Deuteronomy 11:29 kjv
And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
Deuteronomy 11:29 nkjv
Now it shall be, when the LORD your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
Deuteronomy 11:29 niv
When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.
Deuteronomy 11:29 esv
And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
Deuteronomy 11:29 nlt
"When the LORD your God brings you into the land and helps you take possession of it, you must pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.
Deuteronomy 11 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:7 | "To your offspring I will give this land."... | God's promise of the land to Abraham. |
| Exod 19:5 | "Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession..." | Covenant conditions at Sinai. |
| Lev 26:3-4 | "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season..." | Blessings for obedience. |
| Lev 26:14-16 | "But if you will not listen to Me and will not do all these commandments... I will appoint over you a panic..." | Curses for disobedience. |
| Deut 6:1-2 | "Now this is the commandment... that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son... and that your days may be long in the land that you are going over to possess." | Commands for possessing the land. |
| Deut 8:7-9 | "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land... a land of wheat and barley..." | Description of the promised land. |
| Deut 11:26-28 | "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey... the curse, if you do not obey..." | Immediate context; setting choice before Israel. |
| Deut 27:11-13 | "That same day Moses charged the people, saying, 'When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people... and these on Mount Ebal for the curse...'" | Specific instructions for the Gerizim/Ebal ceremony. |
| Deut 27:14-26 | "And the Levites shall declare in a loud voice to all the men of Israel... 'Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark.'..." | Specific curses to be recited. |
| Deut 28:1-2 | "If you obey the voice of the LORD your God... all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you..." | Comprehensive list of covenant blessings. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God... all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you..." | Comprehensive list of covenant curses. |
| Josh 1:7-8 | "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law... that you may have good success wherever you go." | Success in land tied to obedience to God's Law. |
| Josh 8:30-35 | "At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD... as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded... and afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse..." | Fulfillment of the Gerizim/Ebal ceremony. |
| 1 Kgs 8:56 | "Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed..." | God's faithfulness in bringing Israel into the land. |
| Neh 9:20-21 | "You gave your good Spirit to instruct them... You fed them forty years in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing..." | God's continued provision in the wilderness. |
| Isa 1:19-20 | "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword..." | Prophetic reiteration of conditional blessings/curses. |
| Jer 11:3-4 | "Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant... which I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt..." | Warning against breaking the covenant. |
| Gal 3:10 | "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.'" | Humanity's failure to perfectly obey the Law's curse. |
| Gal 3:13 | "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'..." | Christ bears the Law's curse on our behalf. |
| Eph 1:3 | "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places..." | Spiritual blessings received in the New Covenant. |
| Rev 22:3 | "No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it..." | Final state: removal of all curse in new creation. |
Deuteronomy 11 verses
Deuteronomy 11 29 Meaning
Deuteronomy 11:29 provides a direct divine command for the Israelites to enact a foundational covenant ceremony upon their entry into the promised land. This involves dedicating Mount Gerizim to the pronouncement of blessings and Mount Ebal to the pronouncement of curses, thereby symbolizing the absolute choice between obedience leading to divine favor and disobedience leading to divine judgment, and establishing the conditional nature of their life in the land.
Deuteronomy 11 29 Context
Deuteronomy 11 forms part of Moses' second major discourse to the Israelites as they prepare to enter Canaan. Having recounted God's past faithfulness and their ancestors' disobedience in the wilderness, Moses shifts focus to the future in the land. This chapter reemphasizes the necessity of loving the Lord, keeping His commandments, and teaching them diligently to future generations (Deut 11:1, 18-21). Prior to verse 29, Moses articulates the fundamental choice awaiting Israel: "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut 11:26). Verse 29 is the specific, actionable command to formalize this covenant choice in a national assembly immediately upon their crossing the Jordan River. Historically, this command serves as a pre-emptive measure to establish the divine nature of their new national identity and the conditions for their dwelling in a land that was already populated by other peoples. The ceremony itself underscores the foundational premise that their continued enjoyment of the promised land depended entirely on their obedience to God's covenant.
Deuteronomy 11 29 Word analysis
- "And it shall come to pass" (וְהָיָה - v'hayah): This is a common Hebrew transitional phrase, signifying certainty or the future unfolding of an event, rather than mere possibility. It emphasizes the divine pre-ordination and certainty of God's plan for Israel.
