You 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.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.
- KJV Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
- NKJV You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
- NASB You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you.
- NLT Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.
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
Israel must not add to or take away from God's word but keep it as given. It guards the integrity and sufficiency of God's commands.
Overview
This solemn charge protects God's revelation from human alteration in either direction. It affirms that God's word is complete and authoritative as He gave it, a principle later echoed regarding all of Scripture. It calls God's people to submit to His word rather than reshape it to their preference.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Deut 12:32See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
- Prov 30:6Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.
- Rev 22:18–19I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
- Josh 1:7Above 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.
- Matt 5:18For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
- Gal 3:15Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended.
- Eccl 12:13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
- Mark 7:1–13Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,
- Matt 15:2–9“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
- Matt 5:43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 4:2 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.