Deuteronômio 11

ARC · Chapter 11/34

1Amarás pois ao Senhor teu Deus, e guardarás a sua observancia, e os seus estatutos, e os seus juizos, e os seus mandamentos, todos os dias.

2E hoje sabereis que fallo, não com vossos filhos, que o não sabem, e não viram a instrucção do Senhor vosso Deus, a sua grandeza, a sua mão forte, e o seu braço estendido;

3Nem tão pouco os seus signaes, nem os seus feitos, que fez no meio do Egypto a Pharaó, rei do Egypto, e a toda a sua terra;

4Nem o que fez ao exercito dos egypcios, aos seus cavallos e aos seus carros, fazendo passar sobre elles as aguas do Mar Vermelho quando vos perseguiam: e o Senhor os destruiu até ao dia de hoje;

5Nem o que vos fez no deserto, até que chegastes a este logar;

6E o que fez a Dathan e a Abiram, filhos de Eliab, filho de Ruben: como a terra abriu a sua bocca e os tragou com as suas casas e com as suas tendas, como tambem tudo o que subsistia, e lhes pertencia, no meio de todo o Israel:

7Porquanto os vossos olhos são os que viram toda a grande obra que fez o Senhor.

8Guardae pois todos os mandamentos que eu vos ordeno hoje, para que vos esforceis, e entreis, e possuaes a terra que passaes a possuir;

9E para que prolongueis os dias na terra que o Senhor jurou a vossos paes dal-a a elles e á sua semente, terra que mana leite e mel.

10Porque a terra que entras a possuir não é como a terra do Egypto, d'onde saistes, em que semeavas a tua semente, e a regavas com o teu pé, como a uma horta.

11Mas a terra que passaes a possuir é terra de montes e de valles: da chuva dos céus beberá as aguas:

12Terra de que o Senhor teu Deus tem cuidado: os olhos do Senhor teu Deus estão sobre ella continuamente, desde o principio até ao fim do anno.

13E será que, se diligentemente obedecerdes a meus mandamentos que hoje te ordeno, de amar ao Senhor teu Deus, e de o servir de todo o teu coração e de toda a tua alma,

14Então darei a chuva da vossa terra a seu tempo, a temporã e a serodia, para que recolhas o teu grão, e o teu mosto e o teu azeite.

15E darei herva no teu campo ás tuas bestas, e comerás, e fartar-te-has.

16Guardae-vos, que o vosso coração não se engane, e vos desvieis, e sirvaes a outros deuses, e vos inclineis perante elles:

17E a ira do Senhor se accenda contra vós, e feche elle os céus, e não haja agua, e a terra não dê a sua novidade, e cedo pereçaes da boa terra que o Senhor vos dá.

18Ponde pois estas minhas palavras no vosso coração e na vossa alma, e atae-as por signal na vossa mão, para que estejam por testeiras entre os vossos olhos,

19E ensinae-as a vossos filhos, fallando d'ellas assentado em tua casa, e andando pelo caminho, e deitando-te, e levantando-te;

20E escreve-as nos umbraes de tua casa, e nas tuas portas:

21Para que se multipliquem os vossos dias e os dias de vossos filhos na terra que o Senhor jurou a vossos paes dar-lhes, como os dias dos céus sobre a terra.

22Porque, se diligentemente guardardes todos estes mandamentos que vos ordeno para os guardardes, amando ao Senhor vosso Deus, andando em todos os seus caminhos, e a elle vos achegardes,

23Tambem o Senhor de diante de vós lançará fóra todas estas nações, e possuireis nações maiores e mais poderosas do que vós

24Todo o logar que pisar a planta do vosso pé será vosso: desde o deserto, e desde o Libano, desde o rio, o rio Euphrates, até ao mar occidental, será o vosso termo.

25Ninguem parará diante de vós: o Senhor vosso Deus porá sobre toda a terra que pisardes o vosso terror e o vosso temor, como já vos tem dito.

26Eis que hoje eu ponho diante de vós a benção e a maldição:

27A benção, quando ouvirdes os mandamentos do Senhor vosso Deus, que hoje vos mando;

28Porém a maldição, se não ouvirdes os mandamentos do Senhor vosso Deus, e vos desviardes do caminho que hoje vos ordeno, para seguirdes outros deuses que não conhecestes.

29E será que, havendo-te o Senhor teu Deus introduzido na terra, a que vaes para possuil-a, então pronunciarás a benção sobre o monte de Gerizim, e a maldição sobre o monte d'Ebal

30Porventura não estão elles d'aquem do Jordão, junto ao caminho do pôr do sol, na terra dos cananeos, que habitam na campina defronte do Gilgal, junto aos carvalhaes de Moreh?

31Porque passareis o Jordão para entrardes a possuir a terra, que vos dá o Senhor vosso Deus: e a possuireis, e n'ella habitareis.

32Tende pois cuidado em fazer todos os estatutos e os juizos, que eu hoje vos proponho.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Moses contrasts the land of Egypt, artificially irrigated, with the promised land, which depends directly on rain sent by God — making faithfulness to God literally vital to Israel's agricultural fertility and prosperity. He repeats the appeal to teach these words to their children and presents the blessing of Mount Gerizim and the curse of Mount Ebal.

