Deuteronomy 6:20
New International Version
In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?”

New Living Translation
“In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?’

English Standard Version
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’

Berean Standard Bible
In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”

King James Bible
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

New King James Version
“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’

New American Standard Bible
“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the provisions and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?’

NASB 1995
“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?’

NASB 1977
“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?’

Legacy Standard Bible
“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which Yahweh our God commanded you?’

Amplified Bible
“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and statutes and judgments (precepts) which the LORD our God has commanded you?’

Christian Standard Bible
“When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you? ’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the LORD our God has commanded you?’

American Standard Version
When 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?

Contemporary English Version
Someday your children will ask, "Why did the LORD give us these laws and teachings?"

English Revised Version
When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the future your children will ask you, "What do these regulations, laws, and rules which the LORD our God commanded you mean to you?"

Good News Translation
"In times to come your children will ask you, 'Why did the LORD our God command us to obey all these laws?'

International Standard Version
"When your son asks you in the future, 'What is the meaning of the instructions, decrees, and ordinances that the LORD our God commanded you?'

Majority Standard Bible
In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”

NET Bible
When your children ask you later on, "What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the LORD our God commanded you?"

New Heart English Bible
When your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God has commanded you mean?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And when thy son shall ask thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

World English Bible
When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you mean?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
When your son asks you hereafter, saying, What [are] the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments which our God YHWH has commanded you?

Young's Literal Translation
When thy son asketh thee hereafter, saying, What are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Jehovah our God hath commanded you?

Smith's Literal Translation
When thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, saying, What the testimonies and the laws and the judgments which Jehovah our God commanded you?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when thy son shall ask thee to morrow, saying: What mean these testimonies, and ceremonies and judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded us?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when your son will ask you tomorrow, saying: ‘What do these testimonies and ceremonies and judgments mean, which the Lord our God has entrusted to us?’

New American Bible
Later on, when your son asks you, “What do these decrees and statutes and ordinances mean?” which the LORD, our God, has enjoined on you,

New Revised Standard Version
When your children ask you in time to come, “What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And when your son will ask you tomorrow and will say to you, ‘What is the Testimony and the Law and the Judgment that LORD JEHOVAH our God commanded you?.’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it shall come to pass when thy son shall ask thee at a future time, saying, What are the testimonies, and the ordinances, and the judgments, which the Lord our God has commanded us?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Teach Your Children
20In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?” 21then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.…

Cross References
Exodus 12:26-27
When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ / you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

Joshua 4:6-7
to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ / you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

Psalm 78:3-4
that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us. / We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.

Exodus 13:14-15
In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. / And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’

Psalm 44:1
For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us the work You did in their days, in the days of old.

Judges 6:13
“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

Psalm 105:2-5
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders. / Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. / Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always. ...

Exodus 10:2
and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”

Psalm 145:4-7
One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts— / the glorious splendor of Your majesty. And I will meditate on Your wondrous works. / They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness. ...

Isaiah 38:19
The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect,

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.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. / This is why the ancients were commended. / By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Acts 2:39
This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”


Treasury of Scripture

And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God has commanded you?

when thy son

Deuteronomy 6:7
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Exodus 12:26
And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

Exodus 13:14
And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

in time to come [heb] tomorrow

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Commanded Decrees Hereafter Judgments Laws Mean Meaning Ordinances Reason Rules Statutes Stipulations Testimonies Time What
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Commanded Decrees Hereafter Judgments Laws Mean Meaning Ordinances Reason Rules Statutes Stipulations Testimonies Time What
Deuteronomy 6
1. The end of the law is obedience
3. An exhortation thereto
20. What they are to teach their children














In the future
This phrase anticipates a time to come, suggesting a forward-looking perspective that is deeply rooted in the Hebrew tradition of generational teaching. The Hebrew word here, "מָחָר" (machar), implies not just a chronological future but a continuation of the covenantal relationship with God. It emphasizes the importance of preparing the next generation to understand and live out their faith.

when your son asks you
The phrase highlights the importance of family and the role of parents in spiritual education. In ancient Israel, the family was the primary unit of religious instruction. The Hebrew word for "son," "בֵּן" (ben), signifies not only a biological child but also a spiritual heir. This reflects the cultural and religious expectation that faith and knowledge of God's laws are to be passed down through generations.

‘What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances
This question reflects a natural curiosity and desire for understanding. The Hebrew words for "decrees" (חֻקִּים, chukkim), "statutes" (מִשְׁפָּטִים, mishpatim), and "ordinances" (עֵדוֹת, edot) refer to different aspects of the law given by God. "Chukkim" are often seen as divine decrees beyond human reasoning, "mishpatim" as judgments or laws that are rational and just, and "edot" as testimonies or reminders of God's covenant. This triad underscores the comprehensive nature of God's law, covering moral, ceremonial, and civil aspects.

that the LORD our God has commanded you?’
This phrase emphasizes the divine origin and authority of the laws. "The LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, signifying His eternal presence and faithfulness. The use of "our God" (אֱלֹהֵינוּ, Eloheinu) personalizes the relationship, indicating a communal and personal bond with the divine. The word "commanded" (צִוָּה, tzivah) implies not just instruction but a divine mandate, highlighting the seriousness and obligation of obedience to God's laws.

(20) What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments.--These three words appear for the first time together in the introduction to this discourse (Deuteronomy 4:45). The Law, or Torah, includes charges, and institutions, and requirements. The Decalogue itself is primarily the Torah; the charge which follows may come under the head of "testimony." The "statutes" and "judgments" more properly describe the contents of the chapters from Deuteronomy 11-26 inclusive.

Verses 20-25. - The injunction to teach the words of the Lord to the children (ver. 7) is here more largely explained. When asked by their sons the meaning and reason of the commandments and institutes which they observed, they were to show them what the Lord had done for his people in bringing them out of Egypt and establishing them in Canaan, and how he had enjoined on them all these statutes that they might fear Jehovah their God for their good always, and for their preservation and safety.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In the future,
מָחָ֖ר (mā·ḥār)
Adverb
Strong's 4279: Deferred, the morrow, tomorrow, hereafter

when
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

your son
בִנְךָ֛ (ḇin·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

asks you,
יִשְׁאָלְךָ֥ (yiš·’ā·lə·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

“What
מָ֣ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is the meaning of the decrees
הָעֵדֹ֗ת (hā·‘ê·ḏōṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5713: Testimony, witness

and statutes
וְהַֽחֻקִּים֙ (wə·ha·ḥuq·qîm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute

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

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

our God
אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ (’ĕ·lō·hê·nū)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

has commanded you?”
צִוָּ֛ה (ṣiw·wāh)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 6:20 When your son asks you in time (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 6:19
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