listen to the statutes and the judgments
The Hebrew word for "listen," "shama," implies not just hearing but obeying and internalizing the message. "Statutes" (Hebrew: "chukim") and "judgments" (Hebrew: "mishpatim") refer to the laws and decrees given by God. Statutes often denote decrees that may not be immediately understandable but are to be followed out of trust in God's wisdom. Judgments are decisions or ordinances that guide social justice and moral conduct. Together, they encompass the comprehensive legal and moral framework that God provides for His people.

I am teaching you to follow
The phrase underscores the role of Moses as a teacher and mediator of God's law. The Hebrew root "lamad" for "teaching" conveys the idea of learning through instruction and practice. This highlights the importance of discipleship and the transmission of divine wisdom from one generation to the next. The emphasis on "to follow" indicates that the purpose of teaching is not merely intellectual but practical, leading to a life of obedience and faithfulness.

so that you may live
This phrase connects obedience to God's laws with life itself. The Hebrew word "chayah" for "live" suggests not just physical survival but a flourishing, abundant life. In the biblical context, life is seen as a gift from God, and living according to His commandments is portrayed as the path to true fulfillment and blessing. This reflects the biblical principle that obedience to God leads to life, while disobedience leads to death.

and may enter and take possession of the land
The promise of entering and possessing the land is central to the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. The land represents not only a physical territory but also the fulfillment of God's promises to the patriarchs. The Hebrew word "yarash" for "take possession" implies an inheritance, a gift from God that requires active participation and faithfulness from the people. This phrase underscores the conditional nature of the promise, dependent on Israel's obedience.

that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you
This closing phrase reaffirms the divine source of the promise. "The LORD" (Hebrew: "YHWH") is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. "The God of your fathers" connects the present generation to the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—highlighting the continuity of God's promises and faithfulness across generations. The verb "is giving" (Hebrew: "natan") indicates that the land is a gift, underscoring God's grace and generosity. This phrase serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the ongoing relationship between God and His people.

IV.

(1) Now therefore hearken.--The whole point of the exhortation in this chapter is the same which we find in Joshua's address to the people (Joshua 24), that they should serve Jehovah. And the ground of the exhortation is His revelation of Himself in Horeb as their God.

The statutes . . . and the judgments.--Perhaps we should say "institutions and requirements" in modern language. For "judgments," see Exodus 21-23.

That ye may live, and go in.--Life is put before possession. The penalty of the broken law is death.

Verses 1-40. - ADMONITIONS AND EXHORTATIONS. Moses, having presented to the people certain facts in their recent history which had in them a specially animating and encouraging tendency, proceeds to direct his discourse to the inculcation of duties and exhortations to obedience to the Divine enactments. This portion also of his address is of an introductory character as well as what precedes. Verses 1-8. - Exhortation to the observance of the Law generally. The Law was to be kept as a complete whole; nothing was to be taken from it or added to it; it comprised the commandments of Jehovah, and therefore they were not only to do it as what Moses, their leader and lawgiver, had enjoined, but to keep it as a sacred deposit, not to be altered or tampered with, and to observe it as what God their Sovereign had enacted for them. The dignity and worth of the Law are here asserted, and also its completeness as given by Moses. Any addition to it, no less than any subtraction from it, would mar its integrity and affect its perfection. Altered circumstances in process of time might, indeed, lead to the desuetude of some parts of the Mosaic enactments, and new institutions or laws might be required to meet a new condition of things, or even in that new condition to fence and sustain the primitive code; but that cede was to remain intact in the Statute-Book, and no alterations were to be made upon it that should affect its substance or nullify any of its principles. New laws and institutions appointed by God would, of course, have the same authority as those originally ordained by Moses; and such, it can hardly be doubted, were in point of fact under the Hebrew monarchy introduced by the prophets speaking in the name of God. The Law, nevertheless, was kept substantially entire. Even under the new dispensation, the Law has not been abolished. Christ, as he himself declared, came not to destroy the Law and the prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). The sin of the Pharisees, for which they were censured by our Lord, lay in this, that they taught for doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:9), and had "made the commandments of God of none effect by their traditions" (Matthew 15:6). Verses 1, 2. - Now therefore; rather And now. With this Moses passes from referring to what God had done for Israel to admonish Israel as to what they had to do as the subjects of God and the recipients of his favor. They were to give heed to all the statutes and judgments which Moses, as the servant of God, had taught them, in order that they might do them. Statutes (חֻקִּים), the things prescribed or enacted by law, whether moral, ritual, or civil; judgments (מִשְׁפָטִים), rights, whether public or private, all that each could claim as his due, and all he was bound to render to God or to his fellow-men as their due. These two comprehend the whole Law as binding on Israel. On the doing of these by the people depended life; these had been made known to them, not merely for their information, but specifically that they might do them, and thereby have life; not long life in the Promised Land alone, though this also is included (ver. 40; Deuteronomy 5:33; Deuteronomy 6:2, etc.), but that higher life, that life which man lives "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3; cf. Leviticus 18:5; Ezekiel 20:11; Matthew 4:4), that spiritual life which is in God's favor (Psalm 30:5). Enjoying this life as the fruit of obedience, they should also possess as their inheritance the laud promised to their fathers.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Hear
שְׁמַ֤ע (šə·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

now,
וְעַתָּ֣ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

O Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

the statutes
הַֽחֻקִּים֙ (ha·ḥuq·qîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute

and ordinances
הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים (ham·miš·pā·ṭîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

I
אָֽנֹכִ֛י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

am teaching
מְלַמֵּ֥ד (mə·lam·mêḏ)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3925: To exercise in, learn

you
אֶתְכֶ֖ם (’eṯ·ḵem)
Direct object marker | second person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

to follow
לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

so that
לְמַ֣עַן (lə·ma·‘an)
Conjunction
Strong's 4616: Purpose -- intent

you may live,
תִּֽחְי֗וּ (tiḥ·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

enter,
וּבָאתֶם֙ (ū·ḇā·ṯem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

and take possession of
וִֽירִשְׁתֶּ֣ם (wî·riš·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

the land
הָאָ֔רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

that
אֲשֶׁ֧ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

the LORD,
יְהוָ֛ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

the God
אֱלֹהֵ֥י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of your fathers,
אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם (’ă·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

is giving you.
נֹתֵ֥ן (nō·ṯên)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 4:1 Now Israel listen to the statutes (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 3:29
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