English Standard Version
Deuteronomy 4:9
9"Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—
Deuteronomy 4:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;
- New International Version (NIV)Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,
- New Living Translation (NLT)“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.
Context of Deuteronomy 4:9
7For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? "Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children— 10how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, 'Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.' 11And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom.
Read all of Deuteronomy 4Deuteronomy 4:9 word by word
רַ֡ק הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֩ וּשְׁמֹ֨ר נַפְשְׁךָ֜ מְאֹ֗ד פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֨ח אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־רָא֣וּ עֵינֶ֗יךָ וּפֶן־יָס֙וּרוּ֙ מִלְּבָ֣בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֣י חַיֶּ֑יךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּ֥ם לְבָנֶ֖יךָ וְלִבְנֵ֥י בָנֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Only take heedשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: carefulH8104
- to thyself, and keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- thy soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soulH5315
- diligentlyמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
- lest thou forgetשָׁכַחshâkach shâkêach · to forgetH7911
- the thingsדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
- which thine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- and lest they departסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: departH5493
- from thy heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- all the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- of thy lifeחַיִּיםchay · lifeH2416
- but teachיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- them thy sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 4:9
- Deuteronomy 4:15"Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
- Proverbs 3:1My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
- Proverbs 4:20My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
- Luke 8:18Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."
- Hebrews 2:3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,
- James 2:22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
- Joshua 1:18Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous."
- Psalms 119:11I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
- Proverbs 4:4he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
- Proverbs 7:1My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;
- Hebrews 2:1Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
- Revelation 3:3Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
- Deuteronomy 6:7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
- Deuteronomy 11:19You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
- Deuteronomy 29:29"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
- Deuteronomy 31:19"Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Only take heed to thyself - Be circumspect and watchful. Keep thy soul diligently - Be mindful of thy eternal interests. Whatever becomes of the body, take care of the soul. Lest thou forget - God does his work that they may be had in everlasting remembrance; and he that forgets them, forgets his own mercies. Besides, if a man forget the work of God on his soul, he loses that work. Lest they depart from thy heart - It is not sufficient to lay up Divine…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9-11Verses 9-11 A full stop should end Deuteronomy 4:9; and Deuteronomy 4:10 begin, At the time that thou stoodest, etc. Deuteronomy 4:11 then ye came near, etc. Moses, exhorting to heedful observance of the Law, strives to renew the impressions of that tremendous scene which attended its promulgation at Sinai.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-40Moses gave a long speech to the Israelites because of their recent failures and what he thought would happen in Canaan.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-97-9. what nation is there so great--Here he represents their privileges and their duty in such significant and comprehensive terms, as were peculiarly calculated to arrest their attention and engage their interest. The former, their national advantages, are described (De 4:7, 8), and they were twofold: 1. God's readiness to hear and aid them at all times; and 2. the excellence of that religion in which they were instructed, set forth in the "statutes and…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 4:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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