- "when the LORD your God brings you" (b’havi Yahweh Eloheyka ot’kha): Highlights God's active role and sovereign initiative in bringing Israel into the land. Their entry is not simply military conquest, but a divine act of covenant fulfillment. "Your God" signifies the exclusive, personal, and covenantal relationship Yahweh has with Israel.
- "into the land which you go to possess" (el ha’aretz asher atah ba’ shammah l’rishtah): While God brings them in, Israel has a part in actively taking possession of the inheritance. "Possess" (יָרַשׁ - yarash) carries the connotation of receiving an inheritance.
- "that you shall put" (וְנָתַתָּה - v'natatta): From the Hebrew verb nathan, meaning "to give," "to place," or "to set." This denotes a deliberate, authoritative, and performative action. It's not just a verbal declaration but an institutional establishment, making a spiritual reality tangible through a ritual act.
- "the blessing" (הַבְּרָכָה - ha-berakhah): God's favor, empowerment, and good will that results in life, prosperity, fruitfulness, security, and well-being. It encapsulates all good outcomes derived from being in a right relationship with God, covering both spiritual and material aspects.
- "on Mount Gerizim" (al Har Gerizim): A fertile, green mountain, it was visibly more pleasant and perhaps cultivated. Located strategically near Shechem, it was naturally suited for assembly. Symbolically, its character reflected the desired outcome of blessing—life, abundance, and flourishing. The name Gerizim is debated but could relate to 'cuttings' (for cultivation) or be from a root associated with purity or election.
- "and the curse" (וְהַקְּלָלָה - v'ha-q'lalah): The divine judgment and disfavor that results in adversity, destruction, barrenness, and spiritual death. It signifies a breaking down, diminishing, and ultimately, expulsion from God's presence and land. It is the opposite consequence of blessing for covenant violation.
- "on Mount Ebal" (v'al Har Ebal): A rugged, rocky, and relatively barren mountain adjacent to Gerizim. Its austere appearance would have symbolized the desolate consequences of breaking the covenant. The name Ebal might relate to "bald" or "stony," aligning with its geological features and the theme of barrenness.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "when the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess": This opening emphasizes that while Israel's occupation of the land involves human agency and military effort, it is ultimately orchestrated and enabled by Yahweh, underscoring the theological basis for their possession. It reiterates that their claim to the land is not merely by conquest but by divine gift and promise.
- "that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal": This phrase commands a solemn, dramatic, and memorable national ceremony. The physical proximity of the two contrasting mountains, Gerizim (fertile, associated with blessing) and Ebal (barren, associated with curse), provides a potent visual aid and audible amphitheater. This strategic location was not accidental but divinely chosen to embody the covenant's binary choice, impressing upon the people the gravity of their commitment to God and the inescapable consequences of their actions in the Promised Land. This act rooted the very identity of Israel in their continuous response to the covenant.
Deuteronomy 11 29 Bonus section
- The valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal creates a natural acoustic environment, serving as an ideal amphitheater where the voices of the Levites pronouncing the blessings and curses could project effectively to a large assembly of Israelites (as detailed in Deut 27:12-13 and Josh 8:33-34).
- The choice of Shechem as the general vicinity for this ceremony is significant. It was a site already rich in patriarchal history, where Abraham first built an altar upon entering Canaan (Gen 12:6-7) and Jacob bought land (Gen 33:18-20), associating it with the very beginnings of the covenant promise.
- While Israel often failed to perfectly obey the Law and incurred many curses, the very existence of these instructions and their fulfillment in Joshua 8 serve as a testament to God's patient yet just character, demonstrating both His offer of abundant blessing and the seriousness of His covenant requirements.
Deuteronomy 11 29 Commentary
Deuteronomy 11:29 sets forth a profound instructional and symbolic act vital for Israel's identity and future in the promised land. It is a specific mandate for a covenant renewal ceremony to be performed at a strategically chosen location: the valley flanked by Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, near the city of Shechem. This command is more than just a logistical instruction; it is a pedagogical tool to indelibly impress upon the nation the two fundamental paths before them: one leading to divine blessing through covenant obedience, and the other to divine curse through disobedience. The physical topography, with fertile Gerizim and barren Ebal, visually reinforces this stark binary. This ceremony ensured that the conditional nature of their dwelling in the land was a constantly recalled foundational truth. For example, similar to a nation's foundational constitutional act, this ceremony was Israel's ultimate covenantal inauguration into their national inheritance, designed to continually remind them of their sacred obligations.