Explanation

The geographical comparison between Egypt (irrigated by the predictable Nile) and Canaan (dependent on unpredictable seasonal rain) carries significant theological weight: the promised land would require continuous, active dependence on God, unlike Egypt, where agricultural prosperity did not require particular faith. This explains why idolatry (seeking out Canaanite rain and fertility gods like Baal) would be such a persistent temptation throughout Israel's history — natural agricultural anxiety sought alternative spiritual answers. The promise of blessing on Gerizim and curse on Ebal, ritually fulfilled later in Joshua 8, visually and geographically establishes the same choice between obedience and rebellion that runs through the whole book.

Fun facts

  • Mounts Gerizim and Ebal sit on opposite sides of a narrow valley near Shechem, creating a remarkable natural amphitheater where voices from one side can be clearly heard from the other — a perfect geographical setting for the ceremony of blessings and curses that would take place there.
  • The observation that the 'eyes of the Lord' are 'always' upon the promised land 'from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year' (v. 12) contrasts with a common belief in the ancient Near East that different regional gods had limited jurisdictions — here, God's care is described as constant and complete, not seasonal.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 11:1It sums up the expected response to everything that has been said: love God and keep His commandments every day, without exception.
  2. Deuteronômio 11:2Moses makes a point of speaking to the generation that lived through the events, not to the children who only heard about God’s greatness secondhand.
  3. Deuteronômio 11:3It specifically recalls the signs done against Pharaoh and all of Egypt, seen live by that generation.
  4. Deuteronômio 11:4It also cites the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea as concrete proof of God’s power, still visible “unto this day.”
  5. Deuteronômio 11:5It includes everything God did during the crossing of the wilderness, right up to their arrival at that point in the journey.
  6. Deuteronômio 11:6It brings up a specific, shocking example: Dathan and Abiram, swallowed alive by the earth along with their families and tents, for rebelling against God.
  7. Deuteronômio 11:7It stresses that this generation saw all of it with their own eyes — it is not secondhand history, it is lived experience.
  8. Deuteronômio 11:8From that evidence comes the practical appeal: keeping the commandments gives them the strength to go in and take possession of the land.
  9. Deuteronômio 11:9The reward for obedience is a long life in the promised land, again described as a land “that floweth with milk and honey.”
  10. Deuteronômio 11:10The comparison with Egypt, watered “with thy foot,” recalls the foot-powered irrigation systems used along the banks of the Nile. Canaan, by contrast, would depend only on rain, which made faithfulness to God, who controls the rain, even more central to survival there.
  11. Deuteronômio 11:11Unlike Egypt, irrigated by canals, the new land depends on rain falling from the sky — a direct dependence on God.
  12. Deuteronômio 11:12Because of that dependence on rain, the land is described as cared for by God all year round, from beginning to end.
  13. Deuteronômio 11:13The condition for receiving rain is clear: obey the commandments, loving and serving God with the whole heart and the whole soul.
  14. Deuteronômio 11:14The promise is the right rain in each season, guaranteeing a harvest of grain, wine, and oil.
  15. Deuteronômio 11:15It also includes plentiful pasture for the animals, besides enough food for the people.
  16. Deuteronômio 11:16The opposite warning: be careful that the heart does not let itself be deceived and turn aside to serve other gods.
  17. Deuteronômio 11:17The consequence of idolatry would be God’s anger shutting up the heavens — no rain, no harvest, and quick expulsion from the good land.
  18. Deuteronômio 11:18The same instruction to bind the words of the law as a sign on the hand and between the eyes, already seen in chapter 6, is repeated here. Repeating the formula reinforces that this constant remembrance of the law was considered essential, not a one-time detail.
  19. Deuteronômio 11:19It repeats the instruction to teach these words to their children, talking about them at home, on the road, when lying down, and when rising up.
  20. Deuteronômio 11:20It also repeats the instruction to write the words on the doorposts of the house, keeping the law always visible.
  21. Deuteronômio 11:21The final promise of this section is multiplied long life, both for the people and for their children, in the promised land.
  22. Deuteronômio 11:22It reaffirms the repeated condition: keep the commandments, love God, and follow His ways closely.
  23. Deuteronômio 11:23As a reward, God would drive out before Israel nations bigger and more powerful than themselves.
  24. Deuteronômio 11:24It promises a broad territory: every place the people set foot would be theirs, from the wilderness to Lebanon, from the Euphrates to the western sea.
  25. Deuteronômio 11:25It guarantees that no one would be able to stand against them, because God would spread terror and fear of the people over the whole land.
  26. Deuteronômio 11:26The blessing and the curse to be pronounced on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, at the entrance to the land, repeat the classic structure of ancient treaties: after the laws always comes the list of what happens if the agreement is kept or broken. The full ritual is only spelled out later, in chapter 27.
  27. Deuteronômio 11:27It spells out the blessing: it would come if the people listened and obeyed God’s commandments.
  28. Deuteronômio 11:28On the opposite side, the curse would come if the people turned aside from the commanded path to follow unknown gods.
  29. Deuteronômio 11:29It instructs that, upon entering the land, the blessing would be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal — a ritual detailed further ahead, in chapter 27.
  30. Deuteronômio 11:30It places these two mountains geographically, near Gilgal and the oaks of Moreh, on the west side of the Jordan, in Canaanite land.
  31. Deuteronômio 11:31It stresses that crossing the Jordan is the final step before actually taking possession of the promised land.
  32. Deuteronômio 11:32The chapter closes with a general call: to be careful to carry out all the statutes and judgments Moses is about to spell out.

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