Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 11
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Deuteronomy 11
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Deuteronomy 11
"Therefore thou shalt love Jehovah thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, alway." — Deuteronomy 11:1 (ASV)
Therefore. There is no break here in the original. The Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven for multitude, and you shall love the Lord your God.
And keep his charge. This literally means keep his keeping, that is, all that is to be kept in obedience to Him.
Always. This literally means all the days. (Compare Matthew 28:20: I am with you all the days.) Israel must not omit one day in keeping the charge of Jehovah, for He that keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
"And know ye this day: for [I speak] not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the chastisement of Jehovah your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm," — Deuteronomy 11:2 (ASV)
And know you. —Or, and you know.
Not with your children who have not known. —It must be remembered that all those who were less than twenty years of age at the date of the Exodus would still be living, and the events of their youth must have left a strong impression on their memories. Every man of forty-five years of age would feel the force of this address.
The chastisement. —Whether of the Egyptians in wrath, or of Israel in love.
His mighty hand... —Or, His hand in its strength, and His arm in its length. The position of the adjectives is emphatic.
"and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel:" — Deuteronomy 11:6 (ASV)
What he did unto Dathan and Abiram... .— See Numbers 16. It is impossible to separate the rebellion of Korah from that of Dathan and Abiram, and since the whole point of Korah’s rebellion was the priesthood, it is difficult to see how the writer of Deuteronomy could be ignorant of any priesthood except that of the whole tribe of Levi. The object of Korah’s rebellion was to abolish the distinction between a Kohathite and a priest.
"but your eyes have seen all the great work of Jehovah which he did." — Deuteronomy 11:7 (ASV)
But your eyes have seen. —Literally, For your eyes are the witnesses (literally; the seers) of all the great working of Jehovah which He has performed.
"Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it;" — Deuteronomy 11:8 (ASV)
The commandments. — Literally, the commandment. It is one course of action rather than many details which is enjoined.
Go in and possess — i.e., complete the conquest in detail, so as to enjoy the whole profit of the land.
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