he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I testify among you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you today, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
- KJV And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
- NKJV and he said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law.
- NASB he said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you will command your sons to follow carefully, all the words of this Law.
- NLT he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses urges Israel to take God's words to heart and to teach them diligently to their children. The covenant is to be passed down through faithful instruction.
Overview
Moses calls Israel not merely to hear the law but to "set your heart" to it, the whole-person commitment the Shema demands (Deut. 6:6-7). The command to teach the next generation shows that covenant faith is meant to endure across generations, not die with one. This anticipates the new covenant promise of God's law written on the heart (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Chr 22:19Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”
- Ezek 40:4“Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”
- Deut 11:18Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
- Prov 3:1–4My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;
- Luke 9:44“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
- Deut 4:9Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
- Deut 6:6–7These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.
- Heb 2:1We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 32:46 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.