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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 your soul to follow Yahweh your God. Arise therefore, and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, to bring the ark of Yahweh’s covenant and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for Yahweh’s name.”
- Ezek 40:4The man said to me, Son of man, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart on all that I shall show you; for, to the intent that I may show them to you, you are brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel.
- Deut 11:18Therefore you shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
- Prov 3:1–4My son, don’t forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments:
- Luke 9:44“Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.”
- Deut 4:9Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children’s children;
- Deut 6:6–7These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart;
- Heb 2:1Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we 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.