God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 28:13
13The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you faithfully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 28:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
Context of Deuteronomy 28:13
11The Lord will give you plenty of blessings: You will have many children. Your animals will have many offspring. Your soil will produce many crops in the land the Lord will give you, as he swore to your ancestors. 12The Lord will open the heavens, his rich storehouse, for you. He will send rain on your land at the right time and bless everything you do. You will be able to make loans to many nations but won’t need to borrow from any. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you faithfully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 14Do everything I’m commanding you today. Never worship other gods or serve them. 15Obey the Lord your God, and faithfully follow all his commands and laws that I am giving you today. If you don’t, all these curses will come to you and stay close to you:
Read all of Deuteronomy 28Deuteronomy 28:13 word by word
וּנְתָֽנְךָ֨ יְהוָ֤ה לְרֹאשׁ֙ וְלֹ֣א לְזָנָ֔ב וְהָיִ֙יתָ֙ רַ֣ק לְמַ֔עְלָה וְלֹ֥א תִהְיֶ֖ה לְמָ֑טָּה כִּֽי־תִשְׁמַ֞ע אֶל־מִצְוֹ֣ת׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם לִשְׁמֹ֥ר וְלַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- shall makeנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
- thee the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- and not the tailזָנָבzânâb · tailH2180
- and thou shalt be above onlyמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- and thou shalt not be beneathמַ֫טָּהmaţţâh · beneathH4295
- if that thou hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
- unto the commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- which I commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- thee this dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- to observeשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: carefulH8104
- and to doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 28:13
- Numbers 24:18Edom will be conquered, and Seir, his enemy, will be conquered. So Israel will become wealthy.
- Isaiah 9:14So in one day the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branches and cattails.
- Deuteronomy 28:1Carefully obey the Lord your God, and faithfully follow all his commands that I’m giving you today. If you do, the Lord your God will place you high above all the other nations in the world.
- Deuteronomy 4:6Faithfully obey these laws. This will show the people of the world your wisdom and insight. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, “What wise and insightful people there are in this great nation!”
- Philippians 1:27Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I’ll hear all about you. I’ll hear that you are firmly united in spirit, united in fighting for the faith that the Good News brings.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 28:13
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-14Verses 1-14 A comparison of this chapter with Exodus 23:20-23 and Deuteronomy 28:5 The “basket” or bag was a customary means in the East for carrying about whatever might be needed for personal uses (compare Deuteronomy 26:2; John 13:29). The “store” is rather the kneading-trough Exodus 8:3; Exodus 12:34. The blessings here promised relate, it will be observed, to private and personal life: in Deuteronomy 28:7 those which are of a more public and national…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13the head and not the tail: If Israel obeyed the terms of the covenant, it would lead the nations and not be subject to them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. the head, and not the tail--an Oriental form of expression, indicating the possession of independent power and great dignity and acknowledged excellence (Is 9:14; 19:15).Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 28:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 28
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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